Emergency baby duck 3 to 5 days old

[richardfairlie]

Hello, I've got some ducks, no clue the breed. One has just hatched 2 baby ducks over 2 days. The oldest one is around 5 days old. They live in an outside enclosure, just fenced and have a duck pond. The terrain is rocky has trees and plants and soil, but there is lots of rock.
It's already nighttime here, just by luck I went in to the duck enclosure to get some fallen branches for the incinerator. One of the babies was swimming in the pond. I thought it's having a hard time getting out, so I grabbed it and picked it up and set it in the ground. It started walking, but it's one leg is just dragging behind it.

Literally using only 1 leg to walk and th other one just sticks out behind it.

Is it a break or a vitamin deficency. I check them daily at least 3 or 4 times a day, everything was fine at 4pm and someone else check them around 5, now it's 6.30 pm

I have them now on my lap in a small towel, I have no heat lamps or anything. The temperature is around 28 and will go down to around 22 deg c
The other baby duck also has some marks on its back.


What do I do?

 

[richardfairlie]

It's either been stepped on, fallen, or been attacked by one of the bigger ducks or a preditor., Or a vitamin deficency, but would a deficency kick in within an hour? Luckily the past days I have been picking them up and they do not feel upset or stressed by me already.

 

[chicken1234]

I'm not sure about the leg but I would bring them all inside to warm up. Give them some warm water and food.

 

[cheezenkwackers]

You can provide some temporary warmth indoors by filling an empty bottle with hot tap water and wrapping it in a towel. It will only last for a little while but better than nothing.

 

[richardfairlie]

It's inside sleeping on my lap in a towel with it's sibling. I'm living in the tropics so it's never very cold here. Never under 22 deg c

He's making 3 soft peeps every now and again, I guess just making sure I'm here taking care of him, I tickle his head and he goes back to sleep each time

 

[richardfairlie]

Ok so news update. I guess they were attacked by something as the one without a broken/ injured leg died in the night. It had a small mark on its back and although I was cuddling with it and the 2 were cuddling together, my attention was focused on the one with the bad leg. I made sure he ate and drank before I went to bed and the other one was just sleeping, so I guess he was in shock.

 

[richardfairlie]

So anyone? Injury or vitamin

If I had to guess the way it's holding it's foot, is ankle. It can't walk, if I leave it alone it's stuck on its side.

I have to hold it to eat and drink.

It's not making loud noises, so I don't think it's very painful, but honestly I don't know ducks all that well.

 

[Miss Lydia]

I'm sorry you lost the one little. It's hard to say if it's a break have you examined the leg can the duckling use it if you place it in warm water? Has momma been taking care of them? If the other one died from injuries most likely this one was injured the same way or trying to get away. How about the rest of your ducks any sign or trauma? from a predator attack? Do you have feed for poultry? and any type of vitamins for them? A good poultry vitamin with a god amount of niacin would be ideal.

 

[richardfairlie]

They free range and have extra feed. I actually had to put the babies initially on a mix of quail feed and chicken developer as I wasn't sure when they would arrive. They are under 5 days old and have been on chick starter non medicated for 48 hours. There was just a small scratch on the back of one duckling and it was quiet. In warm water the leg stays back and it moves but not correctly. Like it moves from the shoulder joint but the leg isn't pointing downward it's still stuck out behind. I've gently moved the joints and although he doesn't like it he doesn't cry out. His foot is slightly twisted at the ankle joint and his foot seems curled up like a fist. He tries standing now on the ankle joint with his foot curled.
So honestly I don't know. Maybe a foot and ankle break with a slight twist at the ankle joint? My normal vet for dogs and cats said they can't help. So it will be a 3 hour trip one way to the main city on this island if any vet will handle it, but it's looking doubtful at the moment.

I'm holding him to feed and drink during the day , allowing him to swim a couple of times a day and from 8 til 6 holding him to drink and eat every couple of hours. He can't manage anything by himself.

 

[richardfairlie]

I have also put water soluble vitamin pro, today, added some boiled egg and green beans to his feed (today) which contains b3 and many others, until I can get some b3 for ducks. I'm just not sure how to fix it's leg, especially if no vet will touch it. But honestly it's beak is ok, it's under a week old, so I'm not sure if a b3 deficiency would have kicked in already?