HELP, my duckling cant walk

[Fraoch21]

I have posted before on here about this batch of ducklings before, saying that i had 18 eggs and only 3 hatched, one duckling died and the other 2 were perfectly healthy and strong.
They are now 2 1/2 weeks old and i made a mesh pen or them so i could put them out on the grass sometimes. I put them out for the first time yesterday, leaving them for a couple of hours, and everything was fine. I went to put them back into the shed and found that the biggest duckling couldnt walk. I out him under the heat lamp and left him for a few hours to get his strength up. I found that it was his right leg he couldnt pout any weight on without collapsing. After a few hours he managed to stand on it for about a second before falling and i took this to be a good sign.
I got up this morning to find he was lying in the water tray, soaking and cold. All i could think of doing right now was drying him a bit and putting him under the heat lamp and taking the water out.

can anyone help me? what suddenly maade him unable to walk? how can i save him now?

thanks so much

 

[Balbinka]

What are you feeding him?

If it is not an injury, it could be a niacin deficiency (an essential vitamin ducks and geese MUST have enough of).
Typical signs of a niacin deficiency are scaly skin, wobbly legs, and lack of coordination.

To add niacin to the diet, first make sure you are feeding a high quality duck feed, flock raiser feed, or unmedicated chicken starter. Sprinkle brewers yeast over their food rations. Offer plenty of grass, leafy greens, peas, and carrots- all sources of niacin.

 

[duckyfromoz]

Indian Runners can sometimes have issues with their legs because of the hip position. I find some of mine getting a bit shakey for a few days when they are between 3- 4 weeks old - but it is to do with their fast growth- and goes away as fast as it appears with no treatment necessary. What are you feeding them?? Also- did you check the bottom of its foot to make sure he didnt injure his foot somehow while outside?

 

[Fraoch21]

hi, my wee guy passed away a few hours after posting this. Which means we have one duckling with no friends to cuddle up with

Right now i take him out every couple of hours cause he does nothing but quack for me or his brother 24/7. We are trying to find someone who could "lend" us a duckling or 2 so he doesnt feel so lonely

I am feeding him crushed up layers pellets and pinhead oatmeal and i let him out for a while every day so he can eat some grass and bugs and stuff. I asked my dad to get me some chick crumb for them but he said that it is just the same as what i feed them and so wouldnt?

 

[duckyfromoz]

So sorry to hear that. And sorry that your dad wont get you the right food for your babies. There really is a difference in the feeds. Pellets and chick crumble may look the same when the pellets are ground up- but the nutrient and protein levels are different. It is unlikey that the feed caused this though- as you would most likely have seen a more steady decline rather than such a sudden one. I am wondering if he ate something toxic while outside.

 

[ducks_rcool329]

only feed ducks duck food, especially ducklings. layer feed has extra additives that are for chickens over 22 or 16 weeks of age.
Sorry to hear about your loss. You could check craigslist

 

[Fraoch21]

thanks, ive just gone out and bought some chick crumbs, 19% protein, unmedicated. And ive found him a chick friend, from a lovely lady living near to me

also found one of the turkeys has a nest of 10 eggs, a couple of weeks into incubation, so more turkey friends for him soon aswell

 

[DuckiesAndBees]

Don't forget the niacin as well- as other people have mentioned, brewer's yeast or niacin tablets are good for this. I use waterfowl starter (with niacin already) so I'm not sure of the dosing, but if you search on this forum you should find the answer. Good to hear you found your ducky a friend.