Help, Anything else cause hobbling?

[sweeetea]

My 2 WH's had brewer's yeast supplemented in their feed since I got them. They are 3 weeks old now.

5 days ago, one started having weak legs and trouble standing so I upped the amount of brewer's yeast a lot -- to the point where they barely tolerate it in their food without spitting it out. I also started adding it to their water. She's improved but isn't back to normal yet. She can stand but still prefers to crawl on her "knees." I'm worried she's not eating and drinking enough because it requires moving (also her sister muscles her out of position sometimes).

I'm using Solgar brewer's yeast from Whole Foods. 2.5 mg niacin per each 2 tablespoons, is what it says. It's hard to estimate how big a dose they actually get since there are 2 ducks and it's in both food and water. Should I try for niacin tablets instead of brewer's yeast?

Could something else be causing this? I don't see any signs of foot or leg injury. They eat organic chick starter from Modesto Milling (22% protein).

 

[Weber Girls]

I had a chicken that was normal until 2 weeks of age. At first, she was stumbling, then came to the point of 'crawling', and her legs would continually splay. Her head would also bobble. I had to hobble her legs, and after about 3 months of that she never improved. I concluded that she probably had some sort of neurological disease/disorder. Here is a link to a thread I made about my chick:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/866183/spraddle-leg-or-something-else

Your ducklings might have some sort of neurological disorder or vitamin deficiency. Some disorders show up as birds are maturing.
Some questions to ask are:
Are their heads shaking? Do the legs splay? Does one leg seem to be more dominant than the other? Are their eyes clear? Is there poop consistent?

Try googling duck disorders and seeing if any of your symptoms match.

 

[Amiga]

The short answer is yes, something else could be going on. You might try setting the brewer's yeast aside for a day or two, perhaps switch to a plain niacin capsule in the water.

Are food and water available to them 24/7? I would get a food bowl large enough that the sister cannot nudge her away.

Consider a vet, also. Sometimes mosquitoes and black flies can carry viruses that cause illness in ducklings. Or they can pick up an internal infection.

How are her feces? You could take a sample to a vet for testing, might rule something out or show something.

Her breathing is fine, temperature in the brooder is around 70 to 75?

 

[sweeetea]

Bearing in mind these are my first ducks and I've only go 2 (thus little basis for comparison):

-legs *look* normal, not like spraddle leg as far as I can tell
-yes, food and water 24/7
-temp seems ok, it's warm here and I haven't used heat lamp for a week (they pant if it's on)
-breathing is normal
-eyes are clear (and adorable)
-feathers coming in normally, like sister
-feces mushy, half between liquid and solid. Both ducks make a "squirt" noise each time (ew, does that go away?). Not sure what normal looks like, but both ducklings' feces is the same, I think.
-only the one duckling is affected
-they aren't from questionable sources. I picked them up in person from Metzer Farms.

Is it possible that her individual niacin needs are just very high and brewer's yeast wasn't enough?
I just picked up niacin capsules to add to the water. Fingers crossed.

 

[Amiga]

From what I have seen, ducklings do have a variety of niacin levels needed. Often just one or two ducklings in a bunch will need supplements.

 

[sweeetea]

Update: I've been dissolving half a niacin capsule (~250 mg) per gallon of water. The ducking may have improved slightly but still isn't strong in the legs. She prefers to sit and struggles to stand up, but otherwise appears healthy.

Not sure what to do next. Wait a few more days?

 

[Amiga]

Has she had any tub time?

And it has been, maybe three days? I would give her more time with the niacin, consider brewer's yeast as an alternative (it contains other B vitamins and sometimes I wonder if there are also other vitamin deficiencies going on with some of these littles). It can take well over a week for complete recovery - but you think there may be some improvement. So I would stick with what you are doing, and if she can float for a few minutes and paddle her legs with no weight, that may help develop strength.

 

[sweeetea]

They get bathtub time usually every other day.

They're still getting the brewer's yeast in their food, in addition to the niacin in the water for 4 days now.

 

[sweeetea]

Well, the hobbling duckling has not improved. I'm starting to doubt this is a niacin issue. I'm suspecting something neurological, but what?

I've noticed she bobs her head more than the other duck. Sometimes her poo is dark and fishy-smelling (no fish in diet)! Is that normal?

 

[Amiga]

There could be an infection. Can you get a fecal sample to a vet, have them check for bacteria, parasites?