Please Help! 1 Dead, 5 Ducklings with Grit Impacted Crops?

[emilyanderson]

Sorry about your ducks. I would continue offering duck feed and water.Maybe offer some wet feed as well. Crushed oyster shell is pure calcium and very bad for non-laying birds. In young birds it can lead to gout and kidney failure. I would wonder if chilled coconut oil cut into small pieces, would help to speed the oyster shell through their digestive system?

Thankyou, I suspect you have hit the nail on the head. I'm down to the three smallest ones. They died in order of size and strength, so I'd make sense the biggest ones ate the most.
We've relocated the three to a tub brooder in the lounge next to my desk (where I can be with them pretty much 24/7, I have severe nerve damage from military service and often sleep on my office chair if I'm unable to walk to bed).

They've been eating pretty much entirely by putting mouthfuls of food into their water and eating it.

I read about the coconut oil, but couldn't find any direct reference to it in impaction from something like oyster shell vs the food impactions I saw it suggested for.
I'm very scared to introduce anything new while they're seemingly getting a little better.

Sorry about your ducks. I would continue offering duck feed and water.Maybe offer some wet feed as well. Crushed oyster shell is pure calcium and very bad for non-laying birds. In young birds it can lead to gout and kidney failure. I would wonder if chilled coconut oil cut into small pieces, would help to speed the oyster shell through their digestive system?

 

[emilyanderson]

How are the birds doing and how are the poops looking? Are you seeing any improvement?

They've perked up since yesterday morning. They're back to their normal routine of sleeping under the heat lamp then eating and drinking every hour or two.
I've been trying to check theyre all pooping reguarly each, but can't tell exactly the frequency from each one (hard to see from the angle of the brooder).
They do seem to be going more regularly though. The poops are the watery kind (murky or clear fluid) with a semi solid middle. I think the semi solid has some shell in it, so I'm hoping some is being passed.
This is opposed to the painful looking solid clumps of shell the ones who passed were struggling with.

 

[Eggcessive]

Continue to let us know how they are doing in a day or so.

 

[emilyanderson]

Continue to let us know how they are doing in a day or so.

Thankyou I will. It still looks so bad/swollen as soon as they eat, especially the light-chested one. I feel so, so guilty and stupid for thinking I was doing the right thing by giving them a little "grit" (obviously now I know its not the same thing) on a plate.

Their hatch was incredibly difficult and traumatising, all were full assists due to shrinkwrapping (despite two hydrometers seperate to the incubator, and barely any sleep monitoring it for a month). They were thriving right before I got sick and this happened, so it's heartbreaking to lose half already from my dumb mistake.
Even morso to see these three looking so uncomfortable (although their behaviour now isn't showing it) and feel helpless and scared to intervene more incase I make another mistake.

 

[emilyanderson]

Continue to let us know how they are doing in a day or so.

Today the white crested one has gone downhill.

We've had the week from hell, so last night as the electrican was checking our waterheater (We've been having cold showers) he turned off the power from the breakers. Their heat lamp blew and we switched it back to brooder plate while waiting for the reptile shop to open this morning to replace it.

The ducklings haven't been happy about this as it's a little cramped with the plate and not as warm I gather. We left the heater on all night in that room.
After this, the other two remained fine but biggest one started not wanting to walk. Would just sit while the others ate, before sort of crawling over without fulling lifting its body. This morning I noticed it's right leg sliding out to the side.

I have seen it eat and drink small amounts each time the others feed, but it has to sit to do so. It has stood up for short times, but its alot of effort to do so.
So I'm treating as if it's splay leg until I can work out what else to do. I've splinted their legs with vet tape/self adhesive bandage and their food has been supplemented with brewers yeast the entire time.
I did cave this morning and try and offer 1ml semi solid coconut oil to the white crested alone to see if it helps at all. But they wouldn't touch it and I don't want to force feed incase of aspiration.

Should I make a slurry with the coconut oil and a little of their feed/water and try again?
My partner is getting another bulb right now as the store opens, as the crouching and reduced movement under the brooder plate is likely not helping.

 

[emilyanderson]

All three ducklings seem to have cleared most if not all the oyster shell from their crops. This is after the past 3 days of treating them with supplements and very close monitoring. I've been staying in the lounge with them overnight and sleeping maybe an hour or two, monitoring and feeding them the rest of the time.

The two without leg issues are thriving and pretty boysterous. They seem to have started showing rapid growth again and seem healthy.

The third (white crested) that stopped walking after the change from heat light to brooder plate took the longest to clear the shell, as they had the biggest/hardest crop of the three.
I was sure yesterday he wasnt going to make it as they were no longer standing at all and only eating and drinking very little. I gave them coconut oil yesterday melted and mixed with duck starter, which seems to have done the trick. The White crested sickly one has been passing very large, calcified poops. This afternoon it appears nearly all the cacification is no longer present and their crop has reduced down to normal.

But now the major issue I have is despite hobbling his legs with medical tape and feeding brewers yeast, electrolytes (avi-lyte) and a crushed 500mg vitamin B tablet into water, they are still not supporting their weight on their legs or walking. He does manage to shuffle around slightly, if the other two are getting too close or he wants to move from the light.
But I have literally been up for the past 2 days/nights to monitor and move him/bring him small dishes of feed and water every hour to 2 hours around the clock (I gauge off the other two's eating and sleeping habits).
I finally managed to find another post on here from someone in Australia and the Ceva vitamin B complex injection solution they were recommended. Its being express post from interstate so should be here in 2-3 days (its the weekend).
I'm hoping that will rule out any issues with the tablet (only has 500mg niciamide per tablet, no other forms of vitamin B) and be easier to dose.

I have checked his legs multiple times incase of a slipped tendon or other injury, but i can't see or feel anything obvious. I've looked at so many photos but it seems to be really hard to tell from photos and videos and always seems to be chicks, rather than ducklings. But even when checking against the now healthy two, I can't see any difference other than size.

my only other experience with these symptoms was splay leg in three of the ducklings upon hatching, even the worst case was resolved within 24 hours of supplementing with the vitamin B tablet in water and brewers yeast, plus hobbling/medical tape splinting.

So can someone please clarify a few things:

If it was a slipped tendon, would they have slowly reduced movement the way they did? I am leaning away from it being a structual issue due to the way their ability to hold themselves up and walk seemed initally to become more difficult over time, rather than suddenly unable to walk at all.

If its a niacin deficiency, which seems more likely, should they have recovered or improving by now?
How long does it usually take to see improvement before it can be ruled out as obviously something else I'm missing?
I would imagine they just havent been able to get their normal intake the past week, especially the last few days and would likely be exhausted.

Should I continue with what I've been doing and let them rest from the exhaustion of being so unwell before worrying about improvement. Or, should I be encouraging them to move more in some way, do some sort of Physio etc?


For context, they are showing improvement in eating and drinking since yesterday. Yesterday i was barely able to get them to eat, but today their appetite and water intake has improved quite a bit. They seem more alert, just not moving very much at all.

I would hate to lose them now or let them get sicker just when their stubborn crop has finally cleared. They're a sweet little thing and I'm doing my best, but my knowlege outside of reading endlessly next to them is lacking in practical experience.

If anyone has advice or clarification on my concerns, it would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Sondraa]

How are your ducklings now? Did your 3 remaining make it thru?