Duckling with crusty anus

[Debbie292d]

Thank you so much
I cleaned up my ducklings.
The paste was not caused by temperature or water additive problems so ill blame it on the treats with no grit.
Do you think i need to provide them with duckling grit now for what they ate yesterday?
i will not be feeding them more treats untill they are old enough for the oyster shell grit.
The purina flock raiser has 20% protein which is enough for ducklings. It shld have enough niacin for ducklings too but i didnt see it mentioned on the package. Do you think i shld give them nutritional yeast just to be safe? If yes for how long do you recomend supplementing this for?
Thank you.

I just raise chickens but there's a DUCK forum you could ask in if some duck person doesn't come along. I would say a little grit wouldn't hurt either way and would help if there's anything still sitting in his crop. As for your other question, we need a duck person to answer that one!

 

[Jenbirdee]

Thank you so much
I cleaned up my ducklings.
The paste was not caused by temperature or water additive problems so ill blame it on the treats with no grit.
Do you think i need to provide them with duckling grit now for what they ate yesterday?
i will not be feeding them more treats untill they are old enough for the oyster shell grit.
The purina flock raiser has 20% protein which is enough for ducklings. It shld have enough niacin for ducklings too but i didnt see it mentioned on the package. Do you think i shld give them nutritional yeast just to be safe? If yes for how long do you recomend supplementing this for?
Thank you.

They really need the extra niacin while they are growing. Many leg and foot problems can be prevented simply by adding the nutritional yeast (some people use brewers yeast but I find the nutritional yeast to be superior) so a minimum the first 2 - 3 months
Lots of duck owners here continue adding nutritional yeast =at least on occasion= throughout the duck's entire lives.
I just add some once a week now (my ducks age range is 7 months through 8 years old)

 

[Jenbirdee]

I just raise chickens but there's a DUCK forum you could ask in if some duck person doesn't come along. I would say a little grit wouldn't hurt either way and would help if there's anything still sitting in his crop. As for your other question, we need a duck person to answer that one!

yes provide the little bowl of grit on the side. get the chick size grit (small )

 

[007Sean]

Howdy, and Welcome to Backyard Chickens.

Happy to have you here with us. Enjoy your time here at BYC!

Thanks for joining our community!

 

[Fuchsia]

Welcome to BYC!!

 

[chrissynemetz]

Hi, and welcome to BYC! We're glad you joined us!

 

[N F C]

Hello, some great advice from @Jenbirdee, hope it helps. And you can always post questions over on the Duck forum. Best wishes to you!

 

[Yorkshire Coop]

Welcome to BYC @Tducks

 

[New duck mommy 2021]

Welcome to BYC
When feeding anything other then regular feed you nee to provide a separate bowl of chick grit
I usually wait till week 2-3 to start treats at that point I add the grit. I keep a bowl full at all times
In summer my oldest birds hardly touch it but come winter when they can’t find sand or rocks by digging they eat more of it
I use nutritional yeast with my ducklings till about 10-12 weeks
1tbs to 1 cup feed
This just ensures they don’t suffer niacin issues while growing
I also give it to my adults a few times a week by sprinkling it on the feed as well as oregano ( daily)
Knock on wood in 2.5 years of ducks I have yet to deal with leg issues
I have pekin , khaki , pekin x khaki , Swedish and ancona
The ducks will not eat oyster shells as grit. They will eat them as they need calcium to lay eggs. These must be 2 separate bowls of things
Never put in the feed just as side dishes
I keep my oyster shells out at all times but if these are your first ducks you can set out around 4 months before they start to lay and they will eat them when they need it

Pasty butt can come for many reasons
Sometimes at hatch if humidity was to high and the goo gets stuck
To high of heat in the brooder can also cause this
Ducklings need less heat then chicks
I found 80-85 first week and every 3 days I was raising the heat lamp or raising the heat plate
By 3 weeks my duckings stop using the heat
Just watch the babies They tell you if they need more or less heat by where they lay
Away or off to the side it’s to warm
In the centre on top of one another they may need a bit more
Water - they need water deep enough to dunk their heads to clear nares and eyes at all times
Getting plastic containers and cutting holes in lid big enough for heads prevents them from jumping in and getting to cold and making less mess
I use butter containers and move up as they grow to the next size
Any container with a lid you can cut will work
I have raised many ducklings and find starting baths at 3 days is safe and enjoyable
Only a few inches of warm water for 5 -10 mins supervised
By day 5 they will be swimming under water having a blast
I do this once a day
I make sure the room is warm and when I take them out I pat dry them with paper towel
Then put them back by heat
Tbey will start to preen immediately and use the oil gland
This helps them to oil the feathers
For the next week or so check the babies vents daily to make sure the pasty butt is staying gone
Baths will help with this as well

 

[swampfox440]

Welcome to BYC!