Injured Cayuga Duck

[Lourdie]

Hello my 6 month old duck has been limping and resting alot. I'm scared for her.
I can't tell if it's the wings or her foot. She can't walk and she doesn't make much noise as she
usually does. I have been giving them calcium in their drink. Almost everyday for the egg procucing. I don't
know what the cause is. PLEASE I NEED HELP

 

[Isaac 0]

Have you inspected her feet for any swelling, lesions, discoloration? If you hold the leg, and bend each joint, do you hear any clicking?

Could you post a video of the duck attempting to walk?

Is she an egg layer?

 

[Lourdie]

Have you inspected her feet for any swelling, lesions, discoloration? If you hold the leg, and bend each joint, do you hear any clicking?

Could you post a video of the duck attempting to walk?

Is she an egg layer?

I can't right now and she hasn't laid any yet. We have a drake as well and they have mated but no eggs yet. It's like she tries to hold herself up and then tumbles. I thought it was something in her wings but she can't walk at all. I think it may be Niacin deficiency or something. She is in our house now to keep her warm and treat her well. Do you know if I can give my chickens and Ducks both calcium and Niacin? or is it too much? I don't want her to die

 

[Isaac 0]

I can't right now and she hasn't laid any yet. We have a drake as well and they have mated but no eggs yet. It's like she tries to hold herself up and then tumbles. I thought it was something in her wings but she can't walk at all. I think it may be Niacin deficiency or something. She is in our house now to keep her warm and treat her well. Do you know if I can give my chickens and Ducks both calcium and Niacin? or is it too much? I don't want her to die

It's hard to suggest much without seeing how she's walking. If you can get a video, that would make things much easier. Niacin won't hurt the chickens or ducks given at the right dose, but as far as the calcium, it can be easy to overdo it and cause problems. I would put a hold on calcium supplementation for now until we can see the bird.

 

[Lourdie]

Okay I'll try to get a video but it's like shes laying down and she tried to move away but
kind of flipped. She has energy but is not that strong. Peas will help right? Like one foot I think is fine she just can't walk it's weird. Again I'll try to get a vid

 

[Isaac 0]

Okay I'll try to get a video but it's like shes laying down and she tried to move away but
kind of flipped. She has energy but is not that strong. Peas will help right? Like one foot I think is fine she just can't walk it's weird. Again I'll try to get a vid

As an additional note, you'll need to upload the video to a video platform like youtube or Vimeo, and copy/paste the link here.

 

[Lourdie]

Here you go https://share.icloud.com/photos/0Yy7aUjMdn8_p4WCiKYx7SCaA#Grand_Rapids_-_East_Hills

 

[Lourdie]

She’s trying to walk but it’s hard for her

 

[Isaac 0]

Very unlikely given her age a niacin problem would be developing, however, she may benefit from B vitamins; for that, you can use 1/4 of a B complex tablet, or give a few drops of a Cattle B complex. Musculoskeletal deformities can develop if birds are being fed old or stale food where minerals such as calcium, or phosphorus have depleted. Ensure the feed you're feeding her is not expired, and is formulated for ducks, or all poultry specifically.

Unfortunately without diagnostic tests done at a vet office, determining what her problem is will be difficult. Lameness in the legs such as your bird can be due to spinal/leg trauma, heavy metal poisoning, genetic predisposition, infection, or viral diseases. In addition with the B vitamin nutritional therapy, I would start letting her swim in cool deep water every few days to exercise the legs and reduce any inflammation going on.

Whenever she's not in the water, try to keep the grounds she's on soft to reduce the chance of pressure sore development. If you notice warmness in the feet or swelling, antibiotics such as Baytril may be indicated. Besides that, I'm afraid that's pretty much the extent I can suggest as far as treatment. If she continues acting this way, you will likely find the best outcome seeing a vet in your area familiar with birds.

 

[Lourdie]

Very unlikely given her age a niacin problem would be developing, however, she may benefit from B vitamins; for that, you can use 1/4 of a B complex tablet, or give a few drops of a Cattle B complex. Musculoskeletal deformities can develop if birds are being fed old or stale food where minerals such as calcium, or phosphorus have depleted. Ensure the feed you're feeding her is not expired, and is formulated for ducks, or all poultry specifically.

Unfortunately without diagnostic tests done at a vet office, determining what her problem is will be difficult. Lameness in the legs such as your bird can be due to spinal/leg trauma, heavy metal poisoning, genetic predisposition, infection, or viral diseases. In addition with the B vitamin nutritional therapy, I would start letting her swim in cool deep water every few days to exercise the legs and reduce any inflammation going on.

Whenever she's not in the water, try to keep the grounds she's on soft to reduce the chance of pressure sore development. If you notice warmness in the feet or swelling, antibiotics such as Baytril may be indicated. Besides that, I'm afraid that's pretty much the extent I can suggest as far as treatment. If she continues acting this way, you will likely find the best outcome seeing a vet in your area familiar with birds.

Okay thank you. I will continue to keep her in the house until she is stable. We will go get some vitamin b tablets. I think she may be sad because her lover is away causing her stress. So you think it's not that severe?