Hello, I got my Mallard ducklings from the feed store as I get most of my chicks and ducks. They are only a week old and 2 possibly 3 of my mallards are walking funny, limping, one duckling even walked on his knee (looked as if there legs were broken at the joint). On 2 of the ducklings (mallards) it was only one of the legs not both. What is the cause of this and have you ever seen this before ? I put them to sleep as soon as I noticed it because I knew they would not make it and I didn't want them to suffer. My White Crested ducklings did not have this issue ! Thank God. Thanks for the advice and help.
Were you feeding them chick starter? With this food ducklings need extra niacin added to their diets, in the form of niacin tablets, brewer's yeast, or even just mashed up peas. There have been a lot of similar threads here about this and I think it's a shame that feed stores don't provide this info.
It might be the material that you are allowing them to walk on. Don't give them anything that is too slippery. Sigh, you didn't even hire a vet to do it I bet....
Oh darn, I think you jumped the gone by putting them down. There does seem to be a lot of ducklings with leg problems going around. It must be that everyone is getting new ducklings. Anyway, I attached a thread that you can read. I have been helping another member with a problem she was having with one of her ducklings, and the duckling is recovering. I believe the Mallards would have had a chance of a normal life. Check out the link. https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=494469 edited to add this link as well... https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=173562
I didn't have them all put down, just the 2 that had the serious leg problems. Yes, I did use a vet thank you very much. (its sad how people always want to think the worst of other people). I did save one that is still limps around but he gets to his water and food and seems happy. But, there was now way I would have let the other two suffer like that...they were so bad they couldn't move to get water and food and they just had to stay in one spot and struggled hard to get to move at all. They don't have a slippery bottom or anything like that, in there brooder boxes was pine shavings, peices of 1 x 6 wood to support the food and waterers. The others have had no problems and NONE of the White Cresteds had this problem...Just the Mallards ! ? Well, thanks for the tips and I sure hope no one else has this problem. They are all to sweet and lovable to have those issues and suffer.
