Is my duckling sick?

[Henrietta02]

I just got two ducklings, a pekin and a khaki campbell. They were about the same size when I got them except the pekin was larger by a little. Now, after 5 days, the pekin has grown quite huge and the little khaki campbell seems so small and fragile in comparison. Also today I have noticed that my khaki campbell is not eating and is not as active and energetic as she was before. Before, she was eating and chirping and trying to jump out of the box. Now, she seems like she's lacking strength and looks a like aimless just standing around looking at the sides of the box. It almost looks like her legs are not strong enough to support her; she falters a lot. Her feet feel cold. I try to put food in her face but she'll just turn away. She will only drink water. Her poop is very watery and white. She gets pushed around a little by the pekin. When I pick her up, she doesn't protest or struggle. She just goes limp (shes very light) and lets me pick her up. Before, I distinctly remember her showing strength and kicking her legs and wrestling to get down. Now she just seems like she doesn't care or she doesn't have enough strength to wriggle around.

I don't know what to do. What happened? She was happy and energetic just a couple days ago. How can I make her eat?! Im trying to move the heat lamp closer because I think maybe she is cold. But other than that I don't know what could have happened. She is not hurt or anything. To be honest, she seems depressed, which is weird to say because do ducks get depressed?? Is she sick? Will she die??? I'm so worried and sad...
My mom says that maybe I'm picking them up to much. Is there a possibility that I gave her some disease? Should I stop picking them up?

 

[shawluvsbirds]

I just got two ducklings, a pekin and a khaki campbell. They were about the same size when I got them except the pekin was larger by a little. Now, after 5 days, the pekin has grown quite huge and the little khaki campbell seems so small and fragile in comparison. Also today I have noticed that my khaki campbell is not eating and is not as active and energetic as she was before. Before, she was eating and chirping and trying to jump out of the box. Now, she seems like she's lacking strength and looks a like aimless just standing around looking at the sides of the box. It almost looks like her legs are not strong enough to support her; she falters a lot. Her feet feel cold. I try to put food in her face but she'll just turn away. She will only drink water. Her poop is very watery and white. She gets pushed around a little by the pekin. When I pick her up, she doesn't protest or struggle. She just goes limp (shes very light) and lets me pick her up. Before, I distinctly remember her showing strength and kicking her legs and wrestling to get down. Now she just seems like she doesn't care or she doesn't have enough strength to wriggle around.

I don't know what to do. What happened? She was happy and energetic just a couple days ago. How can I make her eat?! Im trying to move the heat lamp closer because I think maybe she is cold. But other than that I don't know what could have happened. She is not hurt or anything. To be honest, she seems depressed, which is weird to say because do ducks get depressed?? Is she sick? Will she die??? I'm so worried and sad...
My mom says that maybe I'm picking them up to much. Is there a possibility that I gave her some disease? Should I stop picking them up?
View attachment 1695606

What kind of food do you have? It could be niacin deficiency if your using chick starter.

 

[Henrietta02]

yes. we are using chick starter. is there something wrong with that? should i get a specialized duck food?

 

[chickitychickity]

You need to have higher niacin in your feed. Add some brewers yeast in. There are a bunch of different opinions on how much you should give them. I just buy a chick starter also marketed for ducks that has 117mg of Niacin. It has always worked for me. Also Pekins can weight more than twice as much as Khaki Campbells by the time they are full grown. So don’t be surprised that your Khaki is smaller.

 

[chickitychickity]

Also you could give them treats like Peas that are higher in Niacin

 

[chickitychickity]

One more thing to add:
You won’t give your ducks any disease and you can continue to hold them. They can get stressed if they are separated too much but that should not have to do with your issue.

 

[onaharley]

If you can pick up some vitamin b complex, that would be your best bet. Take some mealworms and crush them up and put a couple of drops on top. She will love it!! It’s got all the right vitamins and niacin this little duckling needs. You can get it Walmart for a good price too.

 

[shawluvsbirds]

If you can pick up some vitamin b complex, that would be your best bet. Take some mealworms and crush them up and put a couple of drops on top. She will love it!! It’s got all the right vitamins and niacin this little duckling needs. You can get it Walmart for a good price too. View attachment 1695669View attachment 1695670

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Since the little one is already getting weak this would be best to get it back to normal, then you can use the brewers yeast at 1 tablespoon per cup of feed for maintenance If you keep the chick starter.
Or you can look for a different feed that meets the requirements for ducklings.
This is the one I use.

Or look for Purina flock raiser.

 

[Duckworth]

Just wanted to chime in with some support. No additional advice except to ensure your heat lamp is positioned in such a way as to allow your ducklings to move closer or farther away to regulate their own temperature.

Are they doing any swimming or otherwise getting wet? Until they are feathered, they may need help getting dry after a wetting. I had a hard time keeping their bedding dry when mine were in the brooder. They are very messy drinkers. Wet down from wet bedding or staying wet after swimming can use up a lot of body heat.

Stress can be hard on new ducklings, so you may choose to lessen their stress by limiting the times when they are out of their safe space in their brooder. Stress may not be causing this issue, but a low stress environment may help improve her chances of getting stronger.

I know it’s hard not to worry and I’m not saying that there is no reason for concern. You’ve gotten advice from several experienced duck keepers. My ducks were recently injured in a predator attack and it is hard for me not to check on them a lot. But they need a calm, low-stress environment to promote recovery, so I try to check on them without disturbing them too much.

I hope things get better from here!

 

[onaharley]

Just wanted to chime in with some support. No additional advice except to ensure your heat lamp is positioned in such a way as to allow your ducklings to move closer or farther away to regulate their own temperature.

Are they doing any swimming or otherwise getting wet? Until they are feathered, they may need help getting dry after a wetting. I had a hard time keeping their bedding dry when mine were in the brooder. They are very messy drinkers. Wet down from wet bedding or staying wet after swimming can use up a lot of body heat.

Stress can be hard on new ducklings, so you may choose to lessen their stress by limiting the times when they are out of their safe space in their brooder. Stress may not be causing this issue, but a low stress environment may help improve her chances of getting stronger.

I know it’s hard not to worry and I’m not saying that there is no reason for concern. You’ve gotten advice from several experienced duck keepers. My ducks were recently injured in a predator attack and it is hard for me not to check on them a lot. But they need a calm, low-stress environment to promote recovery, so I try to check on them without disturbing them too much.

I hope things get better from here!