Keeping your Pekins healthy

[fatty and friends]

i have two pekin boys who just turned two and they have overall been healthy but have both had issues with bumblefoot because of how heavy they are even when just walking

 

[CHlCKEN]

I feel that optimal nutrition, lots of soft surfaces, a natural daylight schedule (no lightbulbs), and regular clean bathing water are good for pekin health.

What do you mean by soft surfaces?

 

[CHlCKEN]

Pekins usually have a problem with taking in enough niacin, even if your duckling feed should be enough, I would also feed a niacin supplement of some sort. Niacin is water soluble, so don’t worry about feeding to much, any extra will naturally be removed from the body.

Why do they have trouble?

 

[riss]

I have 2 pekins myself so I'm gonna watch this thread to get info on how to keep them healthy

 

[fatty and friends]

being bred to grow quickly as a meat bird

pekin don’t have to be a meat bird, i would never eat a duck and my boys are 100% pets and always and will hopefully live to be 10+

 

[Sheepheart]

Ok, I understand. I'm planning to surround their pond with rocks though, so I'm not sure I can completely avoid them.

I think I'm mulching the run but maybe sand is a better route? I'm not sure.

From what I hear, sand will keep their run on the dry side and make cleaning a bit easier, as the moisture from the poop with gett pulled by the sand and you can just scoop the poop out, less sand gets wasted.

I havnt heard any pros or cons to using mulch though, but I know plenty of people use it.

 

[CHlCKEN]

From what I hear, sand will keep their run on the dry side and make cleaning a bit easier, as the moisture from the poop with gett pulled by the sand and you can just scoop the poop out, less sand gets wasted.

I havnt heard any pros or cons to using mulch though, but I know plenty of people use it.

I use mulch in the chicken coop, but it sounds like sand is my best option.

 

[KaleIAm]

I use mulch in the chicken coop, but it sounds like sand is my best option.

I asked my vet about sand, she told me it was great for feet/legs. But that there was a risk of impaction from them digging around in it with their bills. I decided not to use it. But I know a BYC member who used it and really disliked it. We live in a wet/rainy area, though.

My vet did say mulch was too hard for duck feet, but I know BYC members who use it without issue. There seems to be varying results.

I've had great results with grass. They do need a very large aviary to not dig it all up, and I have to replant it as well.

 

[CHlCKEN]

I asked my vet about sand, she told me it was great for feet/legs. But that there was a risk of impaction from them digging around in it with their bills. I decided not to use it. But I know a BYC member who used it and really disliked it. We live in a wet/rainy area, though.

My vet did say mulch was too hard for duck feet, but I know BYC members who use it without issue. There seems to be varying results.

I've had great results with grass. They do need a very large aviary to not dig it all up, and I have to replant it as well.

I had second thoughts after researching sand and am going with mulch

 

[KaleIAm]

I had second thoughts after researching sand and am going with mulch

The potentially fatal consequences of sand scared me away from it!

Some people seem to not have any issues with mulch. From my experiences I would recommend keeping an eye on their feet. If they start experiencing repeated incidents of bumblefoot you might find it worth it to switch to something softer.

Make sure to post photos of your babies!