Rescue Duck deformed leg

[OldGuy43]

Good for you Imma Okie! You will be a welcome addition to the Charlie Brown Congregation. Look for the organizational post that will, hopefully be posted today.

 

[un-named543]

Great of you to take on a special needs duck. I have one like it that was born with a deformed leg, bent up against him. He got around fine on his one leg until a year ago, that leg started sliding on him. I make him a little bootie from that self stick tan bandage material. When I can get it to stay it really helps him. My drake happens to have a crippled hen with him that has both legs bent up... she gets around on her elbows and pulls with her bill when necessary. When he gets a little bigger, get him a younger friend so that he can get on top of the pecking order.
That way when they are adults he won't have to fight for his place and get picked on...he will be top dog from the start.
Now you'll eventually need a kiddie pool for a little pond!
For now, a deep dish of water so he can fully dip his beak in.....
Ivan is so cute!

 

[wagoncab]

Many years ago I had a crippled Pekin duck that I took in. A lady was moving to another state and was selling
everything. All that was left was this crippled duck and her blind mallard mate. No one else wanted them and
she was going to put them to sleep. I took them home. The Peking duck's legs were twisted and completly
useless. She was a very happy little thing and scooted herself around as best she could. She loved to swim
but I had to watch her as she would not float for very long. I don't know how old she was when I got her but I kept
her until she died. Her blind mate died not long after.
Cindy

 

[Imma Okie]

Awww, he's cute! He might improve with the vitamin treatment, but I also wonder if there's a way to correct the joint problem? We have a feral duck at our lake who is missing half his foot (actually most of his foot) and he does just fine living out in the wild for several years now. Many of the more "normal" domestic drop-offs have died, but he lives on.

I think that it's fused the way it is. It's encouraging about the feral duck still thriving in the wild! I know Ivan will always have to be doted over.

Good on you for taking the little one, So many others wouldnt have- and without proper care and extra attention he wouldnt survive long.

If the joint is [FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]" a bit more bulbous" it could mean that the leg is dislocated or the tendon has slipped. I have cared for a few ducklings that have hatched this way. In older chicks or ducklings that tendon slipping can be a sign of a vitamin deficiency- but in this little fellows case I would think it happened while still in the egg. It is likely that the bones are already too deformed in the joint for it to be fixed. [/FONT]

Disabled ducks can live a fairly normal life at times- but others will need more intensive care. At the moment I have Ollie. He has both the joints effected and has never been able to walk. He is soon to have his second birthday. There is other things wrong with him- he hasnt quite made it all the way through molting to his adult set of feathers yet. Usually they do this by 18 weeks. I have also cared for ducks that have only had one leg effected- but they dont normally fair as well as Ollie has. The constant hoping can put a strain on their heart.

The unused foot will most likely wither up a bit as the muscles dont get used much and will atrophy in time. Keep an eye on the toenails- as they can curl under too and try and poke back through the foot if allowed to get to long.

As the baby gets bigger it may not be able to preen properly so you may have to assist with cleaning his face so his eyes dont get irritated. You may also have to do some experimentation with bedding, Ollie lives inside in a childs playpen on towels as he cant be on shavings or hay. He loves swimming though and scoots himself around when he is outside on the grass.

I dont mean to scare you with some of what I wrote- caring for a disabled duck is very rewarding, but I hope some of this helps.

Thank you for the heads up. I knew in the back of my mind that there's a chance that it may not be a happy ending...but in the meantime we are sure going to try. I had no idea ducklings were so sweet. I had him outside today and he had some yummy bugs and little bits of grass.

Good for you Imma Okie! You will be a welcome addition to the Charlie Brown Congregation. Look for the organizational post that will, hopefully be posted today.

You'll have to fill me in on what that's about! I will do a search in the meantime.

Great of you to take on a special needs duck. I have one like it that was born with a deformed leg, bent up against him. He got around fine on his one leg until a year ago, that leg started sliding on him. I make him a little bootie from that self stick tan bandage material. When I can get it to stay it really helps him. My drake happens to have a crippled hen with him that has both legs bent up... she gets around on her elbows and pulls with her bill when necessary. When he gets a little bigger, get him a younger friend so that he can get on top of the pecking order.
That way when they are adults he won't have to fight for his place and get picked on...he will be top dog from the start.
Now you'll eventually need a kiddie pool for a little pond!
For now, a deep dish of water so he can fully dip his beak in.....
Ivan is so cute!

Awe! That's encouraging! Ivan loves to swim. He is all heart!
Last night my son took a bath with Ivan. It was a short bath. Ivan defecated and my son evacuated.

Many years ago I had a crippled Pekin duck that I took in. A lady was moving to another state and was selling
everything. All that was left was this crippled duck and her blind mallard mate. No one else wanted them and
she was going to put them to sleep. I took them home. The Peking duck's legs were twisted and completly
useless. She was a very happy little thing and scooted herself around as best she could. She loved to swim
but I had to watch her as she would not float for very long. I don't know how old she was when I got her but I kept
her until she died. Her blind mate died not long after.
Cindy

That's good to know. What sort of enclosure did she have? I am thinking ramps, the whole nine yards for Ivan! LOL

 

[Cassie Collins]

I know this post is old, but whatever happened to little Ivan? I now have a special duckling w/ a similar deformity, but it has all its toes. The leg curls inward just like the original description & he walks on his ankle. Has any1 found new info/treatments?

 

[Imma Okie]

Ivan is alive and well. We found another duckling with a leg issue as a companion. Her leg healed, but they are thick as thieves. Ivan doesn't get around as much as the other duck, but he will hop around a small area. He swims wonderfully! I will try to post a pic.

ETS: Ivan never did walk on his deformed leg. He just swings it out to the side when he hops. Now that time has passed, it clearly looks like a birth defect rather than an injury.

 

[TherryChicken]

Please keep us updated. Especially with photos

 

[Tuhmu]

One of the little call ducks I received this year also has a leg problem, I'll try to get some pictures for you all, its hard to describe. Right now I have him, along with the other little duckies, on vitamins; so I'm really really hoping that it will go back to how its supposed to be but I kind of dout it.

 

[Miss Lydia]

One of the little call ducks I received this year also has a leg problem, I'll try to get some pictures for you all, its hard to describe. Right now I have him, along with the other little duckies, on vitamins; so I'm really really hoping that it will go back to how its supposed to be but I kind of dout it.

Pics would help. Have you see this page? https://sites.google.com/a/poultrypedia.com/poultrypedia/poultry-podiatry

 

[Imma Okie]

Ivan is chasing me...

on one leg...

I was screaming.

He is not phased and stops to scratch.

Close-up of leg.

His love, and reason for chasing me.