HELP ~ Duckling VERY weak

[beneduck14]

Hi everyone. So yesterday morning my Silver Appleyard duckling hatched out. Well assisted, it had pipped in the small end and it was getting shrink wrapped. Silly me forgot to raise the humidity. So it pushed out half on it's own and laid there with some unabsorbed yolk sac. Named it hope because it had made it through a night. Thankful the resperitory clicking sounds went away but Hope has some really bad defects. She has a splayed leg with one crooked toe. She is EXTREMELY weak and just sits there on her hocks. It slept on my hand today and when I put it back, she/he started peeping crazy and looking for me with her one good eye. Oh and she scratched her eye and can't open one of them. Anyway once she saw me, she would try to lift her head up and keeps falling over. Sometimes she would jump towards me and end up hitting the sides with her head.

Questions:
1. How do I wrap the duckling's feet to help the splayed leg and the crooked toe?
2. How do I make it drink water and eat food if it barely can lift it's head. (It refused water but I'm planning to give it food on the third day.)
3. Has anyone had this situation and did it survive?
4. Will water therapy help or drown him or her?
5. How can I get the swollen eye to open?
6. Can I cuddle with it like I did today or should I wait until it gets stronger?
7. I heard niacin helps but I can only find the flush free one. Can that work or no?

You can answer all or as many as you can. I don't want to loose this duckling since It was the only one that developed and hatched. Thank you in advance for all your answers.

Picture:

Sleeping in my hand

 

[Amiga]

Ducklings often need some time after hatching to catch their breath.

I am not a hatcher, but I have been reading about it.

I think she needs to rest. Niacin will help later, in a few days, but no-flush is not the kind that helps. You need plain niacin, or you can put a tablespoon a day of brewer's yeast (not baking yeast) on her food once she starts eating.

The leg situation may be helped by the extra niacin - make sure she is on a nice no-skid surface, and watch the legs - some swim therapy (never unattended, always body-temperature water up to the belly) may help, wait a few days before deciding that a brace may help.

She may have some gummies on her eye - a q-tip with warm water very carefully dabbed around the eye may help that.

Calling on hatchers to help out here, @Lacrystol @casportpony or others?

See if you can gently dip the tip of her bill in lukewarm water - just a bit, carefully so she won't inhale any water, but just see if she can take a sip. Try a very shallow container, with just a tiny bit of water so she doesn't shove her whole face in it.

 

[Amiga]

I need to turn in - will check tomorrow.

 

[beneduck14]

@Amiga thank you! She is much better now. I gave her sugar water and she perked up right away. I will make sure to give her some water and niacin to help. Will keep updated

 

[Amiga]

Brilliant! Go, little duckling!!!!

 

[Lacrystol]

GOOD JOB. hows the legs?

 

[beneduck14]

Thank you to everyone who replied! Hope is doing SO great and just started walking and running. She fixed her spraddled leg and crooked toe herself which is very mysterious and I surely thought she was a dead duck when she started shaking and twitching real bad when I first posted this forum. She is now eating and drinking. Anyway, thanks again to everyone!

 

[Amiga]

 

[beneduck14]

Unfortunatly, I found my duckling dead this afternoon

Just this morning, her health dropped so suddenly and I still don't know what has killed her. Can ducklings get overfed? I'm so depressed

 

[bargain]

Ahhhh...... I just saw this thread and soo sorry..... I know you worked hard with her. Was she the only bird in the brooder? She may have gotten too cold or too hot and not able to mobilize quickly to get near the heat or away from it? Praying you'll feel better soon and know that you did all you could to help her. usually they don't overeat as babies.....