My duckling is shaking! Please help

[chiduckin]

I am 16 and I have had backyard chickens and ducks for most of my life really. I have incubated successfully and also had many natural back garden chicken and ducks births. 2 days ago we had 2 baby ducks born naturally in the garden by our trusty mummy duck stripe and one was fine but one was shaking quite a bit so we thought maybe stripe was neglecting to look after this one but when we took it in and set up the cage we where expeting the baby to stop shaking once it had heated up but it didn't. It is still shaking today unless it is asleep or drinking. It is drinking and eating well but it kind of looks like bambi while walking it just can't seem to find his feet properly. The other duck is fine and is bounding up and down the garden with stripe without out a care in the world but peanut is still shaking (peanut is what we have called the duck) it is in an controlled heated environment and I don't know what to do and as I'm a vegetarian and our animals are purely pets it would really upset me if I had to put it down as it seems so healthy in all other respects so please please please can someone help if you have anything that might help at all this is a real cry for help. Peanut is also a call duck if that changes anything. Thankyou

 

[Debs Flock]

Oh dear! I'm no help since I've never read about or experienced such a thing. Welcome to BYC! I'll tag some other very knowledgeable members. I'm sure others will have suggestions.

@casportpony
@Miss Lydia
@caesargirl
@Lacrystol
@jtn42248
@needlessjunk

 

[chiduckin]

Thankyou so much

 

[Debs Flock]

Of course, but I'm not much help. LOL

Oh, do you have any Nutri-drench (I might not have this name exactly right) or pedialyte or anything with electrolytes you could add to the drinking water? Or raw apple cider vinegar (this would be 1 tablespoon to 1 gallon of water). The other things I'm not sure of the measurements, but maybe if you used the search bar near the top of every page and typed in the name of whatever you have on hand.

Tagging more smart people:

@Amiga
@City farm
@gander007
@chicken farmer

 

[needlessjunk]

Sorry your little guy is having a hard time. Nutri Drench is a good vitamin and I would start there and also use some Brewers/Nutritional yeast on its food. Is it having any other problems? Is it crested?

 

[jtn42248]

As suggested above sprinkle some brewers yeast (NOT the kind you use to bake bread) on the ducklings food. It sounds like she may have neurological issues and the breweres yeast may help with that. Sounds though like you are doing what you can to help her. She may improve once she gets the extra niacin that is in the brewers yeast. What have you been feeding her?

 

[Miss Lydia]

@Lacrystol is our call duck expert hope she gets this.

Good info so far if you can put some poultry vitamins in the baby's water may help. Are you in the USA if so Tractor supply is a good place to find Poultry Nutri drench which is one of he best vitamins you can find because you can use it straight it goes straight into the blood stream. [Never force down the throat just inside the mouth] Also jtn mentioned Brewers yeast which should also be given to duckling especially if fed chicken starter. . 1Tablespoon to 1 cup of feed.

 

[casportpony]

I've seen this in a couple of my newly hatched ducklings, but not sure what causes it. What temp is the brooder at?

-Kathy

 

[Lacrystol]

Poor little guy, Check his belly button, is he closed up? If not send a pic. He could have an internal issue going on, is he able to poop and pee? he will need some Vitamin B3. If you have poultry drench put that in his water with Vitamin B complex you can buy at any store.

Drop 4 Pills in a quart of water with the poultry drench otherwise make it 5 pills. Do not allow him to swim or be able to lay in water. What's the temp like where you have him? he could have an infection, does his skin feel warm or hot?

does he have any discharges? Eyes? Nostrils?

I'm thinking more on the lines of Vitamins, with him walking funny or different, he's lacking some, Ducks need niacin which is Vitamin b3

 

[chiduckin]

Thankyou everyone for your help and concern he is completely fine he is pooping normally his belly button is normal I will show my mum the things about the food and water and try that I will report back if any change but he is still just a wobbly little duck drinking and eating he also doesn't like swimming though does anyone have any tips on how I can make him put his head under the water as his eyes are starting to suffer a bit too