Help! Weak 3wk old duckling, issues with separation

[Birdbert]

100 mg a day is the recommended dosage for naicin deficiency at that age and older. So 1ml a day. Here you can read more about.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/niacin-deficiency-in-waterfowl.1367557/

It is one of the most effective things at treating naicin deficiency. I have never seen naicin over dosing. The risk is very low to overdosing. Here is some info on this topic.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/niacin-overdose.1395591/#post-22902956

You administer it until you no longer see any symptoms. Depending on how long the issue has been going on and how severe the case is, will effect how long you need to administer it. It can take up to a week to see improvements.

I will also say you cant really compare dosages from one animal to another. A drug I used to anesthetize rats, would be an amount that could kill a cow. It is sometimes shocking the differences from one animal to another.

I really appreciate it!
I’m not sure how I missed this thread . So an extra thanks is in order.
THANK YOU!!

And yes, very true about meds and animals

 

[Birdbert]

@Quatie @HollowOfWisps Thank you both so much!!

UPDATE! My duckling is doing fantastic! I ended up supplementing the water with Poultry cell AND directly syringing the high level vit B complex by mouth. It took a while, but she is finally back in action! She needed a lot of supportive care initially, hourly hand feedings and water bowls everywhere. Space and stimulation were important factors of getting her up and moving. She was not very active in the brooder. But on her field trips outside she really didn't want to be left behind her buddies.

I have a follow up question: When should I discontinue treatment?

( I ask mostly because I want to start to build a trust-based relationship, but that is hard to do when I have to grab, restrain and jam stuff down her throat every day )

She started to show improvement after 3 weeks of treatment.
I have been treating her for 5 weeks total.
She is almost 8 weeks old.

I understand that niacin requirements drop at 10 weeks of age; should I treat her until then? Or is 5 weeks of treatment good enough, given her improvement at week #3?

Thanks again!!

 

[Quatie]

@Quatie @HollowOfWisps Thank you both so much!!

UPDATE! My duckling is doing fantastic! I ended up supplementing the water with Poultry cell AND directly syringing the high level vit B complex by mouth. It took a while, but she is finally back in action! She needed a lot of supportive care initially, hourly hand feedings and water bowls everywhere. Space and stimulation were important factors of getting her up and moving. She was not very active in the brooder. But on her field trips outside she really didn't want to be left behind her buddies.

I have a follow up question: When should I discontinue treatment?

( I ask mostly because I want to start to build a trust-based relationship, but that is hard to do when I have to grab, restrain and jam stuff down her throat every day )

She started to show improvement after 3 weeks of treatment.
I have been treating her for 5 weeks total.
She is almost 8 weeks old.

I understand that niacin requirements drop at 10 weeks of age; should I treat her until then? Or is 5 weeks of treatment good enough, given her improvement at week #3?

Thanks again!!

That is great to hear that she is doing better! I would keep doing the niacin treatment if she still showing noticable improvement with it. It is always hard to say how long, just because each duck has different needs. If she looks fairly normal now, she can just be maintained with normal amounts of niacin.