Injured mallard duck leg

[howellca]

My 3 month old mallard got his leg caught in his pen. He freaked out when it got caught innitially and I am afraid he injured it worse. He holds it up but can put pressure on it somewhat. Mainly when he flaps his wings. It looks a little discolored and I am worried about a serious fracture. He swims but doesn't really use it a whole bunch while swimming. PLEASE HELP!!! I'm very worried about the little guy. His name is Simon.

 

[duckopedia]

i had the same problem with one of my ducks. hear are some steps you might consider following:
(1)keep him warm, to keep her warm you can put some hay in her pen/coop
(2)feed him alot ( you might have to feed him away from the others)
(3) keep him in water a little longer than you have been, this will help her leg get stronger
this has work for to of my duck so far, and i hope simon gets better

 

[Enchanted Sunrise Farms]

i agree with duckopedia's recommendations. The other thing, my vet told me that ducks are very sensitive to pain. She always prescribes metacam when i have an injured duck. If there is any way you can get into a vet familiar with ducks, it might be a good idea. i try to always keep some metacam on hand for injured ducks or chickens.

The other suggestion i have is to add Brewers/Nutritional Yeast to his diet. Ducks need more niacin than their food can provide, and when they don't get it they are prone to leg problems, lameness. Although this is an injury and not a nutritional issue, the brewers yeast may help with the healing.

i hope your duck feels better soon. It's so hard to watch our kids suffer.

 

[howellca]

Thanks for the response. He seems to be doing a lot better already. I think I just got a bit worried because it looked bad when it happened and it was the first injury I've dealt with. He seems like he'll be back to his old self in no time!

 

[mike melone]

b

 

[Amiga]

Can you feel any sign of a break? Gently examine the leg. Put her in a tub of warm - 80˚F - water deep enough to float in. Watch how she moves the leg. Worst case, she may have a dislocated joint. A vet would be the best help, possibly, but I feel she can make a recovery unless something really strange happened. Let's plan for the best outcome!

I have found this page helpful.

https://sites.google.com/a/poultrypedia.com/poultrypedia/poultry-podiatry

Something else to start right away is Epsom salt soak or compress. Add 2 tablespoons E.s. to half a cup of warm water and soak a clean cloth in it. Wring it out slightly and wrap the leg and foot in it, and hold for as long as you both can stand it. Or you could increase the amount of solution and put it in a flat-bottomed bowl, have the duckling stand in it for as long as she can. The compress may be easier, as you could hold her without pressure on her leg.

It treats sprains, and pulled muscles.

 

[mike melone]

c

 

[Amiga]

When you say she is warm and fat. Do you mean the leg is swollen and puffy? Or she just feels like a tubby, healthy little duckling?

I would give her bath therapy as much as possible to keep weight off the leg, improve circulation and build strength. I would follow the advice Speceider gave over on this thread.

https://sites.google.com/a/poultrypedia.com/poultrypedia/poultry-podiatry

Check out post 26. and he meant to write choline, not cholinr.