Duckling walking issue/injury?

[Ourgosling22]

The issue is scaring the living crap out of all of them. They don't like when I stand up. I can bring a chair in the room and sit down in it and they will quickly relax and as long as I move slowly and don't stand up or reach into their pen they are cool. I isolated part of the pen with the left over chicken wire I have from making the pen. That wasn't too big of a deal, although they all were petrified. The issue now is that the isolated one, ran into the corner when I put her food and water in her area and is just staying there. I am going to work now and will by a dropper on the way home. If she hasn't eaten her medicated food I'm gonna have to just hold her and put the b complex in her mouth with the dropper. I don't know of any other way to get it in her.

Be sure to read up on how to do that. They can asphyxiate. It may take a bit of time for them to get used to you. Just going to have to be patient but keep getting that b complex in the weak one for sure.

 

[ruthhope]

Thank you to everyone who has replied. I was able to get nutritional yeast flakes last night and sprinkled it over crumbled soft bread. They were already feed but overnight ate it. I got the B complex this a.m. I could not get it in the weak duckling she was too petrified for me to get the soaked crumbles to her (even after I put it down she wouldn't even look at it. But I did put a large does of the complex in their water. 30 mls. diluted in about a gallon of water, they drink about a quarter of it before I dumped it and give them fresh water. I had to shoo away the stronger ducks from blocking her. She took advantage of the path and made a slow, but fast for her weak legs, beeline to the water where she sat and drank and ate the chopped lettuce I put in it. She's not making it to the food after fleeing with the rest of the flock to the far corner when I put it in the pen. She's stayed in the corner. The pen is big enough for me to separate her with dividers into a 2 x 3 space, with my smaller brooder in it, her own water and her own food, but in order to do so I have to become Godzilla and walk into their pen to set up the wire dividers. Still I can't think of any way to have her close to the medicated food and to stop her from getting run over every time the ducklings get spooked. I hope my next post is about her recovery.

Yes -- keep her seperate but within sight of the others, with her own food with High Level Vit B complex NOT B12

 

[ruthhope]

Christ, thanks for the warning, I'll check up on that. I really want her to get better, and I've been so scared to harm them that I think I made it worse. Have a good one.

It is not necessary to give oral medication onto the tongue. Just soak into a few crumbles and leave the duckling to eat them -- watch to make sure it eats them and then they are OK

 

[duckdog]

Thank all of you for your input, she finally is taking to eating the food with the B complex. Funny thing, although she is still afraid when I place the food & water in her area, she kinda is also warming up some. I think since she really can't run away her having no choice but to be close to my hand which is leaving food and water isn't seeming as intimating.

 

[duckdog]

It is not necessary to give oral medication onto the tongue. Just soak into a few crumbles and leave the duckling to eat them -- watch to make sure it eats them and then they are OK

Yeah I wasn't really cool with that idea, I was just running late for work and she hadn't taken to the soaked bread. When I get home from work they are usually pretty hungry and needing fresh water. They love it when I chop up greens and throw them in the water. I gave her, her own little bowl with a half an oz of water and 3 ml of the complex, realizing she most likely wouldn't take it all. She drank about half. I gave her a fresh 1/2 cup of water for the night and put more B complex in it, and a small handful of feed in another bowl with nutritional yeast sprinkles. I think I'm getting it. I think she actual felt a little stronger after taking the b complex, although still weak, she got up, flapped her wings and moved around a bit. Thank you

 

[duckdog]

[Edited to correct dose of brewer's yeast below]

Sounds like a niacin deficiency issue. what are you feeding the ducklings? They need duckling starter crumble not chick crumbles as ducklings have much higher niacin needs than chicks. But some ducks -- particularly pekins -- need more niacin than in duck starter crumbles.

It is a ducky medical emergency to get niacin into your little fluffy with gait problems. You need durvet high level Vitamin B complex from Tractor Supply or other feed store. It is marked intravenous on the lable, but in ducks we use it orally. You need to feed you duckling 1ml every day, soaked into a few crumbles so that you can watch it eat the crumbles and know it has taken the dose. Keep feeding Durvet until the gait is normal.

Meanwhile, to prevent further niacin deficiency problems, please start all your ducklings on brewer's yeast or nutritional yeast in their food. The dose is 1 tablespoon on top of each cup of ducky crumbles. Nutritional yeast provides a larger amount of niacin than brewer's yeast but is much more expensive as it is human food grade. I use Josh's Frogs brand brewer's yeast. I get it from Amazon as I have free delivery through Amazon prime. If you do not have Amazon prime, buy it directly from Josh's Frogs website as it is chepaer there but you pay for delivery.

This is the last time I will bother you. I just want to say thank you. She's on the road to recovery. Yesterday although it was still hard for her to get up when she did she stood up straight. This morning although not 100% she got up quickly/stronger and has done so multiple times. She also just looks better. Once she can consistently get up well I'll take the chicken wire divider out. I also noticed this morning that their first feathers are coming in and it seems like they went through another growth spurt. Lastly she seems to be the most comfortable duck with me. She's still terrified but has come to realize that the big oafy Godzilla arm reaching into her pen also brings food and water. I got the ducks for eggs and hopefully some company for my very social pooch, even if she's just laying outside their coop. I've come to really find them as pets too. They are very goofy. I like to pull up a chair and watch them eat and do their duck things with dog watching them too. Thank you

 

[ruthhope]

So happy things are getting better, @duckdog
-- do post photos as we are all gaga for duckling photos!

Also: Its never bothering us! Tell us your successes, asks us about your challenges. You may even find yourself helping others when you recognize something that you have been successful in addressing.

Photo of my 4 drakes taken recently