Injured duck

[sjallen78]

I have indian runner ducks, I bought a male suppose to been blue Indian runner but looks black or maybe mixed drake. It wasn't the same drake as Pic. I kept it anyways because I felt it was safer with us. Anyway, she's almost 2yrs old. I noticed her limping a couple days ago, then yesterday she couldn't stand, just crawl basically. I put her in a separate pen and checked her out. Leg joint was swollen, I saw the black runner sneak up and jump om them. Aggressively. My drake Chief stopped him several times but Bob the black one still tries. I'm afraid he hurt her. I'm bringing her in the house now. Is there anything I should look out for. I'm worried about her. They eat what I'm told is the best duck feed, Nutreena or something like that plus worms and sometimes treats for ducks. Any help would be appreciated

 

[Farmgirl283420]

Hope your duck can get some help! Welcome to BYC!

 

[Blue is my chicken]

It sounds like the male hurt her. Males can be so mean. Sorry I can't be more help
Hope she gets better

 

[sjallen78]

It sounds like the male hurt her. Males can be so mean. Sorry I can't be more help
Hope she gets better

I think so too. He's aggressive with them. Maybe he'll calm down as he gets older. Told he was 8 months

 

[Farmgirl283420]

Thank you, I really think it's thr new one, Bob, causing it. I had one limping few days ago but better next day.

I had a rooster that kept hurting my hens kinda like this.

 

[HeritageFan]

Hmmm
Are you seeing signs of “breeding damage”, like missing feathers, or scrapes on her back?
If not, and your drake is a runner/ there are no heavier bodied male birds that have access to her, I personally doubt that is the issue.

An avain Vet is the best option, if it is an option, of course. We are just other keepers of fowl and are not vets!

If a vet is not an option-
Have you checked her feet?
Bumblefoot seems a much more like option to me. Sores that are often warm, have black “centers” or “splits” on the toes, or a big black spot on the base of the foot/ near a claw.

Can you please take some photos of the undersides of her feet and send them here?
If it is bumblefoot, we can coach you on that/ there is a ton of info here you can find.

Also, please feel her leg carefully, and move it, to make sure you don’t feel a break or damage that might have happened in a scuffle w another bird.

Durvet Vitamin B supplement is a liquid that you can get at most good sized feed stores- it’s not labeled for ducks but can be pulled up w a syringe (it is an injectable for goats, given orally to ducks over treats), and nutritional yeast from the health food store is another good option to increase vitamin B.
You can also crush up some “people” vitamin b tablets, but they can’t be time/ slow release or they won’t be absorbed. Crushed tablets can also be sprinkled over normal feed. Excess Vitamin B won’t hurt anyone, and may help w leg issues.
That said.
If it is bumblefoot, the added vitamin B alone won’t resolve the issue. You would need to treat the infection, and resolve the sanitation issues that led to it.

@Miss Lydia

Please send photos of the bottoms of her feet when you can -

@Farmgirl283420 - same goes for your chicken....
Although the B vitamins are not as critical for chickens as they are for waterfowl.
You might want to start a separate thread and tag me in-

 

[Farmgirl283420]

Hmmm
Are you seeing signs of “breeding damage”, like missing feathers, or scrapes on her back?
If not, and your drake is a runner/ there are no heavier bodied male birds that have access to her, I personally doubt that is the issue.

An avain Vet is the best option, if it is an option, of course. We are just other keepers of fowl and are not vets!

If a vet is not an option-
Have you checked her feet?
Bumblefoot seems a much more like option to me. Sores that are often warm, have black “centers” or “splits” on the toes, or a big black spot on the base of the foot/ near a claw.

Can you please take some photos of the undersides of her feet and send them here?
If it is bumblefoot, we can coach you on that/ there is a ton of info here you can find.

Also, please feel her leg carefully, and move it, to make sure you don’t feel a break or damage that might have happened in a scuffle w another bird.

Durvet Vitamin B supplement is a liquid that you can get at most good sized feed stores- it’s not labeled for ducks but can be pulled up w a syringe (it is an injectable for goats, given orally to ducks over treats), and nutritional yeast from the health food store is another good option to increase vitamin B.
You can also crush up some “people” vitamin b tablets, but they can’t be time/ slow release or they won’t be absorbed. Crushed tablets can also be sprinkled over normal feed. Excess Vitamin B won’t hurt anyone, and may help w leg issues.
That said.
If it is bumblefoot, the added vitamin B alone won’t resolve the issue. You would need to treat the infection, and resolve the sanitation issues that led to it.

@Miss Lydia

Please send photos of the bottoms of her feet when you can -

@Farmgirl283420 - same goes for your chicken....
Although the B vitamins are not as critical for chickens as they are for waterfowl.
You might want to start a separate thread and tag me in-

Oh thanks for trying to help! It happened last year I had to get rid of him they have healed and are doing great!

 

[Miss Lydia]

Can you post some pictures of the leg where the swelling is? is this area warmer than the other leg?
Also check the bottom of her feet like @HeritageFan recommended. Just to make sure nothing is going on there.
I have 3 Runner drakes and when they are young they are just like most young drakes very hormonal and will mate every chance they get. Most of the time my Runner females are after them to mate. And I have had a few girls come up lame every once in a while but never have they had a leg injury like your female it could be this drake or could she have injured her leg another way?

 

[HeritageFan]

Might be a good idea to cover the bottom part of the chain link with some other type of fencing when I have chicks and ducklings to keep them from going through the fence I tie wrapped plastic poultry fence to the bottom of the fence to keep them inside. It's pretty expensive.

I use 1/2” hardware cloth around the base of my poult and duckling areas.
Not the coated stuff; I save that (1” opening, coated) for barriers Between turkey pens so they don’t cut off a snood on the regular 1” fencing
I have to put up visual barriers for the turkeys in the spring/ when hormones run high w the boys, but they seem to like “company” next door in the winter

The hardware cloth, in my experience, is least expensive when ordered from Home Depot online. It’s not cheap if you have a large area to cover, but, the longer rolls qualified for free shipping last time I ordered some (they do not carry it in my local to me stores, so.... free shipping to the store, or to my house...
yep. Bring it here )

 

[HeritageFan]

Thank you, I appreciate the information. Home depot should pay you for advertising lol

Don’t I wish!!!
But. I really dug deep into all of my local feed, hardware, etc stores.
I needed 2 rolls of 24”, 150’, 1/2” hardware cloth for my projects last summer and their pricing beat all of my local stores, including Lowes, by a -lot-
I’m always down to support my local feed store if it’s close..... but this was a good 50$ savings :/ and I didn’t have to go get it.