My duck can't walk!

[Mother of duckies]

I have a mated pair of Cayuga ducks that are about 8 months old and live outdoors in my 1/2 acre backyard. They have round the clock access to two ponds, a indoor shelter with straw, a heated floor, food, and water, and are also fed cracked corn, fresh peas, and oats on a daily basis. We recently also began giving our girl crushed oyster shells as she is regularly laying now.Sometimes they are fed other assorted greens and/or have live fish dumped into their pond. I noticed today that my female seems very clumsy. She was taking one or two steps, then either tripping and falling or sitting down in a roosting position. I inspected her feet and legs very carefully and did not see any signs of injury or distress. She is still eating and drinking, but but she seems almost unable to walk. I have her in her pen, which is covered in straw so she's not walking on any ice or snow in our backyard. Does anybody have ideas about what might be wrong or if I should be doing anything specific for her? Also, if I end up having to take her to a vet, does anybody know an aviary vet in the Colorado area? Thanks!

 

[EmmaRainboe]

Welcome to BYC! So glad you deided to join us!

You might want to post this in the injuries and disease section. Lots of knowledgable people that can help you!

 

[pennyJo1960]

Niacin welcome

 

[Mother of duckies]

Welcome to BYC! So glad you deided to join us!

You might want to post this in the injuries and disease section. Lots of knowledgable people that can help you!

Thank you; how can I get there?

 

[Isaac 0]

Lameness can be caused by a wide variety of issues such as trauma, toxicosis (heavy metal), bacterial infections, obturator paraylisis, nutritional problems, etc. If she's not able to walk at all, it may be best to take her to a vet, but if you can't there are a few things you can try at home. Here is a list of veterinarians in the U.S :

https://www.metzerfarms.com/Veterinarians.cfm?CustID=27639587

https://www.beautyofbirds.com/recommendedbirdvetscolorado.html
Posting a video/picture of the duck, and her feet may be helpful. Information on her feed, setup, whether she's laying, past history, etc, may help identify her problem too.

For now, keep her in a soft padded area with feed, and water provided nearby. Pain is good as it prevents the bird from reinjuring, or hurting the leg, but if you'd like, you could dissolve one 325mg aspirin tablet, in 250ml of water to reduce any inflammation. Upping B vitamins (niacin), and letting her sit in Epsom salt water would be good too.

 

[EmmaRainboe]

Thank you; how can I get there?

If you click "forums" you can see all our different sections. But here is a link to get directly there https://www.backyardchickens.com/forums/emergencies-diseases-injuries-and-cures.10/
Just click "post thread" and you can copy and paste what you typed here, there.

 

[Mother of duckies]

Lameness can be caused by a wide variety of issues such as trauma, toxicosis (heavy metal), bacterial infections, nutritional problems, etc. If she's not able to walk at all, it may be best to take her to a vet, but if you can't there are a few things you can try at home. Here is a list of veterinarians in the U.S :

https://www.metzerfarms.com/Veterinarians.cfm?CustID=27639587

Posting a video/picture of the duck, and her feet may be helpful. Information on her feed, setup, and past history may help identify her problem too.

For now, keep her in a soft padded area with feed, and water provided nearby. Pain is good as it prevents the bird from reinjuring, or hurting the leg, but if you'd like, you could dissolve one 325mg aspirin tablet, in 250ml of water to reduce any inflammation. Upping B vitamins (niacin), and letting her sit in Epsom salt water would be good too.

Thank you so much!

 

[Mother of duckies]

I have a mated pair of Cayuga ducks that are about 8 months old and live outdoors in my 1/2 acre backyard. They have round the clock access to two ponds, a indoor shelter with straw, a heated floor, food, and water, and are also fed cracked corn, fresh peas, and oats on a daily basis. We recently also began giving our girl crushed oyster shells as she is regularly laying now.Sometimes they are fed other assorted greens and/or have live fish dumped into their pond. I noticed today that my female seems very clumsy. She was taking one or two steps, then either tripping and falling or sitting down in a roosting position. I inspected her feet and legs very carefully and did not see any signs of injury or distress. She is still eating and drinking, but but she seems almost unable to walk. I have her in her pen, which is covered in straw so she's not walking on any ice or snow in our backyard. Does anybody have ideas about what might be wrong or if I should be doing anything specific for her? Also, if I end up having to take her to a vet, does anybody know an aviary vet in the Colorado area? Thanks!

Thank you everyone for all your quick responses; there's a lot of knowledable people on this site! I realize this should probably be in the injuries section and I don't want to cross post so could an admin please move this post to the injuries section? Thank you so much. Sincerely,
Mother of duckies.

 

[Isaac 0]

Thank you everyone for all your quick responses; there's a lot of knowledable people on this site! I realize this should probably be in the injuries section and I don't want to cross post so could an admin please move this post to the injuries section? Thank you so much. Sincerely,
Mother of duckies.

Your thread was moved to the duck forum. Most folks on the ER forum will redirect you here anyway. If you have any follow-up questions be sure to ask. However, most likely, more information in regards to the duck will need to be provided on your part.

 

[Mother of duckies]

Great news everyone! My sweet girl is definitely on the mend! Today she is walking and quacking. She is still resting too, which is good, eating well, and foraging. Her drake is keeping a close eye on her, (wasn't too happy when I went to check on them and refill supplies!) I think she just got a sore leg from traversing the ice and snow for the last couple of days. I'm going to keep her in her nice, cozy pen for another couple days, let the last of the snow melt, and then let her back out on Monday. Thanks everyone for your helpful responses; I'm so glad to be a part of your community!