Lame duck

[snewman]

One of my three week old pekin ducks has developed a leg problem in which the ankle joint seems deformed. It causes the leg to turn in/under so when the duck walks he's kind of walking on the outside/top of his foot. I don't believe that he could have been injured, as he's still in the brooder with everyone else. Could this be a hereditary defect, or a dietary deficiency? Nobody else has any problems. He seems to be able to move around ok in the brooder, but I'm not confident that this will be the case once moved to the big coop and/or outside. Has anyone had leg problems with ducks?

 

[dragonshiner]

I'm presently having leg issues with one of my ducklings, Lil' Wade. She is 5 weeks old and in the last three days has been shoving herself across the yard rather than walking. The other ducklings even trample on top of her when I spook them, and she just sits there and takes it. She can get up and run if she is frightened, I've seen her do it when I try to approach her. But when I do eventually catch her and examine her I find absolutely nothing wrong with her. Finally after some intense observation I saw her run and crash chest first every time. I realized that her upper body has outgrown her legs and she can't support her awkward body weight. I don't know if I can attribute it to diet deficiency but I found out that gamebird starter, which I had been feeding them exclusively, runs the risk of physical deformity in ducks. So I started mixing their food with oats, a 4 to 1 ratio, and she seems to be doing a little bit better. Then again she might have gotten better on her own, but why take the further risk eh?

 

[DuckyBoys]

Hmmm...my goose has a leg problem too.

She really wants to be with her own flock and screamed when I tried to put her another one - so I have stopped keeping her in a pen during the day and just let her free range with the others. She keeps up but I feel so bad watching her limp. I really hope she gets better.

Mine doesn't appear to have any visable problem either - she has been eating flock raiser just like all the rest. Maybe I should go to the feed store tomorrow and switch her to something else?

Anyone have any ideas? None of the other geese seem to be affected.

 

[poultrykeeper08]

i had a wood duck have that same thing happen .(i got him from a zoo as a duckling)

and i was given a canada goose with the same thing . BUth did great ad thrived

Good luck with your little ones !

 

[raindrop]

One of my hookbills was unable to walk for 6 days. I put him in his own little brooder and kept a buddy in each day with him, he rested for 7 days (an extra day to make sure he was well and gain strength). I gave him meloxicam (trade name Metacam) at a dose of 2mg/kg for the first 5 days. Metacam is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug that comes as an oral liquid. You get it from your vet, also available online but you would need a prescription I imagine.

Here is a picture of my hurt duck while recovering.