Lame duck at hatch?

[Birchymm]

So I'm hatching my first ducks, from my Peking in my backyard. I've read up on everything and I now have a hatched duckling sitting in a brooder. However, it seems like one of its legs are not working at all. Is this common? I was nervous about this duck from the beginning as we put it into our friends homemade incubator, which didn't keep a very constant temp or humidity. I went out and bought one online with good reviews and it seems to be working well. We have 4 more eggs due in a week or so.

Anyhow, back to the little guy we currently have. He struggled breaking out of his egg and I gave him a little help. But now I'm thinking he struggled because his leg wasn't working. It doesn't looked deformed or injured, just limp. Any help?

 

[Birchymm]

By the way, he was in the homemade incubator for about 10 days from pulling him out of the coop.

 

[Birchymm]

I thought the little guy had two lame legs but it looks as if the one that still operational he's using pretty well. However, the one leg still seems completely inoperable. Any ideas?

 

[Welshies]

I thought the little guy had two lame legs but it looks as if the one that still operational he's using pretty well. However, the one leg still seems completely inoperable. Any ideas?

Post a picture? If it is spraddle leg it is fairly easy to fix if you nip it in the bud. Hope he does better- good luck!

 

[Birchymm]

This is the best pic I could get of it. The leg is just limp. My reading of spraddle leg, is that it just kind of goes out to the side or straight back? I put band aids on both feet, as I've seen that a good way to straighten out their toes, which the other operational foot needed. He/she gets around OK, just hopping on the one leg, but its a struggle and I feel bad for him/her. Its having no problem getting to the food and water, it is just a lot of work to move around. I've tried getting him/her to move the leg by trying to stimulate or move for him/her, but nothing seem to work. It looks like it moves at the hip but nothing else below that.

 

[Welshies]

This is the best pic I could get of it. The leg is just limp. My reading of spraddle leg, is that it just kind of goes out to the side or straight back? I put band aids on both feet, as I've seen that a good way to straighten out their toes, which the other operational foot needed. He/she gets around OK, just hopping on the one leg, but its a struggle and I feel bad for him/her. Its having no problem getting to the food and water, it is just a lot of work to move around. I've tried getting him/her to move the leg by trying to stimulate or move for him/her, but nothing seem to work. It looks like it moves at the hip but nothing else below that.

I don't know. It's not spraddle leg. Could you try swimming as therapy for it? Just make sure he is dried off after. Have you asked a vet?

 

[Birchymm]

Haven't gone to a vet, as I don't think there are too many bird vets in my area. I have dogs, so am pretty versed on what we have around.

After some therapy it looks like she is at least moving it at the hip and seem to move at the knee now when swimming. Her movements look closer to what I've seen with spraddle leg now. We have tried the rubberband/straw brace for a day now and it seems to help a little, though she still struggles. Hopefully the brace will help after a few days. If not, she might just be a gimpy duck. No worries, my wife is in love and plans to do whatever is necessary to make sure she has a full, long life ;-)

 

[Amiga]

I would get the little one on a B vitamin supplement routine. Here are my notes about B vitamin supplements. The reason is that sometimes due to a number of reasons, there isn't enough B for the little one's nervous system to develop properly.


People often get confused about what to use, so please stick with me here

.

You have some options.

I would go with brewer's yeast. Forgive me for using capital letters, but for anyone else who may casually look over this thread, NOT baking yeast, NOT winemaking yeast. Brewer's yeast is a nutritional supplement and it provides niacin and a few other vitamins.

Generally, folks who supplement with brewer’s yeast use a tablespoon per cup of food.

Ducklings need about three times the niacin chicks do. And some ducklings get leg problems or seizures if they don't have enough niacin.

If you cannot find the brewer's yeast, or if you happen to have (here come the capital letters again, please forgive me) PLAIN niacin - NOT no-flush, NOT timed release, then dissolve 150 mg niacin per gallon of water for the duckling’s drinking water.

Another approach is to use B Complex capsules, and use the B3 - niacin - levels as a guide. Again, 150 mg B3 per gallon of drinking water.


Keep the little one on the supplements for about 8 weeks.

Sometimes it only takes a few days to see improvement.

You can also see how it went for Qwackers and Bentley from these threads.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/857143/treating-wry-neck-in-crested-duckling-edited-title

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/761308/peking-duckling-with-crooked-neck-help

 

[dianaj]

So I'm hatching my first ducks, from my Peking in my backyard. I've read up on everything and I now have a hatched duckling sitting in a brooder. However, it seems like one of its legs are not working at all. Is this common? I was nervous about this duck from the beginning as we put it into our friends homemade incubator, which didn't keep a very constant temp or humidity. I went out and bought one online with good reviews and it seems to be working well. We have 4 more eggs due in a week or so.

Anyhow, back to the little guy we currently have. He struggled breaking out of his egg and I gave him a little help. But now I'm thinking he struggled because his leg wasn't working. It doesn't looked deformed or injured, just limp. Any help?

i have the same situation happening currently, just hatched last night, and i too, had to assist.

 

[HollowOfWisps]

i have the same situation happening currently, just hatched last night, and i too, had to assist.

Do you have any poultry vitamins on hand? If not I highly recommend poultry cell for situations like this due to the fact usually it is caused by a deficiency at hatch. I have had 100% success rate using poultry cell on assisted hatches that were unable to walk at hatch.