Help, sick duckling!

[Meg Heese]

Morning,
I have a month old Swedish duck who is lethargic, not eating or drinking and her breathing is labored. When I I have felt her nothing seems broken but she seems like she does not have the muscle tone like the other ducklings. She has always been smaller than the other but seemed to be growing, just slowly. She does not have as much feather development as the others. Thank you for any advice!

 

[Jenbirdee]

I’m sorry for the sick duckling, I’ve had it happen a couple of times where one of them just didn’t grow and ended up dying. It happens sometimes, failure to thrive , not all ducklings make it ,. but as far as anything you can , let’s see what @Newduckmom21 and @Miss Lydia might suggest. I hope she gets well…I just thought of some thing is she pooping you should check her bottom and make sure it’s clean and not clogged up (.. that’s called pasty butt I think )and is she drinking and is she eating? What are you feeding them? Any treats yet do they have access to grit if so?

 

[Jenbirdee]

I’m

I’m sorry for the sick duckling, I’ve had it happen a couple of times where one of them just didn’t grow and ended up dying. It happens sometimes, failure to thrive , not all ducklings make it ,. but as far as anything you can , let’s see what @Newduckmom21 and @Miss Lydia might suggest. I hope she gets well…I just thought of some thing is she pooping you should check her bottom and make sure it’s clean and not clogged up (.. that’s called pasty butt I think )and is she drinking and is she eating? What are you feeding them? Any treats yet do they have access to grit if so?

sorry I just noticed you had already said that she’s not eating or drinking poor little sweetie

 

[Miss Lydia]

@Meg Heese have you been offering any type of niacin since they were tiny? Not having muscle tone makes me wonder if she has severe Niacin deficiency.
I think I'd go to TSC and get liquid B Complex it will say injectable but we use it orally. at a month old she can have 1 ml. What you'll have to do since she isn't drinking or eating is get a 1 ml syringe without a needle and put one drop at a time just into her bill wit till she swallows then do it again .
It may not be niacin deficiency but since we aren't vets we have to eliminate the possibilities.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/niacin-deficiency-in-waterfowl.1367557/

How long has she been like this
what do you feed them?
any supplements?
What does her poop look like?

Also worth getting is Rooster booster poultry cell.

Is a vet an option?