Pekin male not walking/sick?

[libellula]

Would you happen to know what they might do to check that? I have been checking around and the nearest vet that has bird experience in over an hour away; and the initial visit is pretty pricey. I love my duck, but I can't justify a bunch of tests and stuff you know?

I really appreciate the feedback! This is a learning experience for sure. I'm glad just to have a second opinion as I am new to raising ducks myself.

 

[HollyDuckFarmer]

I have no idea, sorry.

 

[FarmBoyJosh]

To Start Off I'm Not That Good At Answering Questions NOTE THAT

Is He A Jumbo Pekin Duck,
If He Is There Known For Having Leg Problems...

If So You Should Try A Vet And See What They Can Do.

But If They Can't Do Anything And You Don't Want Him To Suffer
The Best Thing To Do Is Put Him Down

Hope This Helped Probably Didn't But Ya...

 

[subhanalah]

Have you tried the vitamin supplementation?

 

[Amiga]

Could you give some background on what his diet is, if the duck yard is meadow, some woods, some shrubs, mostly mud, if they have a pond or kiddie pools to swim in, type of bedding, that kind of thing?

I would give him the most nutrition-packed food I could afford, give him daily time to swim in fresh lukewarm water - supervised, because he is so weak.

Here is a link to a description of hardware disease.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...te-falling-weight-loss-lethargy#post_13244769

It is not always fatal, but usually to prevent fatality, they need serious intervention. Some recommend chelation therapy, some have had surgery (risky).

Many choices for you to make, it is not easy.

 

[libellula]

@Amiga So, they have free range of the yard. It is primarily grass; we have some aspen and oak trees, then a portion of it is just leveled top soil/dirt. The yard is currently being landscaped through the summer - a big work in progress - so the dirt portions are where we have some other things planned. We have dug, lined, and put rock around a medium sized pond in the back but it is NOT filled with water/running yet. We have two of those blue large kiddy pools for them right now which I clean out every other day and put new water in them. There's really nothing else back there, simply that we started the yard from nothing but dirt.Our area gets A LOT of gnats, mosquitoes, and moths (another big reason I got the ducks) so they seem to hunt those down all day/evening. I also feed them poultry scratch (non medicated!) which they have eaten their entire lives. Its that cracked corn, small seeds and stuff mix. It's only recently that I bought a dietary supplement which says its for backyard poultry and lists Pekin ducks on it. I'm giving him that 4 times a day in small amounts as it suggests.

I read about the hardware disease mentioned earlier, my only reason for not believing it is that is he IS eating, he will even push the other ducks away while eating. And as an UPDATE when I put him in the pool he swims around and stands. I'm starting to wonder if he just pulled a muscle in his leg or sprained it.. whatever they do, and because of that he wasn't walking around eating as he normally would and therefore lost weight and got sort of 'out of it' due to lack of nutrition? I've raised many types of animals before, so I am just trying to use what little logic I know and apply it to ducks as well.

Sorry I write so much, ha! I just want to be as detailed as I can for anyone who might chime in. You guys are so helpful

 

[Amiga]

This is exactly what I was hoping for! Pekins do have a reputation for leg issues - and you may have sorted it out.

I will say that for me, a base for my ducks' diet has always been a balanced ration, whether starter crumbles, grower or layer. Then I adjust with some flax meal, cat kibble, etc. depending on time of year and behavior and other sorts of things including new bits of information.

It is a work in progress and my long term goal is to source a balanced ration locally, even if I have to source the ingredients and mix it myself.

Anyway, the poultry vitamins are a good idea. I would apply Epsom salt compresses at least once a day to his leg, since sprains and pulls respond well to E.s. - keep him from ingesting any due to its laxative qualities. I have used just a tiny dab of Traumeel in the evening before bedtime with any ducks that seem to have a pulled muscle or sprain.

His loss of weight really threw me - hard to know which came first. Please keep us posted.

 

[libellula]

@Amiga Could you tell me how to do an Epsom salt compress? What do you apply it with, do you hold it on or attach it short term with something? And where would be the likely spot of a pulled muscle/sprain? I will try whatever to help him out.

He also walked like 3 feet tonight when I went to feed him. This makes me hopeful!

 

[subhanalah]

Is it possible he's overweight?

 

[Amiga]

The Epsom salt solution I use is about two tablespoons Es with half a cup of warm water.

You can soak a clean cloth in that and wrap the cloth around the entire leg for as long as you can manage it. Even five or ten minutes seems to help.

Or you can make enough solution in a flat bottomed bowl or tiny bucket so that you can hold the duck as it stands in the solution and soaks. This is to prevent the duck from drinking it.