Duckling tired and clear poop

[Lala the duck]

We just recently got some ducklings, and one of them, a Pekin, is very tired, sleeps a lot, and has had clear poop a few times in a row. I'm new to ducks, and I'm really worried. Does anyone know what I should do, or if this is normal?

 

[Pyxis]

How old are they? Can you describe your brooder setup? What are you feeding? Have you tried giving any supplements like Poultry Nutri Drench?

 

[Lala the duck]

They're around a week old. We set up a heat lamp that's 100 watts, and we put a waterer and feeder in the cardboard box. Right now, we're feeding them chick starter feed, which the person we bought them from recommended. We haven't fed them any supplements. The Pekin is more active and is eating normally, but the poop has white in it now.

 

[Lala the duck]

Update:
The Pekin's poop is brown but a little watery still. We keep the box around 80 degrees Fahrenheit, which they seem to prefer best. We line the bottom with paper towels.

 

[Pyxis]

Chick starter isn't the best for ducklings. It doesn't have enough niacin for them, especially for big breeds like pekins. I would either switch to a specific duckling feed, if you can find it, or instead go with an all flock option such as Purina Flock Raiser. Alternatively, you could buy Brewer's Yeast to add to the chick feed to raise the niacin.

What bedding are you using? What is the temperature under the heat lamp? And is there a cool place they can go to get away from the heat when they need to?

 

[Lala the duck]

Ok, sounds good! We are using paper towels which we are changing a lot, so we are planning to change it to maybe pine shavings. Under the heat lamp, it's a little over 90 degrees Fahrenheit, but the ducklings usually go to this little area we have for them that's around 80 degrees Fahrenheit.

 

[Pyxis]

You probably want it to be cooler than that over there. The idea is to have the warm spot that they can get to when they need to warm up, but also have a cooler area, around 70 degrees or so, that they can go to cool down. So you may need a bigger brooder to achieve that heat gradient, or a smaller light.

I would also add some Nutri Drench to their water. It's a good thing to do, it will give them a boost. The really watery clear poop means they're drinking a lot, which they do, but it could also mean they're too warm without a cooler area to go to, so they're drinking more to try to stay hydrated and cool down.

Paper towels are good, but they do take a lot of changing. Pine shavings are fine too

 

[CayugaJana]

Is it your only Pekin? I have them as well as a few other breeds. I immediately noticed when I got my pekins that they grow waaaay faster than the other breeds. They also get tired faster than others. My male would always sit down once he stoping walking somewhere. I figured it's pretty tiring carrying their huge bodies around. Pekins also need the niacin more than any other breed like @Pyxis said. They need healthy legs to support their weight. And if you can find gamebird starter rather than chick starter, that would be ideal.

If he never gets up and just sits there, then that's a problem. Get nutridrench and put in their water. Also is he eating well? If not, try adding water to the feed so it's kind of a mash and see if he can eat it better.

 

[Lala the duck]

@Pyxis
Ok, will do! We'll make sure to do those things. Thanks so much!
@CayugaJana Yes, it's our only Pekin. We have some Rouens too. We do put water in their feed, and the Pekin eats a lot. After he rests, he can get pretty loud and active.

 

[CayugaJana]

@Pyxis
Ok, will do! We'll make sure to do those things. Thanks so much!
@CayugaJana Yes, it's our only Pekin. We have some Rouens too. We do put water in their feed, and the Pekin eats a lot. After he rests, he can get pretty loud and active.

I would say he's pretty normal then. It's tiring growing that fast!