Niacin dosing help.

[KLoudon81]

Hi everyone. We are still pretty new to duck raising. We have purchased 6 ducklings this spring. One pair is 7 weeks, another pair is 6, and the youngest are 3. We've had them on basic chick starter and have been using a vitamin and electrolyte powder in their water. Since we've gotten the youngest pair, the store is always out of the original blend of vitamins, so we have been using the probiotic blend, which still has vitamins and the same amount of niacin. All six ducklings get treats on occasion such as peas, kale and Happy Hens duck treats. The first four all seem to be doing very well, happy and healthy. The 2 youngest, especially the drake are concerning me. They don't stand very much, and when they do, their feet seem to turn inward. The drake's legs are starting to bow. From what I've been reading, this is likely due to niacin deficiency. I plan to start supplementing with nutritional yeast, but I've really been having a hard time trying to figure out how much to give and how often. I don't want to chance overdosing them. This is what I'm planning on buying, https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000MGR1N6/ref=ox_sc_act_image_2?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&psc=1
Does anyone know how much I should put on their food and how often? Also, will this supplementing be through their entire lives, or just whIle they are babies? Any advice would be grealty appreciated.
Thanks

 

[Ravynscroft]

Sounds like Niacin deficiency, yes... if your feed store has Purina Flock Raiser, best to switch them all over to that, it has higher Niacin content good for ducklings and can be given from hatch to lay...

This brewers yeast is better deal for your money, and has bigger containers, which sounds like you'll need... a tsp per cup of feed, sprinkled across the top, it'll sift down as they eat...

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000...ast+animed&dpPl=1&dpID=51cmp6fslGL&ref=plSrch


They need the extra Niacin until they are 10-12 weeks old... since 2 already have issues, look for some Vitamin B complex tablets at vitamin shop or in nutritional supplements/vitamins aisle in your local store... get regular, not time release... crush enough tablets to contain 100-150mg Niacin and dissolve in each gallon of their drinking water... that should help until you get brewers yeast...

Edited cuz I forgot to paste in the link, lol...

 

[KLoudon81]

Thank you very much. I will order what you recommended. As for the time being, I have B-complex vitamin on hand, but I don't know if it'll work. There seems to be A LOT of other vitamins in it. It only recommends one per day for a person, and that only contains 25mg of niacin. I tried to find pure niacin, but I can only find it in 500mg capsules.

 

[KLoudon81]

I've got the brewers yeast on the way. Here are my poor baby's legs. He often trips on his own feet and his legs are always a bit shaky. It is so sad. My other 5 have been fine, but I guess he's in need of more. He is 1 month old today. Is it true that this problem often corrects itself once the brewers yeast is added?

 

[Ravynscroft]

Thank you very much. I will order what you recommended. As for the time being, I have B-complex vitamin on hand, but I don't know if it'll work. There seems to be A LOT of other vitamins in it. It only recommends one per day for a person, and that only contains 25mg of niacin. I tried to find pure niacin, but I can only find it in 500mg capsules.

It's fine if it's regular Vitamin B Complex, but that one says super plus electrolytes, so don't think I would use those, no... my worry is the amount of sodium more than anything as I don't believe that's really any good for them...

If you can split the 500mg Niacin tablets in half, that would make each half roughly 250mgs... crush and dissolve half in a gallon of water, shake it vigorously after it dissolves and then immediately pour half of that into another gallon and fill up both with plain water should give you 2 gallons with the amount you need for their drinking water... just an idea, if you can't find anything else...

I've got the brewers yeast on the way. Here are my poor baby's legs. He often trips on his own feet and his legs are always a bit shaky. It is so sad. My other 5 have been fine, but I guess he's in need of more. He is 1 month old today. Is it true that this problem often corrects itself once the brewers yeast is added?

When caught early enough, yes it does, but I would do the drinking water with Niacin first since tuey drink lots more than they eat, just to get him back on track... I don't *think* he's past the correctable stage yet, but only time and extra Niacin will tell for sure...

 

[KLoudon81]

Ok, so went to gnc and finally found a 250mg niacin suplament that was not time release or flush free. For the past 24 hours, I've been giving them 1 half tablet crushed as well as their poultry multivitamin powder(includes 26mg niacin) every time I fill their 3qt water drinker. They seem to be doing ok on it. It's obviously too early to have a major effect on my gimpy baby. I have noticed one big change though, their poop smells so much worse today! Could the extra niacin be causing that?