Help! Weak duckling

[e n b]

Yes the egg and medicated water or sugar water is the trick. All chicks and younger poultry should have it but not to much sugar

 

[DancingWthDucks]

Maybe try getting some tender dandelion leaves, chop them up into tiny pieces and put it in the water (with chick sized grit provided). I have found that it works wonders on weak ducklings. Also as suggested carry on with the sugared water.

Good luck!

 

[quackers619]

I 2nd the brewers yeast. My duckling was small and weak and the brewers yeast has brought her along way

 

[Taralynnludwig]

Where do you find the brewers yeast? I cant seem to find it anywhere. We have dandelions everywhere so ill give that a shot with some grit. Im so much more hopeful than i was the other day. They are both still so tiny. I swear the big girls double in size daily. I think i am going to start weighing the little girls to see if they add any ounces. When can i start giving them all peas? I got meal worms and the little ones wont touch them but the big girls gobble them in seconds.

 

[quackers619]

Any health food store

 

[Amiga]

Call around - drugstores, big box stores that have a pharmacy department, supplement stores like GNC, Walmart...

If you cannot find brewer's yeast, ask if they have B Complex and use that.

 

[Amiga]

Here is a writeup I did - - -


I would go with brewer's yeast. Forgive me for using capital letters, but for anyone else who may casually look over this thread, NOT baking yeast, NOT winemaking yeast. Brewer's yeast is a nutritional supplement and it provides niacin and a few other vitamins.

Generally, folks who supplement with brewer’s yeast use a tablespoon per cup of food.

Ducklings need about three times the niacin chicks do. And some ducklings get leg problems or seizures if they don't have enough niacin.

If you cannot find the brewer's yeast, or if you happen to have (here come the capital letters again, please forgive me) PLAIN niacin - NOT no-flush, NOT timed release, then dissolve 150 mg niacin per gallon of water for the duckling’s drinking water.

Another approach is to use B Complex capsules, and use the B3 - niacin - levels as a guide. Again, 150 mg B3 per gallon of drinking water.


Keep the little one on the supplements for about 8 weeks.

Sometimes it only takes a few days to see improvement.

You can also see how it went for Qwackers and Bentley from these threads.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/857143/treating-wry-neck-in-crested-duckling-edited-title

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/761308/peking-duckling-with-crooked-neck-help

 

[Orca5094]

How are the two little ones doing today?

 

[Taralynnludwig]

They still dont run around as much as their big sisters and have not grown at all. But they seem in good spirits and seem healthy just tenny tiny. Ive tried every suggestion and i cant seem to get them to gain any weight.

 

[Taralynnludwig]

this was the other day the difference is a bit more now but they were eating so i didnt want to disturb them lol