Hunchback duckling. HELP!

[blameames]

Rivet is a one-week-old Muscovy with a prominent twist and hunch in her spine. (Unsexed, we just call the duckling female.)

I brought her inside the day she hatched because she had been knocked out of the nest and neither Mama 1 or Mama 2 were interested in getting her back with the group. Rivet spent three days in the indoor brooder with another struggling duckling. I used q-tips and vet tape to brace her neck straight and her head up and foreword. She wore it for three days and once she was outside with everyone else she did a good job of maintaining the upright posture. The two were successfully reunited with the nest.

Over the last two days, Rivet has been showing signs of not keeping up with the group. She hasn’t been swimming or bathing yet; she is not nearly as big as the others; she only runs when she must; the worst part is that she generally gets around by using her bill as a cane. I made the final decision to bring her in after I watched most of the other ducklings trample over her to catch up with the mums

I’ve brought her back inside to see if I can get her up to comparable size and strength of everyone else.

Does anyone have any resources or know how to best brace a hunchbacked bird’s neck?

 

[FluffyButtBabies]

It sounds like you are doing the right thing with separating her and stuff. You said that when you made a brace for her, her posture improved? That's a good sign that this can be fixed. Unfortunately, duck braces aren't really a thing, so you're going to have to continue trying to make them yourself. Try putting it on her again, but this time keep in on for at least a week, maybe two (but make sure to adjust it as she grows). Make sure she is getting plenty of nutrients from her feed, as well. You can give her small amounts of veggies like broccoli and peas too. They shouldn't be the bulk of her diet though. They should help her with vitamins and help her gain a bit of weight. They're also super yummy, so she'll want to eat them! Do you know why her back is crooked? Any trouble with incubation, or was it an injury?

 

[blameames]

Do you know why her back is crooked? Any trouble with incubation, or was it an injury?

I don’t have an answer for why the deformation happened. She was in a nest of ~38 eggs shared by two hens. We had 27 successful hatches. Ten eggs were pushed out halfway through, and I put them in the indoor incubator. After a few days we pitched the eggs that had obviously died and returned the healthy eggs to the nest for the remaining week or so. After three days of hatching we threw away the last couple dud eggs. I have no idea if she was one of the rejected-and-returned eggs. I have no idea if her egg got stuck or stepped on or anything else.

Thank you for your advice! I’m trying to figure out how to splint her upright, not just straightened. You’re right about there not being anything premade for ducklings.

I’m torn between wanting her to be out with the rest of the babies and wanting her inside to get strong and be healthy. On the upside, we have another group of ducklings due in another six days’ time. Two of our other hens wanted to “contribute” to the big nest, so we’ve got those eggs under a broody bantam chicken (and she’s doing a very good job!). Maybe I’ll put Rivet back outside with the new babies and chicken-mama once they hatch so she won’t get trampled or tormented.

 

[BunnyEberhart]

I have no advice but i love the fact you are making such an effort. I think she is a cutie pie. I have a thing for special needs pets. I adopted a bunny with permanent head tilt. He is s gem. The special needs animals always seem sweeter.