Help diagnose this duckling... seizures

[WadeMD]

This is a Fawn and White Runner from Metzer... 10 days of age.

History:
Received 11 ducks in the mail, one extra was a F&W. One of them died overnight (Cayuga I believe). Since then, everyone has been growing like a weed. At day 8 (of age)... 2 days ago. We noticed that one of the F&W was being less active, floated in the tub when the others bathed, but generally didn't try to scuba/dive and just floated. That evening, we started to notice that she was always sleeping. She would hop up when the rest perked up and ran around, but the most she would do was walk - never run with the rest.

At day 9, she was noticeably smaller and started having trouble standing/walking occasionally. I started hand feeding her as she was not competing for the food at the feeder (and showed no inclination to drink). I can still get her to nibble at food in my hand or drink a tiny bit if I dip the tip of her beak in the water. She started receiving vitamins in her water (as well as on occasion corn meal/mushed cheerios just for more energy. Overnight, I got up every 3 hours, picked her up and had her eat some from my hand. By morning (this morning) she is perkier, but still only just walks a bit and then plops back down. Often, she is not resting with the other ducks, but apart from them (I think they move and she just stays put). She never stops calling for the other ducks though - she peeps non-stop even when they are near.

I noticed, as I stayed to work from home today to tend to her, that she goes into what I would describe as seizures. Her head goes every which way, like she's fighting to control it but cannot, she totally loses her balance and topples or falls over, and when it passes, she just lies still looking mostly dead. Then, if interacted with, she perks back up and acts as if nothing occurred. She is exhausted though - she falls asleep non-stop. I just took the whole flock out to the yard, put them into a dog crate with access to the grass - all of them (minus her) went nuts picking at the grass, making holes, playing around and drinking from the bowl I put out with them in the sun. She plopped and only moved when the others stepped on her. I recorded some video clips, that I linked below showing her seizure-like/convulsive behavior...

This first one shows her having a seizure - this is average and it occurs 2-4 times per hour near as I can tell:

This second one shows her relative activity level and size compared to her cohort (same aged ducks, 2 other healthy F&W runners):

Does anyone have any idea what this could be?

Can she be saved when she shows no inclination to eat/drink on her own?

Has anyone seen this before in ducklings? Experiences with it?

 

[CityChicker]

What are you feeding them? Did you just start the vitamin supplement? I didn't watch the videos as I have to head out right now, but it sounds like it might be a B-vitamin/Niacin deficiency. When ducklings are having seizures at that age it seems to frequently be feed related.

As a side note- is it already warm enough in MD to have them outside even for part of the day? I know it certainly isn't here and it was 70 degrees yesterday. In the late spring-early summer, we start letting them out during the day at about 3 weeks (of course, it just depends on your area and how your outdoor set up is done as well). In the late winter-early spring, we don't let them out at all until they are fully feathered (4-5 weeks). It is seldom warm enough otherwise. Granted, this probably has nothing to do with your sick duckling, but it is something to think about with the others.

 

[WadeMD]

Quote:
I have been providing vitamins 2-3 times per day along with mixed greens. None of the other birds show any sign of an issue such as this, so I won't discount it, but I doubt that is a root cause. Unless she were already avoiding the feed (which I never noted, but telling the 3 apart was almost impossible). I am feeding the Purina brand duckling starter feed, supplemented with shredded lettuce (3 types, including a red) and mashed peas. Any thoughts on if it will turn around with constant care if it is from vitamin B deficiency?

In regards to being outside, I took them out in the dog crate, supervised for about 30 minutes (its about 70 out there), its far too cold to leave them outside.

 

[Katy]

Is she a crested duck? It looks like she has the beginnings a crest. Crested ducks and chickens are very prone to brain injuries and seizures.

 

[WadeMD]

Not to my knowledge, she's a standard F&W from Metzer. Anyone know if crested is a possibility from that population?

 

[Katy]

I don't know that much about runners and I'm not sure if they come in crested or not...I've only got calls, but that fluff on the top of her head sure looks like the start of a crest. I couldn't see the other video.....only the one of her having a seizure.

 

[WadeMD]

Quote:
The second one is now up. For some reason youtube took a long time to process it into their mp4 format. Its up, though it doesn't show a whole lot.

Thanks for your response. Not really sure if I should dedicate a massive amount of time and effort to feeding her every hour (eg, if this doesn't end, I won't be able to do the feeding for 10 hour stretches while at work).

 

[CityChicker]

Sounds like you have it covered then. When you said you had "started" putting vitamins in the water I took that to mean they hadn't been receiving anything prior to supplement the Niacin/B-Vitamins. If she is on the actual Purina Duck chow, that shouldn't be necessary anyway. They usually do great on that if you can find it.

Also- I forgot to add- just because only one bird has symptoms, it doesn't mean that it is or isn't feed related (or any illness either). With any type of health issue, whether that be disease or diet related, not ALL necessarily show signs. It is the same with people. Not everyone reacts the same to every disease or diet issue.

Anyway, I don't know what else to tell you about the duckling. It is hard to decipher when only one bird is sick. Katy may be right, or- It may be diet. It may be illness. Are there any other signs at all? Any abnormal droppings? Any breathing problems?

 

[Amiga]

Wade,

Did you see this topic?

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=51005

I feel it could be nutritional (but that's just a feeling). Could she have ingested something that is interfering with her ability to properly digest her food? In that case, vitamin electrolyte supplementation could help her get through until her system gets right.

Niacin deficiency crossed my mind, as well.

 

[Amiga]

Another thought - real long shot, but here it is.

Could she be allergic to the bedding you are using?