Lame or poorly? Young Welsh harlequin female duck

[hwyaden ty]

My duck Rebeccah went to bed fine last night. This morning when I opened it up, the other two came out as normal but she just sat there inside. At first I thought she may be laying as I tend to get both eggs in the morning (I have 2 ducks, 1 drake). She then fell down the ramp and couldn't seem to stand. I picked her up and carried her to the food / water. She has been eating and drink fine but won't walk. She seems able to stand more so now. I've checked and I can't see any obvious injuries. Can anyone suggest what it could be or what I should do? She's just sitting by the food and water accessing it when she needs it. The Ducks were hatched back in March by incubator and started laying last two weeks. Rebeccah was a little disabled as a duckling but made good improvements with Brewers yeast. They are now on layers pellets. Sorry for long post am worried about her.

 

[Kangasox]

Are you still giving brewers yeast or niacin? Do her feet or legs feel warmer than usual/compared to the other ducks? If you don't see any bumblefoot or injuries on her feet and legs, it seems tricky. We have 14 ducks, and for some reason, the only ducks that seem to have unexplained leg problems are my welsh harlequins. They will randomly limp for a day or two, then be fine. One has been like that since she was a duckling. I just make sure I check them, and give some extra niacin and often add acv to their water. Interested to hear what others have to say.

 

[hwyaden ty]

I got told only to give the Brewers yeast for first 8 weeks. Should I still be giving it?

 

[Kangasox]

I got told only to give the Brewers yeast for first 8 weeks. Should I still be giving it?

I can't remember the exact age and am not home with my duck "bible", but I think they need it older than that in larger doses (like up to 12-16 weeks). I gave it daily until they were around 6 months old. Depending on diet, they may not need supplementation as adults (feed composition, bugs, slugs, snails, etc). I still sprinkle nutritional yeast on their food a few times a week.

 

[DuckGirl77]

Are you sure it's not bumblefoot? One of mine was limping, and that's what she had. I also had a WH that all of the sudden started acting weird. She was sluggish, didn't want to walk, and one morning, I found her dead in the coop. I don't know why she died, but I sure hope that's not what yours has.
You may want to keep giving brewers yeast, as that may be the cause, but I'm not sure ...

@Amiga might know.

 

[Kangasox]

@Amiga knows most things!

 

[Shewholovesducks]

I'm very new to ducks, so I don't know that this will help. When my duck had a leg injury it limped at first barely then really noticeable, I took her in and gave her a warm bath then made her spend no less than 1 hour in the bath each day so she could take the weight off her leg will still exercising it. She got terribly lonely so I put her in the pond with her friends and to keep them in the pond I put their food right by it so she wouldn't be alone. She got better after about 3 weeks and hasn't limped since. But whats going on with your duck seems way more serious than mine, if you had no signs of limping or anything else? Its good that shes still eating, I hope the poor thing is alright!! Going directly from walking to not walking seems so strange.

 

[Amiga]

Rebecca may have egg lYing problems including the possibility of egg binding. She needs a vet, who can help diagnose. If that is not possible, then I would start putting turmeric in her food or water - I don't know exact dosages but I would start with a teaspoon per cup of food or pint of water. Turmeric stains - FYI

She needs an anti inflammatory and an antibiotic if what I suspect is happening.

It may be she needs a boost of calcium - half a Tums, or 200 milligrams of calcium citrate crushed into a moistened treat, ASAP

 

[Orca5094]

Can you gently feel her abdomen and see if you can feel an egg in there? My first thought would be egg binding as well. You can try letting her soak in a warm bath for awhile and see if that helps her relax enough to pass the egg (if that is indeed her problem). Extra calcium right away helps stimulate them to lay as well. A vet would really be the best thing though, if you are able to get her to one.

 

[Amiga]

I would like to add from my recent experience that sometimes the egg that is stuck does not have a shell, or it's very thin and difficult to feel. Just a detail that may be helpful.