My duck can't hold her head up

[Dunkin Ducks]

Oh wow. Poor thing. I agree you might want to get the nutri drench and the liquid form of niacin (b complex sold at tsc or even places like walmart). The liquid will absorb quicker into their system.

I'll buy nutri drench tomorrow too!

 

[Dunkin Ducks]

I would lean toward some sort of vitamin or calcium deficiency for sure. See if you can find some type of all flock feed in your area and stop giving spinach. Maybe give some nutri drench for a few days and see if that helps?

yep, I just heard TSC has an all flock feed, I'll buy that and the nutri drench ASAP tomorrow, thank you for the help!

 

[CayugaJana]

You’ve had great info given! I’m curious, do they already have oyster shells given to them or are you getting ready to supply it to the ducks? I’m echoing what others have said: 1) vitamins ASAP-nutri drench is perfect 2) oyster shell if she hasn’t had access to it 3) all flock feed from TSC

I would give her as much nutri-drench as she will take that first day. Drip it drop by drop on the top of her bill and she will swallow it. If she doesn’t have access to a pond, I would add the nutri-drench to their water 24/7. If you try all this and she still isn’t better, come back and we can try some more specific stuff. I personally always have the vitamin b complex in the cattle section, near the nutri drench on hand also. It’s something very crucial to a ducks diet that they rarely get enough of in captivity.

 

[Miss Lydia]

All!!

 

[CrookedGate]

I've been looking for answers for a very similar thing. I've had an adult duck who is doing the same thing. An the internet searching I do keeps coming up for wry neck or botulism. She's been living in my tub for about two weeks now. We feed all flock from tractor supply and I've been giving her a small amount (1cc a day) of nutri drench - then internet advice said NOT to give ND every day to ducks so I've been alternating ND (in her morning water/mash mix) and poultry booster the next day.
She's pretty energetic but losing weight I feed her as much as I can and I am still trying to find a bowl that she can't tip over. From the advice given here I think I'll add b complex.
My duck stands up but can't lift her head forward, it's curled down. She tries to preen her chest but also doesn't have the right strength to pull her beak to her chest. After two weeks, I think wry neck/botulism are ruled out. Any advice is helpful. I work 13h a day and I'm trying my best.
FYI no vet available in my area to take her to that I could possibly get to with my work schedule. Just impossible.
Thanks for any help

 

[Miss Lydia]

Very sorry about your duck, can you put up a video? That would really help us help you.
You'll have to put it on youtube or Vimeo then copy and paste it here.
How old is your duck?

 

[CrookedGate]

Very sorry about your duck, can you put up a video? That would really help us help you.
You'll have to put it on youtube or Vimeo then copy and paste it here.
How old is your duck?

My duck is about 3 years old. I've had to separate her before for similar symptoms - weak neck, trouble balancing - and previous times within a day or so of some nutrient boost and rest from two drakes taking advantage of her slightly slower, weakened state she was right as rain and ready to back in, with no lingering issues. After her last stint being bathtub ducky and a few days separated but outside in barn for recoop time away from boys, she broke out of her separation space on a day a hard rain came. Found her laying in the yard, drenched, and laying flat out. Honestly, thought she was dead but she proved her life by spinning in backwards circles and quacking energetically when I tried catching her. It took a while but I got her back in the tub, rinsed off the mud, dried her off, got her to eat/drink a mash and nutridrench slurry and let her rest. I've been trying to figure it out since. I don't have a video and I have never posted on YouTube, I'll try to get some photos when I get home tonight.
Perhaps it's a neck/shoulder injury??? After two weeks I don't know how I'd treat some sort of injury like that. Perhaps the drakes hurt her. No visible signs of injury when I originally put her in the tub. Believe you me, I checked.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Drakes can cause injury we can't see as far as wounds etc. How many drakes to females do you have? I'd def keep her away from them for now and maybe until this crazy mating season is over. Liquid B complex is really good stuff, so definitely worth trying. But if this is an injury from drake abuse it will take time to heal. Just like us when we suffer a sprain etc. Rest vitamins to boost our immune system water therapy to keep the muscles loose can all help.

 

[CrookedGate]

Drakes can cause injury we can't see as far as wounds etc. How many drakes to females do you have? I'd def keep her away from them for now and maybe until this crazy mating season is over. Liquid B complex is really good stuff, so definitely worth trying. But if this is an injury from drake abuse it will take time to heal. Just like us when we suffer a sprain etc. Rest vitamins to boost our immune system water therapy to keep the muscles loose can all help.

I have got to make more time for floaty time for her. I've been giving her little showers to help keep her clean and her eyes washed up but reluctant to do a deeper bath because her head tucks under. I'll find a way to make the for floaty bath time and help her hold her head up and work her wings.
Almost everything I looked up regarding her not being able to hold her head up resulted in wry neck or botulism related issues and I was convinced it had to be one of those. I did check her for damage but as you say drakes can do damage with us seeing it. Especially if it was both of them. I have two drakes that like to gang up on one hen, they pick and choose their unlucky target and it changes. Three drakes total, but the other fella has his two girlfriends (all khaki Campbell) and he doesn't mess with the other girls. We have 12 female for those two drakes. It's just that they both find whoever is the easiest target for the day.
I've ordered some brewers yeast and some WATERFOWL feed as I can't seem to find a supplement actually meant for ducks and sometimes I don't trust using a "poultry" supplement - I've seen stuff that says ducks are fine with that and others that say NOT. Kind of like finding out the hard way when we first got ducklings that they can't have the medicated chick feed, it'll kill them.

 

[Miss Lydia]

The B complex doesn't say for poultry but we have used it safely on our waterfowl and what's nice is it works pretty fast and what the body doesn't use is peed out. TSC carries it and it says injectable but we use it orally over chopped tomatoes mealworms etc. Wryneck can also respond to Infant vitamin-like Poly Vi so without iron. Have you tried it?
What I like to do is eliminate what it could be, in other words, if it's a niacin deficiency then the liquid B complex should help and usually pretty quick unless it's been going on for weeks or months. If it's wry neck people have had a good response to the poly vi sol, plus Vitamin E a gel cap opened and given daily over feed or treat.