Niacin Deficiency in Waterfowl

[nmr]

Just drop a few drops of the B complex over some treats every few days, and offer the nutritional yeast every day.

Should I still offer the nutritional yeast when I switch them to duck feed?

 

[Isaac 0]

Should I still offer the nutritional yeast when I switch them to duck feed?

It shouldn't be needed, no.

 

[nmr]

It shouldn't be needed, no.

Great, thanks so much!

 

[Duckwood]

I finally took a video of my ducks walking. I’m giving him Sundown Liquid B Complex once daily on his evening treats and putting Now Brewers Yeast on their feed twice a day. The B complex has 20 mg of niacin per ml and I’ve been giving him 1 ml daily. I have been doing this for about a week and he seems slightly improved but he is still lagging behind the others and sitting down almost all the time.

 

[Isaac 0]

I finally took a video of my ducks walking. I’m giving him Sundown Liquid B Complex once daily on his evening treats and putting Now Brewers Yeast on their feed twice a day. The B complex has 20 mg of niacin per ml and I’ve been giving him 1 ml daily. I have been doing this for about a week and he seems slightly improved but he is still lagging behind the others and sitting down almost all the time.

He is a lot older, so total improvement could take a month or more, you have to be patient.


What feed are you feeding?

 

[Duckwood]

Almost 4 months old. I feed them flock raiser and sometimes mix in Purina Duck pellets.

 

[Ratchnick]

Niacin Deficiency in Waterfowl


FOREWORD,

This last few months we have been getting many new duck owners explaining their duck/'s are having problems getting around, most often this has been due to a deficiency in niacin, because of this, with the generous help of a few others, I created a thread that contains most of the valuable information needed when diagnosing, treating, and preventing your bird from becoming niacin deficient. Always fill free to ask questions, but please read the whole thread thoroughly before asking some that may have been answered already in some of the text below.

Symptoms of Niacin Deficiency in Ducks

Some early signs that your duck may be niacin deficient may include laying down frequently, reluctance to walk and do normal activities, weakness of the legs, retarded growth, slight bowedness of the legs, you often will see pigeon-toed feet where one or both of the bird's feet will point inwards, this makes it very hard to walk as it will trip over each foot each time it steps.

If left a few weeks untreated, symptoms will worsen, the bird may not be able to walk on its feet, and may use its wings or hocks/knees instead to get around properly, the Bowedness/Pigeon-Toed of the legs may become so bad the bird will sit by the feed/water most of the day due to the pain, the hocks may become swollen, perosis may occur, and eventually, symptoms may become irreversible and the bird may slowly waste away and die. If your duck is showing any of these symptoms it would be highly advised that you start treatment immediately before there is permanent damage to your duck.

The pictures below demonstrate the pigeon-toed like feet and bowing of the legs common with B3 deficient birds.

Diagnosis

While there is no harm giving a generally healthy duck niacin, it is the owner's responsibility to consider other common conditions/diseases so treatment can begin tailored to that specific condition. A full anamnesis of the duck should be done, as well as a complete physical examination , and the following questions should be asked, Is the niacin in the duck's diet adequate enough, did this happen overnight, with most ducks there should be a gradual decline in its state of health, overnight walking problems would point towards other problems. Is there any sign of Pododermatitis or Bumblefoot on the duck's feet, treatment for this may include soaking to loosen the core (if present), surgery to remove the "core", bandaging, and daily application of antibacterial ointment. What kind of substrate is being used, slippery bedding material like plastic, newspaper, or metal can cause splayed legs in young ducklings, treatment for this would include a more rough substrate, and a hobble to fix the legs back together.

Please read into a few of these common, but different conditions that may appear to be a niacin deficiency but are not.

Slipped Tendon

Bumblefoot

Splayed Leg's

Botulism

Arthritis

Obturator Paralysis

Rickets

If your duck is showing some of the symptoms I mentioned above (Specifically Pigeon Toed Feet or Bowedness of the legs), and you were mistakingly feeding them a feed low in niacin like most chick starters, you should begin treatment.

Treatment

Treatment would include giving the bird a form of niacin, we have found that most vitamin B supplements used for cattle have worked well on ducks due to the high niacin content.

Common brands

A few common brands found at most feed stores and online are Durvet High-Level B complex, Aspen VITA-JEC B Complex, Vitamin B Complex "Generic Brand", and Vitamin B Complex HP by Vet One Brand, the price is fairly low and ranges from ten to twenty dollars which will last for many years.

When buying any niacin supplement it is important none of them are labeled as Flush Free, No Flush, Time released or extended-release, all would not benefit your duck in any way. They do not stay in the duck's system long enough to be absorbed.

How to administer


There are four ways to administer Vitamin B Complex.

For novice duck keepers we recommend giving the complex over treats, this is a fairly safe approach to the administration of the complex as not much can go wrong. Ducks seem to enjoy peas, mealworms, watermelon, and lettuce the most. Simply, mix the complex into the treats. If the ducks don't take kindly to the taste, you can split the dosage up several times throughout the day so the taste isn't as potent in one sitting. For a list of safe treats for ducklings please read the bottom of this post.

If you're unable to get the ducklings to eat the treats, or they're in such bad shape you want a sure/fast way of administration, you may consider administering the complex either orally, subcutaneously, or intramuscularly.

Orally, simply involves giving the medication directly into the duck's mouth. The tinier the syringe, the easier it is to administer with. I fill a 1ml syringe with the complex, grab the duck, I gently pinch the external corners of its mouth to get it open, and stick the syringe down the bird's right side, and slowly squeeze the plunger. NOTE, it is very easy to aspirate a duck when giving medication by mouth, especially ones that are on the younger side. So, please do your research and read this article thoroughly before administering it.

Administering Oral Fluids




Another way to get the complex into the duck is intramuscularly. This includes sticking a sharp needle into the bird’s superficial pectoral muscle. This method is fairly easy, but may require a second hand to restrain the bird, especially with larger ducks. For a complete guide regarding intramuscular injections please read these links first.

Intramuscular Injections

Giving your bird an intramuscular injection

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Pictures taken from here: https://lafeber.com/vet/intramuscular-injections-in-birds/#Video



The final method of administering the complex is subcutaneously, this consists of sticking a sharp needle just under the bird's skin and releasing the fluids into what’s known as the subcutaneous space. There are three suitable locations for subcutaneous injections the, inguinal, axillary, or interscapular regions. For larger birds, the interscapular region ( Birds back bewtween wings) may be the easiest location to administer with. For ducklings, the interscapular region, and the inguinal region (flap of loose skin where the leg connects to the body) might be best suited.

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Photo Credit : https://lafeber.com/vet/subcutaneous-fluids-in-birds/#Subcutaneous_fluids_in_bird_video

Subcutaneous injections can be hard with ducks due to their heavy down feathers, reaching bare skin may require plucking/trimming, as well as wetting down the feathers with alcohol or water. There are several images online indicating the subcutaneous injections can be given close to the neck, but due to the cervicocephalic air sac space, this area should generally be avoided. For more information on subcutaneous injections please read this link.

Subcutaneous Injection


The dosage

The dosage will vary accordingly to age, currently, we go:

• 1/4ml, once a day, for ducklings 1-7 days old
• 1/2ml, once a day, for ducklings 7-14 days old
• 1.0ml, once a day for duck(lings) older than 14 day
  
  This is once a day, although if you have a hard time getting the complex into the duckling you can split the dosage in half and give some in the morning and evening. This seems to work well with ducklings that are disgusted by the taste of the complex.

Possible overdose

The effects of giving to much niacin are somewhat limited, it does seem, however, that you would need to give a large amount to the duck for it to have a damaging effect

This is a quote from John Metzer:
"We have been asked if it is possible to overdose on niacin. Because of how small the amount is, it is easy to think you can give your birds too much. The answer is that you would need a lot to overdose. We don't have an exact amount to point towards, but humans can overdose on niacin and that can cause bowel problems. If your birds start having digestive issues, then it's a possibility, but is unlikely."

Note that this is referring to niacin only, there are other ingredients in B complex that should be used more carefully like thiamine(B1).

The duration

Treatment should still proceed daily for a few weeks even after the birds aren't showing symptoms anymore, it would, however, be wise to keep them on Nutritional Yeast or niacin supplement until they are of eight/ten weeks of age or older, simply sprinkle one to two tablespoons over one cup of their feed.

Recovery time

Recovery time will vary with each individual, generally the younger the bird is the quicker the recovery time. With young ducklings, complete recovery can be seen within hours or days, with older birds a few weeks is common.

How to keep your duck comfortable while recovering

It’s important during treatment for the birds to have soft clean bedding, and offered food/water often. Pain and discomfort in the legs of niacin deficient birds is quite common so letting them exercise and relive the weight off their legs may help significantly during treatment.
Birds that tend sit around most of the day aren't able to able to practice hygiene and are going to be more likely to end up with other problems like wet feather, bumblefoot, sticky eye, or external parasites, letting them in the water may help to prevent most of these problems for occurring. When doing water therapy, given that the duck's leg is most likely weak, they should be watched the whole time they are in the water to ensure they don't drown.


Prevention:

Prevention is key to keep these problems from occurring, we have noticed that problems most commonly arise when the owner mistakingly thinks that ducks have the same niacin dietary needs as chick's, as cited in "Holdrreads Storey Guide" growing ducks require two to three times more niacin then growing chicks, too often ducklings are fed chicks starters low in niacin, and that is when problems most often occur. Sadly, with heavyweight breeds like Pekins feeding them duck starter is still not enough, most duck starters contain 55mg of niacin per kilo of feed, and while that reaches the niacin requirement for most other medium to smaller wight breeds, Pekins and other heavyweight breeds should have at least 70mg of niacin per kilo, to achieve that goal, in addition to the duck starter/all poultry feed, a niacin supplement such as brewer's yeast, nutritional yeast, B complex, or a poultry vitamin should be added to their diet until at least ten weeks of age when the niacin content drops. For nutritional yeast, simply add one to two tablespoons per cup of feed, if the yeast has added garlic flavoring you may consider only one tablespoon per cup of feed as the taste may be too strong for ducks. Liquid B complex can be added over treats and feed as a preventative too, a few drops over feed/treats is usually sufficient. B complex tablets can also be used, one 500mg tablet can be added to eight/ten gallons of drinking water.


Links,

Administering Oral Fluids

Metzer Farms Niacin Deficiency

Safe Treats for Waterfowl

Durvet High-Level B Complex

Aspen VITA-JEC B Complex

Vitamin B Complex Generic Brand

Vitamin B Complex HP by Vet One

Whats better Brewer's Yeast or Nutritional Yeast?




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**As new information becomes available, I will continue to update this thread**

Can you update the dosage to include mg of niacin. So people can dose with other supplements. @Isaac 0

 

[Isaac 0]

Can you update the dosage to include mg of niacin. So people can dose with other supplements. @Isaac 0

I will surely do that, thanks for the idea.

 

[Duckwood]

What’s the difference between brewers yeast and nutritional yeast? And is one better than the other for Pekin ducks? I feed my ducks twice a day, morning and evening, and they forage in between. Should I give whichever yeast twice a day or just once? And from all that I just read, am I correct in the thought that putting any vitamin supplements in their drinking water is pointless?

 

[Ratchnick]

Nutritional yeast has more nutrition, brewers yeast is byproduct from alcohol production. Sipliment at 1 T per cup. Durvet b complex is much more concentrated and can be put in water with a little common sense. Dosage varies by weight but A 3 week old pekin needs 9 mg a day and 1 ml of durvet has 100 mg. Remember they spill half their water. I had 14 ducklings this spring, i used this method.