Help please!

[dpears28]

Hi, I'm very new to this site but more importantly I'm very new to raising any sort of bird. I have chickens and turkeys that are doing great but I have two little ducklings in raising up for my inlaws and both of them have swollen webbing. The one has it so bad it's leg looks a little swollen. I notice it after one of their daily swim times two days ago. I can't seem to find an appropriate answer online anywhere and want to get some help for my babies! like I said, the swelling seems to be in the webbing between the toes, not in te actual toes.

 

[shicks0211]

sounds like it could be bumble foot..are their hard spots like corns..or do you see spots that seem to have pus in them?

 

[Miss Lydia]

How old are they it sounds like bumble but if young ducklings it would seem pretty hard to have it. unless they are walking on hard rocks or concrete. What kind of bedding are you using.

 

[dpears28]

sounds like it could be bumble foot..are their hard spots like corns..or do you see spots that seem to have pus in them?

They are very young. Under a heat lamp still. No hard spots or pus. One does have what looks like a puncture but that's all the damage I can see.

 

[dpears28]

How old are they it sounds like bumble but if young ducklings it would seem pretty hard to have it. unless they are walking on hard rocks or concrete. What kind of bedding are you using.

I don't remember how old they are. Quite young as they still require a heat lamp. Fit in the palm of my hand. And I have pine shavings in the bin they are in.

 

[Amiga]

What is the temperature in the brooder? I would temporarily remove the shavings and use old towels for bedding - recently we had someone on the forum who had shavings with something wrong with them, irritating the ducklings' feet.

Give them a bath in warm water, up to their bellies. Give them five to ten minutes, with close supervision. If they are a couple of weeks old, 85 degree F water, and right afterward move them into the clean, warm, dry brooder. Towel them off if they don't start preening right away.

I would be sure to give them their bath and bring them back to towel bedding, in case there's something on the bedding.

Olive oil is soothing, so I would dab the tiniest bit of it on their feet and rub it in gently.

Look for a leg band high up on the leg, just in case. Take a look at the vent, sniff the duckling - just check for anything that seems odd.

How is their breathing?

What are they being fed? What is the watering setup?

 

[dpears28]

I'm not sure the exact temperature. I have them in a extra large rubbermaid tote with some baby chicks. They are being fed chick feed in a feeder for everyone and the water is a bottle that drips into a little pan. There are no leg bands and I have been letting them swim every day and I always let them "towel off" before putting them back in the pen. Now if there was something wrong with the bedding would it be affecting more than just the ducks? None of my chicks have had any problems. They seem to be breathing fine, best I can tell.

 

[Miss Lydia]

I'm not sure the exact temperature. I have them in a extra large rubbermaid tote with some baby chicks. They are being fed chick feed in a feeder for everyone and the water is a bottle that drips into a little pan. There are no leg bands and I have been letting them swim every day and I always let them "towel off" before putting them back in the pen. Now if there was something wrong with the bedding would it be affecting more than just the ducks? None of my chicks have had any problems. They seem to be breathing fine, best I can tell.

Sounds like they are pretty young and if they haven't been anywhere else but on the shaving then I'm thinking it must be them and ducks feet are very different than chicks feet and your saying it's the webbing which is just thin skin. Have you used any type of tripe antibiotic salve or like Amiga mentioned olive oil, but antibiotic salve would be my choice since there looks to be a puncture. Keeping their bedding as clean as possible in case of bacteria getting into open skin. Might be best to move the ducklings into a tote by themselves till this is cleared up and use old clean towel for bedding ,they can be taken out and shook washed and reuse. Where did the bedding come from, this OP A mentioned got hers from Pet Smart. forgot to mention if you decide to go with an antibiotic salve be sure it doesn't have pain reliever in it ending in caine. very harmful to ducks and chickens too. just plain ole triple antibiotic if you go that route.

 

[calmwinds]

The shavings might of had some long pieces of wood and might of hurt the foot. I find that sometimes in my shavings I get at TS