Runner Duck with Broken Leg , advice please, & Warning

[Jenbirdee]

Buttercup got her face caught under one of these awful fence posts, I want to warn anyone who uses these around ducks. When it rains and gets a little muddy a duck can drill under the little spike and get caught on it. She panicked and tore open her face, and broke a leg while struggling to free herself. Her face is healing up well, but the vet said that surgery to repair her leg would need a specialist and might not even help her. He also said we can try and see if her little bones heal up by themselves (please God)
So in the meantime Im giving her the pain meds he prescribed and keeping her inside in a big dog crate with lots of bedding for comfort, and I put her sister duck in with her , and once or twice a day I fill my bathtub with lukewarm water and let the ducks float for an hour. This is also the only time I see Buttercup eat (in the tub) and the only thing Ive seen her eat is mealworms and little bits of lettuce, but she hasn't gone for the floating Mazuri waterfowl feed that I toss in the tub. I dont know if shes eating them from the little bowl in the crate when Im not watching or not. Im also giving Nutradrench in the little water bucket thats in the crate, every 12 hours I switch to plain water, then back to nutradrench water. Is there anything else I can do???

 

[SmiYa0126]

@BelovedBirds @New duck mommy 2021 @Quatie tagging some experts

 

[New duck mommy 2021]

Oh my goodness
The poor girl
I don’t have any advice other then you may need to get feeding tubes
I would make sure to add grit for her so she can digest the treats you give
@DuckyDonna @Miss Lydia will have more info on where to get feeding tube stuff and the sizes you need
Are you seeing any poo in her crate ? This will help to know if she is eating
If just drinking it will be mostly water with not much colour

 

[Miss Lydia]

Here is info on tube feeding
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/tube-feeding-ducks-updated-5-7-2020.1211994/
So sorry to hear about your sweet Runner. I sure hope she heals. Just watch her sis isn’t accidentally bumping into her and causing more problems.

 

[Jenbirdee]

I put her sister back outside with the other ducks, and Buttercup is resting in crate alone but I think thats fine now because the pain meds make her sleepy anyway. So I did see her eat alot of peas and mealworms while in the tub again, but Ill be better able to check for poops tonight because it's just B'cup in there.
I would like to order the tube feeding supplies but yeah I need to know what size.. I saw something for puppies and kittens on Amazon but the reviews said it clogs up unless you only use milk or some other liquid. & I'll get baby bird food.
I think she needs extra calcium so maybe a layer feed mash would be better ? I was planning to give her some of the Calcium Gluconate solution tonight. I did give her a tray of grit and also oyster shells in the crate next to the food and water too.

 

[New duck mommy 2021]

I put her sister back outside with the other ducks, and Buttercup is resting in crate alone but I think thats fine now because the pain meds make her sleepy anyway. So I did see her eat alot of peas and mealworms while in the tub again, but Ill be better able to check for poops tonight because it's just B'cup in there.
I would like to order the tube feeding supplies but yeah I need to know what size.. I saw something for puppies and kittens on Amazon but the reviews said it clogs up unless you only use milk or some other liquid. & I'll get baby bird food.
I think she needs extra calcium so maybe a layer feed mash would be better ? I was planning to give her some of the Calcium Gluconate solution tonight. I did give her a tray of grit and also oyster shells in the crate next to the food and water too.

Hopefully after the pain and discomfort start to get better you will see her start to eat better
I can imagine a broken leg on a duck would be very difficult for ducks
You are on the right track to helping her

 

[Miss Lydia]

This link gives you info on what to buy size etc.
https://www.teediddlydee.com/how-to-tube-feed-sick-ducks/

I bought size 18 french catheters and they worked great when I had to tube feed my Runner. I used baby bird food also.
@casportpony is great at helping with this.

 

[BelovedBirds]

Buttercup got her face caught under one of these awful fence posts, I want to warn anyone who uses these around ducks. When it rains and gets a little muddy a duck can drill under the little spike and get caught on it. She panicked and tore open her face, and broke a leg while struggling to free herself. Her face is healing up well, but the vet said that surgery to repair her leg would need a specialist and might not even help her. He also said we can try and see if her little bones heal up by themselves (please God)
So in the meantime Im giving her the pain meds he prescribed and keeping her inside in a big dog crate with lots of bedding for comfort, and I put her sister duck in with her , and once or twice a day I fill my bathtub with lukewarm water and let the ducks float for an hour. This is also the only time I see Buttercup eat (in the tub) and the only thing Ive seen her eat is mealworms and little bits of lettuce, but she hasn't gone for the floating Mazuri waterfowl feed that I toss in the tub. I dont know if shes eating them from the little bowl in the crate when Im not watching or not. Im also giving Nutradrench in the little water bucket thats in the crate, every 12 hours I switch to plain water, then back to nutradrench water. Is there anything else I can do???

Poor baby! Thank you for raising awareness about these fences.
Following the thread, hoping for a super swift recovery! Keep us updated on how she's doing.

 

[Jenbirdee]

update on Buttercup - Ive been tube feeding her Kaytee baby bird food and now using a piece of tube from when I had to have oxygen last year (covid) Its a little bigger than the 14FR cath I think it is more like a 20FR (I also learned that the FR measurment is just mm x 3 ) I softened the edge of the tube by slightly melting with a lighter, it works great .
I feed her 3x a day and give her pain meds 2x a day so I think she hates me now It has been exactly 2 weeks since her injuries happened and I think she is getting better and I keep praying for her and doing all I can...

 

[Jenbirdee]

That is Buttercup in my profile pic (before her accident) I have a question about Kaytee baby bird food , why is it better to use than ground up duck food (Mazuri) ? Now that I have a bigger feeding tube I can go back to using the Mazuri, but is Kaytee bbf better for her while she is healing?