Help Please!!! We have an 11 Day old wood duckling scoots doesn’t stand and walk…

[Cberry169]

We came home literally 11 days ago to this tiny little thing bobbing and weaving in our front driveway.. He/or she was so exhausted it just plopped right out under my jeep our neighbors literally have 6 outside cats outside so I looked around to see if momma duck was anywhere to see seen.. We live in the city and by no water and my little one was lost and alone. So I scooped em up and took him inside we ran to tractor supply and got some Purina duck crumble they said to feed him .. He seemed to be doing ok for what he had been through and all.. I got up every two hours making sure he ate and drank and was warm and this has just started the last couple of days. We have never had a duckling before so we are very new to this would love help from anyone who has insight to this or text dead on what is going on with my lil one.

 

[Miss Lydia]

How good is the duckling doing on eating I understand they aren't that easy to get to eat? Are you putting any type of niacin on his feed or water? the main reason waterfowl have issues when walking is a deficiency in niacin. Nutritional yeast or liquid B complex is 2 really good ways to get good niacin into them.
Since this is a wild duckling the best thing you could do is turn it over to wild life rehabbers they are trained to know how to care for them and get them to where they can be put back into the wild once old enough. DNR should be able to help.
@MGG

 

[CaliFarmsAR]

We came home literally 11 days ago to this tiny little thing bobbing and weaving in our front driveway.. He/or she was so exhausted it just plopped right out under my jeep our neighbors literally have 6 outside cats outside so I looked around to see if momma duck was anywhere to see seen.. We live in the city and by no water and my little one was lost and alone. So I scooped em up and took him inside we ran to tractor supply and got some Purina duck crumble they said to feed him .. He seemed to be doing ok for what he had been through and all.. I got up every two hours making sure he ate and drank and was warm and this has just started the last couple of days. We have never had a duckling before so we are very new to this would love help from anyone who has insight to this or text dead on what is going on with my lil one..

@MGG can you help?

 

[MGG]

I agree with miss Lydia that that looks like a niacin deficiency. What I use to treat it with mine is durvet injectable cattle b complex. It can be given orally. I like to give live mealworms as treats to wild type ducklings like that as babies to make sure they're eating well, so to get the b complex in them that's what I use. I use a small syringe with a needle attached, draw out some of the complex, and infuse mealworms with it. This way you can get enough into them and they don't even know. Give him a decent amount a few times a day and see if it helps. If it's a b vitamin deficiency he should fully recover in a few days.
And you can't really overdose b vitamins since any excess is excreted in the feces.

How do his hocks/legs look? Any heat or swelling?

 

[Cberry169]

How good is the duckling doing on eating I understand they aren't that easy to get to eat? Are you putting any type of niacin on his feed or water? the main reason waterfowl have issues when walking is a deficiency in niacin. Nutritional yeast or liquid B complex is 2 really good ways to get good niacin into them.
Since this is a wild duckling the best thing you could do is turn it over to wild life rehabbers they are trained to know how to care for them and get them to where they can be put back into the wild once old enough. DNR should be able to help.
@MGG

How good is the duckling doing on eating I understand they aren't that easy to get to eat? Are you putting any type of niacin on his feed or water? the main reason waterfowl have issues when walking is a deficiency in niacin. Nutritional yeast or liquid B complex is 2 really good ways to get good niacin into them.
Since this is a wild duckling the best thing you could do is turn it over to wild life rehabbers they are trained to know how to care for them and get them to where they can be put back into the wild once old enough. DNR should be able to help.
@MGG

He eats well I would think for him to be so tiny and I’ve got some yeast hat will be here tomorrow and I’m going to go today and get some liquid b complex from tractor supply. I talked to someone local here in my area and they are thinking since the baby was so friendly and came to me instead of running that maybe he isn’t a wild bird and maybe it’s one someone purchased and just discarded We are not to sure. He’s imprinted on me since he has been here literally 11 days and I do not want to put no more stress in shuffling him to someone new. I have reached out to a doctor but he won’t be close in the area till Thursday.

 

[Cberry169]

I agree with miss Lydia that that looks like a niacin deficiency. What I use to treat it with mine is durvet injectable cattle b complex. It can be given orally. I like to give live mealworms as treats to wild type ducklings like that as babies to make sure they're eating well, so to get the b complex in them that's what I use. I use a small syringe with a needle attached, draw out some of the complex, and infuse mealworms with it. This way you can get enough into them and they don't even know. Give him a decent amount a few times a day and see if it helps. If it's a b vitamin deficiency he should fully recover in a few days.
And you can't really overdose b vitamins since any excess is excreted in the feces.

How do his hocks/legs look? Any heat or swelling?

Not that I can see . He uses them well to swim. The vet did say to put him in and let him swim for extra exorbitant don’t leave him unattended and not to long and then I dry him off and get him back under heat lamp before he gets chilled

 

[Cberry169]

How good is the duckling doing on eating I understand they aren't that easy to get to eat? Are you putting any type of niacin on his feed or water? the main reason waterfowl have issues when walking is a deficiency in niacin. Nutritional yeast or liquid B complex is 2 really good ways to get good niacin into them.
Since this is a wild duckling the best thing you could do is turn it over to wild life rehabbers they are trained to know how to care for them and get them to where they can be put back into the wild once old enough. DNR should be able to help.
@MGG

I also had been putting poultry cell in the water as per tractor supply worker said it had some of the extra vitamins he needed

 

[Miss Lydia]

That's good you got advice from a vet and yes warm water therapy is an excellent way of strengthening the leg muscles. When any of mine show leg weakenss they get the liquid B complex it works faster and better once they already have an issue.
Please keep us updated on how the little one is doing. Bless its heart to be so tiny and alone and to find someone like you to take him in and care for him. I'd say that was a miracle.

 

[Cberry169]

That's good you got advice from a vet and yes warm water therapy is an excellent way of strengthening the leg muscles. When any of mine show leg weakenss they get the liquid B complex it works faster and better once they already have an issue.
Please keep us updated on how the little one is doing. Bless its heart to be so tiny and alone and to find someone like you to take him in and care for him. I'd say that was a miracle.

That’s how we all came up with his name .. His name is Lucky the Ducky.. Our neighbors literally have like 4 outside cats a piece on both sides of our house and it’s amazing that he survived them because I hey are notorious for getting baby birds and leaving them on their owners porches. . He is such a strong willed little thing and I want to try to give him every little chance he has and also a good life! I know usually on their own life expectancy is low like like then 4 years especially if they have any health issues or defects and like the vet said it may be the reason he was left behind but I can’t stand the idea of something or someone hurting him and I keep saying him but goodness gracious it could be a her . My neighbors already said we are crazy for putting so much time and money into our little thing but it’s got so much personality and spunk it’s ridiculous! It’s literally bath time now and he loves to jump off my legs and splash and bath hisself in the Warm bath . It’s now time for him to get dry and warm before lil one goes to relax for a bit. I know a lot would just disregard lil bit and put him off on someone else to heal and take care of but I look at him and it’s hard for me to walk away I’ve connected to him just like I did with my babies I know that sounds wierd but I can’t help it. It’s like a newborn who’s watching me to take care of him.. And I am going too! Now my question is the liquid b complex how much can or do I give him don’t think I could do the live worms sorry don’t even mess with them to fish I can’t hurt a living creature BUT he does have dried meal worms I give to him in his food and also one or two in tub time for him to chase and forage. I do take his food and add some of the water that has the poultry cell in it and mash it and mix it to make it soft and then crush the dried meal worms into it to mix real well that way he just doesn’t eat the worms Question 1. How much of the liquid should I give him and how many times a day.. he is 11 days old from what I can tell . 2. Should I stop using the poultry cell in his water? Thank you everyone for helping seriously.. We all really appreciate it and can’t wait to see our little one get bigger and stronger!! Any other ideas or opinions are greatly appreciated!! Time to relax before next swim time..

 

[Miss Lydia]

Here is info plus dosing according to age.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/niacin-deficiency-in-waterfowl.1367557/

He sure sounds like he couldn't be in a better place.