HELP MY baby DUCKING IS WALKING ODDLY :(

[subhanalah]

Okay, two weeks since the last update? How are our little babies doing? Those keets making you crazy yet? Lol

 

[KAZROB]

LOL. The Keets are amazing, I can not believe for such little ones the size of their wing span! And nope my little ones are not that noisy and they are very entertaining...I love the way that they copy their foster mum in everything she eats and does. I love nothing more than before I go to bed, I go for a wander and check everyone is safe and sound, I have usually locked them up way before I go to bed, but each night I do the rounds and when I peer into the keets hut, I love how all little seven heads are all you see poking out from mums chest, whilst she sits and keeps them warm! The keets started to use the plank of wood last week, but now they just fly in and out.....They all appear to be healthy and doing well. We are in the midst of building a new hut to house them all in, which will be mouse proof, snake proof etc...the one that they are in will not be big enough as they grow. The new one will also be out in the paddock so that the others can see that there are some new editions, but the keets will be safe with their own yard and with foster mum. I hope by having their new home out in the paddocks will allow for the integration to be a successful one and I will be happy if they go back in the new hut to roost and then eventually mingle with all the others in the day time...

My ducklings are all do great as well, the two older ones are really growing fast and the even the seven younger ones are doing amazing, all swimming beautifully and all fitting in beautifully together...My drake was having a few issues, but that seems to have resolved...he was doing a bearing down motion and didn't appear to be his usual self, but it seems to have resolved and he seems to be happy in himself now...I was really worried about him, as he is a beautiful boy, with a gentle nature, he is FANTABULOUS with all the young ones!

I have ordered two weaning steers, they are Dexters and will be seven months old when I get them ( I will see if I can post a picture up of what they look like) I am getting a red one and a black one...I cant wait. Sorry its a big picture lol lol

I want to train them to be ppl friendly and just be a part of my little farm...I am not going to be eating them.. I have plans to eventually get a milking Dexter, as I would like to learn the art of hand milking and churn my own butter, along with making cream and having milk for us and the animals. I need to do more research about this though and think through my time as it is a big commitment,as if I don't have a calf at foot, I would need to milk twice daily and I am not sure how long it takes to milk. I still currently work 2 days a week, I am a registered nurse, so I need to think my time through! I would love to do this, but as I said more research on my part is needed but then in saying I need to be committed, well having animals full stop is a devoted commitment, as they are so dependant on us to treat them right and give them fresh feed and water daily and most importantly as we domesticate them, we also are the custodians' of keeping them healthy and safe to the best of our abilities!

How are you and yours? What have you been up too in the last couple of weeks

 

[Amiga]

I did not know there were red Dexters. I have only been around the black variety. So neat to stand next to one - they are definitely a more manageable size for me. Though I have only visited, I don't have any.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Great update and love those mini cattle. nice addition. have you seen those small milking bottles they have now? they look like something even i could use. LOL

 

[subhanalah]

Kaz! Oh my gosh, what a busy little bee you've been! Hearing of your plans...it's too bad I don't have my passport, I would definitely want to come and be a hand for your farm!
I'm so glad the keets are doing well! Who is foster mom? Is she a chicken?
That picture of the calf is...well quite honestly it took my breath away. I can't really describe it, but looking into its eyes...such a beautiful creature. It's been a long time since I've seen a happy cow. (I was like...just old enough to form memories) the things I remember are the trucks with the trailers latched on with dried, liquid poo coming horizontally from every slat. It makes me so sad to think that maybe my beloved bull from when I was a kid was put into one of these trucks and sent off to a feed pen somewhere. The conditions in those places are appalling. Okay, I've done it...I shouldn't do this to myself, crying actual years. I just feel so helpless...how can I stand here while those creatures are treated in such a way.
I will have to put it in God's hands. It's humbling, to say the least.

I'm glad to hear your drake is feeling better. I have no idea what could have caused him to do that, maybe he ggot a long piece of grass that mucked up the works for a bit, lol!

we're good here. I flooded my fish tank last night, so spent into the early hours of morning ripping up carpet. Now, it's really cold in the downstairs part of the house. I'm hoping this doesn't affect my incubator going on upstairs. I candles my eggs (before he flood) and had good development in a majority of the eggs. They are silkie eggs from a local girl. You remember, my scratch eggs lol. I also gave them some live meal worms for their chicjens, but the three year old said they were her worms and the chickens don't get them, so my friend is going to try to breed them lol!
I had one blood ring and two or three with dark spots in the egg where the egg was soiled. A few were clear, but it's still day 4 so I left all but the obvious blood ring in the incubator. These eggs are so tiny, I can't imagine how small the babies will be when they come out, almost seems impossible!
My four chicks are doing well. I have two roosters though, so I'm a bit sad. One is really sweet and doesn't peck me, and always wants to be on me, cuddling or preening. The other one is also sweet, but has a dominant personality and is testing his boundaries with me. They are three weeks old today. The first one I mentioned has already started to try to crow. It's cute, he'll jump up on my knee and make the cutest noises! If I hadn't seen a video of a young cockerel practicing crowing, I never would have recognized it lol. These chicks were VERY upset and alarmed when I discovered the flooded fish tank. I think it was because I was so frantic and stressed out! Poor babies.
I'm excited for you to get those cows! Can't wait for pictures if you do decide to get them!

 

[subhanalah]

@KAZROB
How are the feather-kids? Those keets still keets? Any updated pictures?

 

[pekin1234]

my duck has a hurt leg and has have since a baby he walks oddly but it doesn't bother him he stumbles sometimes but he gets back up just let it get better by itself

 

[KAZROB]

Thanks for asking and making contact,

I hope you and yours are all well, healthy and happy! I have not been on line often, as I have been training a new puppy that I rescued. She was going to be put down as she and two of her brothers were blind in one eye and up to 90% blind in the other. A Vet clinic secured the pups for recue and my friends daughter worked at this clinic so she rang me and the rest is history lol, min you I had to drive 3 hours to get them, but it was worth the trip. Each puppy had to have their left eyes removed and have one remaining for the time being, depends how it goes....Anyway, I rescued all three and have kept one and my son and his wife who is a VET have taken on the two brothers I am so happy as they are just beautiful and deserve nothing more than a quality of life, even if they are mostly blind. They are toy poodles and just gorgeous. The woman who bred them just wanted them put down, no one would have then she said they are useless! How sad is that, I suppose to some breeders it is all about the money and to them they are worthless, but to others like me, they are worth their weight in gold lol I kept the female and have named her Minnie Moo, she gets called Minnie for short. She is very intelligent and has already house trained and I got her at 8 weeks of age and didn't have to pay a penny for her. and to me she is worth a million dollars lol lol. I tell her every day she would make a show girl...she is a happy little thing and has worked her way around the house and knows what door to wait at to go outside for toileting! She comes to the tapping of a bowl when it is feed time and is learning to play fetch with a bell ball, and she is going great, it is a lot of consist training and I am enjoying it as she is such a quick learner and she needs to know where everything is for her so she can safely manoeuvre around! The first couple of nights were horrendous as she I am sure was an Operatic Singer in her past life lol lol, but she has now settled in beautifully. I have create trained her and then when she wakes in the mornings she lets me know and I put her out for toileting and then she has her own blanket in which she comes back to bed and gets to lay on that in my bed lol lol...my cat is not to happy with this, but she will learn to accept her over time, in fact she is doing really well, hasn't swiped at her once or hissed at her...so she is doing good!

I am also training Minnie to accept the farm animals and the fowl to accept her and she loves being out with them, only when I am out does she come with me. She is an indoor pup and will remain so, but as I am outside a lot she can come and have time out...

My Keets are no longer babies they are grown up and just beautiful They are happy, quiet and content. I am not sure how many males and females, I do have a couple of females as they are laying in their laying box. They are still going to roost every night with their foster mum my darling Chicken and they still hang with her all the time. My guineas are not confused as to what they are, but my rooster is confused as he thinks they are his lol. he helps to round them up with the foster mum and he calls them for food when he finds it...he is in love with them all lol lol. My guineas like to fly up onto my garage roof and look over the paddocks, well the rooster objects to this and calls them down, he is so vocal and they say guineas are noisy, well not in this house, it is the rooster who is the noisy one when he is objecting to the guineas being up on the roof, so of course they do as they are told and fly back down to be with the rooster and the others! I have to say after reading some blogs on BYC I was worried that I would have fighting, noisy guineas, something that I have never had an issue with my original guineas and I am pleased to say that the seven keets, now Guineas are all calm and make hardly no noise at all, and they get along with the chickens etc, so I couldn't be happier. I am not looking at adding to my flock for now unless I get a broody chicken, then I will have room for more chickens, but I don't want any more ducks or keets for now...I am happy with the brood I have. I officially have 12 ducks, 9 guineas 2 roosters, seven chickens and 4 baby chicks, well they are a couple of months old now, so not really babies....

It is winter here in Australia and my guineas and chickens have done a fantabulous job in turning my vegis patches for me and I have just finished with pruning the fruit trees, the roses etc . We have still been having beautiful weather which is strange for this time of year, like our das have been 18 degrees which equates to about 64 F for USA, our summer was extremely hot reaching 45 for days on end which I think equates to about 114 F. Anyway our mornings have been quite chilly but the days are glorious, we have had some nice rain fall. Our mountains around here have not produced much if any snow as it has been very mild for this time of year...I am sure we will get winter soon, so I am not complaining. Autumn which is your Fall is my most fav time of the year and with the weather we have been having in Winter still feels like Autumn to me, so I am happy Here are some pics for you of the keets with mother hen lol. They are never to far away from her and she has been and still is a fantastic mother to them, she certainly saved them, as I do not have an incubator and when their guinea mum died died it was devastating and I was just lucky that this hen loves eggs and being a mum, I am sure she would sit on EMU eggs if given the opportunity lol lol... Well I hope I have not bored you with my update, lengthy as it is. I would like to know how you are and whats happening with you and yours... Are you getting your summer weather, I hope it is not scorching, like ours was! Or perhaps you like that hot weather, I certainly don't! Take care and speak soon ...Friendship Kaz

 

[KAZROB]

Hi there,

how old is your duckling that has the leg issue? I had a duckling that had a problem from a very young age too and it was a kind and experienced BYC member that helped me and I corrected the problem, they said this to me, so I hope it helps you providing it is the same issue, but either way if your not doing what is suggested then it wont harm your ducks anyway, in fact it will only benefit them Tjhis is what was said:

It sounds like she is needing some extra B vitamins mainly niacin. Can you go to a pharmacy or too a discount store most carry vitamins, get 150 megs. of Plain niacin if your in the states you'll probably have to ask for it since they keep it behind the counter, but you don't want flush free or time released just PLAIN either capsule or tablet if you get tablet crush is up real good and add to 1 gallon of drinking water it won't hurt all the rest to drink it either it's water soluble. Start giving this daily if it is a niacin you should start noticing an improvement in 3-5 days maybe even sooner. But until you do limit their running around just to keep her from trying to keep up and wearing herself out. capsule is done the same way just open and mix real well into water both have to be mixed real good. make this their only drinking water. It could be something else that's just showing up to birth defect something along those lines but lets just go with the niacin first. They will need to stay on this vitamin mixture till 10-12 weeks old.

In relation to the above advice that I was given, I live in Australia so I managed to get Niacin on the shelf and just plain, we call it Vitamin B3, I got the tablet form, crushed the tab, put it in a container and then added peas to the container and made sure the one that had the walking issue got to drink and the others joined in and I did this everyday and within 2 days it was a miracle, she was fixed! I now give them it in their water every now and again and I also add Brewers Yeast to their feed once a week and this keeps them happy and healthy....it wont hurt any other flock. I didn't keep my duckling separate either although great advice, I just didn't want to cause her any more stress than necessary and as I said she got better real quick....and we never have looked back. Niacin is essential for the ducks and is inexpensive and once they pass the 10-12 week mark they only need to be provided with it once a week, or when you remember to lol... I just put it in a plastic container and leave it out separate to other water and they use it as a waterer , I do this weekly and I also supplement their feed with brewers yeast once a week- fortnightly. I get my Brewers Yeast from my local rural grain store and it is a little expensive but it lasts for ages and is a high quality brand. I get a 5 kilogram bag, I am not sure what that would equate too in USA, its like you Gallons, I had to convert to Australia and it worked out I was adding one tablet of Vit B3 (niacin) which was 500 mg's (milligrams') per tablet, I crushed one tablet and added it to 9 litres of water, but as you can see in the red, I have provided you with the USA conversion as that is how I was given it....Let me know how you go, I would love to hear back

Good luck

 

[subhanalah]

Hi there,

how old is your duckling that has the leg issue? I had a duckling that had a problem from a very young age too and it was a kind and experienced BYC member that helped me and I corrected the problem, they said this to me, so I hope it helps you providing it is the same issue, but either way if your not doing what is suggested then it wont harm your ducks anyway, in fact it will only benefit them Tjhis is what was said:

[COLOR=A52A2A]It sounds like she is needing some extra B vitamins mainly niacin. Can you go to a pharmacy or too a discount store most carry vitamins, get 150 megs. of Plain niacin if your in the states you'll probably have to ask for it since they keep it behind the counter, but you don't want flush free or time released just PLAIN either capsule or tablet if you get tablet crush is up real good and add to 1 gallon of drinking water it won't hurt all the rest to drink it either it's water soluble. Start giving this daily if it is a niacin you should start noticing an improvement in 3-5 days maybe even sooner. But until you do limit their running around just to keep her from trying to keep up and wearing herself out. capsule is done the same way just open and mix real well into water both have to be mixed real good. make this their only drinking water. It could be something else that's just showing up to birth defect something along those lines but lets just go with the niacin  first. They will need to stay on this vitamin mixture till 10-12 weeks old.[/COLOR]

[COLOR=000000]In relation to the above advice that I was given, I live in Australia so I managed to get Niacin on the shelf and just plain, we call it Vitamin B3, I got the tablet form, crushed the tab, put it in a container and then added peas to the container and made sure the one that had the walking issue got to drink and the others joined in and I did this everyday and within  2 days it was a miracle, she was fixed! I now give them it in their water every now and again and I also add Brewers Yeast  to their feed once a week and this keeps them happy and healthy....it wont hurt any other flock. I didn't keep my duckling separate either although great advice, I just didn't want to cause her any more stress than necessary and as I said she got better real quick....and we never have looked back. Niacin is essential for the ducks and is inexpensive and once they pass the 10-12 week mark they only need to be provided with it once a week, or when you remember to lol... I just put it in a plastic container and leave it out separate to other water and they use it as a waterer , I do this weekly and I also supplement their feed with brewers yeast once a week- fortnightly. I get my Brewers Yeast from my local rural grain store and it is a little expensive but it lasts for ages and is a high quality brand. I get a 5 kilogram bag, I am not sure what that would equate too in USA, its like you Gallons, I had to convert to Australia and it worked out I was adding one tablet of Vit B3 (niacin) which was 500 mg's (milligrams') per tablet, I crushed one tablet and added it to 9 litres of water, but as you can see in the red, I have provided you with the USA conversion as that is how I was given it....Let me know how you go, I would love to hear back [/COLOR]

[COLOR=000000]Good luck [/COLOR]

@pekin1234this was for you.