Malnutrition in a parent, improper incubation, injury after hatching, malnutrition in the duckling. Add a vitamin supplement and double check the nutrition label on your feed bag. Compare it to the nutrition label on duck feed, try an online search. And don't give up too soon. I recently hatched a duckling, from Craigslist eggs, with a turned in leg that caused him to limp horribly. Even worse his head was misshapen. There was a bulge on one side as if the skull wasn't enclosing it's brain properly. At first just a little squishy bump but a week later it was looking like I'd need to do a mercy killing. But I began offering scrambled eggs and vitamin water and game bird feed and time on grass against the sunny side of the house, and a month later you can't tell Gimpy from any other duckling in a flock of 20. Color me Shocked.
