Help , why is my duckling tripping up on her feet?

[taffsanddaffs]

What are you feeding your duckling???? What are they housed in, what is their bedding situation?can you post a video of it walking, you can post to YouTube or vimeo, here is @Isaac 0 thread on niacin deficiency
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/niacin-deficiency-in-waterfowl.1367557/

 

[taffsanddaffs]

Hi, thanks
They are fed fancy feed company chick crumbs, dried mealworms soaked in water lettuce shredded so they cant choke, shredded sprouts, shredded spring greens, garden peas, I sprinkle Brewers yeast on the chick crumbs which I mix with a little water. They have fresh water every hour. They are indoors on a rubber matting in a secure open top cage and in the corner of the cage is fleece hat as bedding. All washed hourly as you can imagine its messy. I put them outside supervised at all times so they can paddle and get the sunshine vit D3 as much as I can , dry them off so they are not chilled and bring them in again.at night they are kept on one of my dog fleece which in the morning needs to be washed ready for the next night.

 

[taffsanddaffs]

I have just started giving vit B3 .which is a powder supplement.
I Was advised to use 20g OF THE VITB s powder and add to 200ml of water and give duckling 20ml once a day directly through during throughout the day and not all at once.

 

[ducksinvt]

Sounds and looks like a possible niacin deficiency to me, I would try a liquid niacin supplement, and possibly switching them over to a feed formulated for ducklings, chickens and ducks have different nutritional requirements, and also, u may want to change out their bedding and switch to hay/straw or pine shavings, hard surfaces aren't really good for their legs and feet and can often result in injury and not good for their development process,, durvet vitamin b complex, its a liquid niacin sypplement, it works really fast, pretty inexpensive and most feed stores carry it.

 

[HollowOfWisps]

Has this issue developed over time or was she hatched with the curled toe? If she was hatched with it I don't think it's a niacin deficiency, but actually a curled toe that was never straightened out properly. I have had ducklings hatched with curled toe and shown 100% recovery withing a few days by cutting a 2" wide piece of painters tape long enough to lay your duck's foot completely flat on it and then flip the excess over top of the foot. When you lay the foot flat make sure it is completely spread out and press gently down to ensure the tape is adhered to the foot. Next flip the excess over top of the foot creating a cast and again press gently to ensure there are no bubbles. I usually cut it long enough so it can go part way up the leg and act additionally as a brace. Change them every 2-3 days to adjust to the ducklings growth and you should see results within a week of not days. My one duckling that was hatched with the worst curled toe I've seen is not the fastest duck in my flock and hasn't tripped since I removed the tape splints.

 

[taffsanddaffs]

Has this issue developed over time or was she hatched with the curled toe? If she was hatched with it I don't think it's a niacin deficiency, but actually a curled toe that was never straightened out properly. I have had ducklings hatched with curled toe and shown 100% recovery withing a few days by cutting a 2" wide piece of painters tape long enough to lay your duck's foot completely flat on it and then flip the excess over top of the foot. When you lay the foot flat make sure it is completely spread out and press gently down to ensure the tape is adhered to the foot. Next flip the excess over top of the foot creating a cast and again press gently to ensure there are no bubbles. I usually cut it long enough so it can go part way up the leg and act additionally as a brace. Change them every 2-3 days to adjust to the ducklings growth and you should see results within a week of not days. My one duckling that was hatched with the worst curled toe I've seen is not the fastest duck in my flock and hasn't tripped since I removed the tape splints.

Having looked and watched her again and again I dont think it is her toe. Ot isnt curling in. now. her feet are flat. It seems her hip gives way and she cant support her weight.she pigeon toes as she walks clumsily and she walks cris cross treading on her own feet and looks drunk making herself fall over. She them falls over and sits down alot.

 

[Isaac 0]

Welcome to BYC.

Exactly how long has this been noticeable? How have you been administering the niacin supplement, for how long, and at what dose? Could you take a video of her walking, upload it to a video platform like Yotube or Vimeo, and copy/paste the link here? Is she being housed on the plastic flooring all-day?