Duckling with Niacin deficiency treatable?

[Katiepruitt90]

Hi Everybody,
I am new to raising ducks and have 4 Rouen ducklings. Three are growing quickly However one seems to have a niacin deficiency. I have been adding brewers yeast to their food for a couple days but it's legs don't seem to be getting better. Will the niacin fix his already developed leg problems or is there somehow I can splint them or will it have this leg issue its entire life. Thanks!

 

[casportpony]

Hi Everybody,
I am new to raising ducks and have 4 Rouen ducklings. Three are growing quickly However one seems to have a niacin deficiency. I have been adding brewers yeast to their food for a couple days but it's legs don't seem to be getting better. Will the niacin fix his already developed leg problems or is there somehow I can splint them or will it have this leg issue its entire life. Thanks!

Welcome to BYC!
Can you post a video of the duckling? To post a video, upload to youtube or Vimeo then copy/paste the link here.

 

[chickens really]

What do you feed?

 

[Miss Lydia]

Welcome to BYC!!

With one already having let issues I'd rec as will others on here to go to TSC and buy the B complex liquid in the cattle section it will say injectable but we give it orally it's fast acting and we have seen great recovery from it. How old are your ducklings? 1 ml a day for the duckling.

 

[lomine]

Some ducklings need more than the recommended amounts. So you likely need to increase the amount you are giving or do as Miss Lydia has suggested and get a B complex. Most times the ducklings legs can recover but it will completely depend on the age of the duck and the severity of the symptoms.

You may also want to offer a source of calcium. In some ducklings they show similar symptoms to niacin deficiency but they actually need more calcium. This can be especially true for the larger meat breeds. Don't add it to the feed though. Oyster shell or crushed egg shells will work. They will take what they need. Some may not need it but will 'play' with it. They won't take much and what they take won't hurt them.

 

[Katiepruitt90]

What do you feed?

I feed Demor chick starter and Grower and supplement it with Brewers Yeast for the past couple days

 

[Katiepruitt90]

Welcome to BYC!
Can you post a video of the duckling? To post a video, upload to youtube or Vimeo then copy/paste the link here.

As soon as I am home from work I will post a video Thanks!

 

[Katiepruitt90]

Welcome to BYC!!

With one already having let issues I'd rec as will others on here to go to TSC and buy the B complex liquid in the cattle section it will say injectable but we give it orally it's fast acting and we have seen great recovery from it. How old are your ducklings? 1 ml a day for the duckling.

Thank you so much I'll go buy some today after work and try it, Theyre 3-4 weeks old. So far "it" is the only one showing symptoms. The others are growing but this one seems to not be growing as fast as the other

 

[Katiepruitt90]

Some ducklings need more than the recommended amounts. So you likely need to increase the amount you are giving or do as Miss Lydia has suggested and get a B complex. Most times the ducklings legs can recover but it will completely depend on the age of the duck and the severity of the symptoms.

You may also want to offer a source of calcium. In some ducklings they show similar symptoms to niacin deficiency but they actually need more calcium. This can be especially true for the larger meat breeds. Don't add it to the feed though. Oyster shell or crushed egg shells will work. They will take what they need. Some may not need it but will 'play' with it. They won't take much and what they take won't hurt them.

My mom feeds her chickens oyster shells, I'll grab some while I'm here. Thanks!!

 

[Rysktal]

Brewers yeast added to their food as well as time spent foraging for greens really helped my few ducklings who were showing signs of a niacin deficiency.