Newly hatched duclking - leg & foot problems

[donnavee]

This little one (probably a Blue Swedish) hatched on 8/17 and we noticed it's feet were clenched up like fists but thought they would straighten by the next day. No such luck, it has continued to walk on the stubs of it's legs - we took it from the Mama and have it in with some other ducklings we hatched.

So after doing some reading on this condition, we made it little cardboard shoes - it just falls over and drags around.
Added straws as leg supports and made a little harness from masking take to put around the legs to keep them more together.
Still no luck, it lays on it's tummy with the legs out behind it. If I remove all the gear, it is happy to walk around on the stumps but I would like for it to be normal. I have been sitting it in a cup to keep it upright and making sure it has food & vitamin water but I feel so cruel.

Are there any other suggestions - I've been doing little foot massages too. I hate to put it down but don't want it to be a life time cripple either.

 

[JadeComputerGal]

This little one (probably a Blue Swedish) hatched on 8/17 and we noticed it's feet were clenched up like fists but thought they would straighten by the next day. No such luck, it has continued to walk on the stubs of it's legs - we took it from the Mama and have it in with some other ducklings we hatched.

So after doing some reading on this condition, we made it little cardboard shoes - it just falls over and drags around.
Added straws as leg supports and made a little harness from masking take to put around the legs to keep them more together.
Still no luck, it lays on it's tummy with the legs out behind it. If I remove all the gear, it is happy to walk around on the stumps but I would like for it to be normal. I have been sitting it in a cup to keep it upright and making sure it has food & vitamin water but I feel so cruel.

Are there any other suggestions - I've been doing little foot massages too. I hate to put it down but don't want it to be a life time cripple either.

Hard to be sure what the issue is without seeing it unwrapped, but it sounds like curled toe paralysis. If that's what it is, it will often gradually improve if you supplement the riboflavin in the duckling's diet. You can do that in a duckling this age with Brewer's Yeast. It's too young for some of the other good sources. It's important to start that right away. The longer this goes on, the more likely the issue will be permanent.

When I have ducklings with the curled feet issue, I use medical tape to keep the feet flattened. That gives them more flexibility than the cardboard and also makes it a little easier for them to stand normally. I take the tape off every day to check their progress and retape the feet if necessary, which takes hardly any time. If I had a small duckling right now, I'd tape one and take a pic so you could see what I mean. I'll try to find a pic on the Internet.

 

[JadeComputerGal]

I can't find precisely what I was looking for, but here is a link about a chick with CTP. This lady uses a similar type of tape to what I use, but I use the waterproof kind.

http://www.avianaquamiser.com/posts/Chick_curled_toe/

Here is a pic from her article. I've made lines in the tape to show how I cut these myself. Sorry the line is rough. I used a mouse instead of a stylus. I cut the tape as close as I can to the nails, and you of course don't cut between it because ducks have the webbed feet. I've found that keeping it as close as possible to the size and contours of their feet makes it a little easier for them to maneuver.

 

[donnavee]

Thanks - I'm thinking the cardboard does make it hard to maneuver. I have brewers yeast so I'll sprinkle that on it's food. The toes are definitely curled backwards and even with them straightened, it still puts its feet backwards. Such a sweet little one though, I want to give it every chance. We will try just the tape.

 

[JadeComputerGal]

Thanks - I'm thinking the cardboard does make it hard to maneuver. I have brewers yeast so I'll sprinkle that on it's food. The toes are definitely curled backwards and even with them straightened, it still puts its feet backwards. Such a sweet little one though, I want to give it every chance. We will try just the tape.

Just for a bit of encouragement, I have actually had this work. It can take time, but I've had success with the supplements and tape. Nutri-Drench is a very good broad supplement, and it has the advantage of being a water additive so you don't have to fret over whether the duck will eat it. I'd still recommend Brewer's Yeast, though, or some other good supplement of riboflavin in particular.

When you tape, and this is definitely easier with two people, make sure you completely spread the foot apart. The easiest way to do this is to cut a piece of tape you think is a little too big, then put the duckling's foot on top of it, gently spread the web completely as you go to stick the tape to the bottom of the foot. Then put a piece of tape on the top of the foot and take your thumb and index finger and press, press, press to stick the tape to the toes, webs, and itself on the edges. This will not hurt the duckling. This type of tape is breathable, and you're fine to get the kind that's not waterproof. Ducklings with CTP and in splints can't do much water splashing anyway. I get the waterproof kind because I use it for other things.

Best wishes, and please let us know how it goes!!!

 

[donnavee]

Just for a bit of encouragement, I have actually had this work. It can take time, but I've had success with the supplements and tape. Nutri-Drench is a very good broad supplement, and it has the advantage of being a water additive so you don't have to fret over whether the duck will eat it. I'd still recommend Brewer's Yeast, though, or some other good supplement of riboflavin in particular.

When you tape, and this is definitely easier with two people, make sure you completely spread the foot apart. The easiest way to do this is to cut a piece of tape you think is a little too big, then put the duckling's foot on top of it, gently spread the web completely as you go to stick the tape to the bottom of the foot. Then put a piece of tape on the top of the foot and take your thumb and index finger and press, press, press to stick the tape to the toes, webs, and itself on the edges. This will not hurt the duckling. This type of tape is breathable, and you're fine to get the kind that's not waterproof. Ducklings with CTP and in splints can't do much water splashing anyway. I get the waterproof kind because I use it for other things.

Best wishes, and please let us know how it goes!!!

Thanks for the encouragement - no matter what we do, the feet still point backward instead of forward. Here are some pics - not the best - of it's little feet.



It wants to stand on the stumps of it's legs and not the feet.

 

[Amiga]

Please don't give up on the duck.

Have you started nutritional supplements yet? Those sometimes help with leg problems - especially B vitamins, such as niacin and thiamine.

 

[donnavee]

I am sprinkling Brewer's yeast on the food & adding vitamins to the water. No improvement yet.