Help!! My duckling is launching backwards when drinking at night!!

[Hlmyers]

So my Xena duck hatched two babies in the last week of August and im concerned about the second one! I noticed on one of the first evenings Xena brought them outta the nest that she would take a drink and aggressively throw her head back, to the point of falling backwards!!! She did it once in the big water dish and just kept circling backwards on her side! Once she righted herself, or I picked her up, she was totally normal again. I started giving them nutritional yeast and thought the backwards head tossing had stopped. Wrong! I locked then up late the other night and she was doing it again! Since then, I have been paying very close attention (they are all imprinted and very comfortable with me) and I realized this ONLY happens in the late evening and night time! She will take a drink, or even just touch her beak to the water and her head just lauches backwards!! Seems like she cant even control it! She is completely normal during the day. She's been gaining weight and seems very healthy.. any thoughts on what could be causing this?!?! Attached a video of the clips I took the night I noticed it!

 

[nuthatched]

What's their diet? Balance issues are often caused by niacin deficiency

 

[bockerchickens]

I don't know-might just be a funny duck as far as I can tell.

 

[Hlmyers]

What's their diet? Balance issues are often caused by niacin deficiency

They are eating purina duck food, with nutritional yeast mixed in. I also feed them peas, corn, and various other greens from the garden now that they are getting bigger. Might be a dumb question, but can they be hatched with a niacin deficiency??

 

[nuthatched]

They are eating purina duck food, with nutritional yeast mixed in. I also feed them peas, corn, and various other greens from the garden now that they are getting bigger. Might be a dumb question, but can they be hatched with a niacin deficiency??

I'm not sure, there might be a neurological issues but I don't know if they hatch like that.
@Miss Lydia

 

[Hlmyers]

I'm not sure, there might be a neurological issues but I don't know if they hatch like that.
@Miss Lydia

Ugh! Do you think she'll be like this forever?! I worry she's going to be picked on or even culled by the others when she's not with mama anymore because they sense something wrong with her!

 

[Miss Lydia]

How much nutritional yeast are you using per cup of feed? And do you have liquid BComplex they can hatch with nutritional deficiencies if mama wasn’t feed a good diet. But sounds like she is. I’d cut out all treats for a couple weeks so she is only getting the feed and nutritional yeast or b complex. That way you can rule out niacin deficiency. Plus anytime you add other food it is cutting back on the nutrients they need from their diet of feed that is suppose to have all the nutrients they need although we know that isn’t always the case since even fed the best food one can still come down with a niacin def.

 

[Hlmyers]

How much nutritional yeast are you using per cup of feed? And do you have liquid BComplex they can hatch with nutritional deficiencies if mama wasn’t feed a good diet. But sounds like she is. I’d cut out all treats for a couple weeks so she is only getting the feed and nutritional yeast or b complex. That way you can rule out niacin deficiency. Plus anytime you add other food it is cutting back on the nutrients they need from their diet of feed that is suppose to have all the nutrients they need although we know that isn’t always the case since even fed the best food one can still come down with a niacin def.

I'm feeding about a tbsp per cup of food. I don't have any B complex liquid, but I have tablets; can they be crushed and sprinkled on their food?

I will cut out the extra treats for a while as well! Thanks so much for ll the advice!

 

[Miss Lydia]

Yes, you can crush them up and put it onto their feed. But the nice thing about the liquid is you can put it over a small amount of treat and they will usually gobble it right down. That way you can just treat this little one and know it is getting the full dose.

 

[Hlmyers]

Yes, you can crush them up and put it onto their feed. But the nice thing about the liquid is you can put it over a small amount of treat and they will usually gobble it right down. That way you can just treat this little one and know it is getting the full dose.

Okay great! I will definitely look into finding some liquid! Could it cause any harm to the other ducks that aren't deficient?

Again, thanks so much for all your help!