sick duck help please

[mogrl840]

This is my first time owning ducks. I got two from the feed store.They are about 2-3 weeks old. After 3 days one seemed to have a hurt foot. I nursed it back and it started walking fine again. two days after that is started having balancing problems and now cant walk at all without falling over on its side or back. I have to help it up or if im not home it will get up by itself after time. within a day of it doing this i took it to the vet. The vet owns ducks herself i guess and know about them from what I have heard. She asked what feed i was giving them. I was told by the feed store to give them chick start. she said that was wrong and told me to get turkey and game bird developer crumbles. She then said it was most likely a vitamin b problem due to the wrong feed. She gave my duck a shot and told me to follow up with crushing pills in its feed. That was Friday and it is now Tuesday and my duck is not better but its not worse. Is there hope for my little baby or is there something else i should be doing. I called the vet back but she said its just going to take time. My duck eats and drinks if i help her. Please help us!

 

[The Duck ABC's]

You vet gave you the correct advise. Vitamin B3 (niacin) does show the symptoms you have described. Make sure to use pure Niacin (nicotinic acid) and not a slow release version, which does not work in ducks. Also be aware that crested ducks are prone to get neurological problems, which can also look like this. Niacin supplements work extremely fast, and you should see improvements within 2 days. Yours is not improving so you may want to see the vet again. One suggestion I can give you is get Polyvisol without iron infant vitamin drops and give her 1 drop into her bill 1-2 times per day and see if that helps. This will help with Vitamin E and A deficiencies, which I would not rule out either. These can also manifest themselves in neurological symptoms.

 

[mogrl840]

Thanks so much. I will try everything i can for my poor little duck. The other duck is healthy and shows no signs of sickness. how much niacin should i give my duck

 

[azhenhouse]

I agree with the niacin deficiencies. Chick started does not have enough niacin in it for ducks. If you continue to use chick starter make sure to use a niacin supplement. Use 100 to 150 mg of niacin per gallon of water while your ducks are using chick starter. No more than that.

You can feed turkey or game-bird starter/grower. It has plenty of niacin so you won't need supplements. However, it is high in protein, which is not good for the ducks.

I personally use a mix of both, with oatmeal...One part chick starter, One part game-bird starter, and 1/2 part uncooked oatmeal. Plus, plenty of green veggies.

If I had duck started I would use that, but our feed store does not carry it.

Edited to say:

If you have a chance get STOREY'S GUIDE TO RAISING DUCKS. Someone on this site suggested it to me, and it has been very helpful. That is where I got the recipe for my duck feed.

 

[dumb_cluck]

They need NIACIN, only available in game bird starter crumbles. Switch now!

 

[mogrl840]

I made the switch the day the vet told me. four days ago, but my poor duck doesnt seem to be getting any better. Its not getting worse but i just feel so bad for it.

 

[mogrl840]

by the way, it is a yellow and black crested duck. it has the big poof on its head. So i guess my next question is, how long should i wait to see if its going to get better? I hate seeing it like this but id hate to give up if the duck has a chance to pull through. Its been 3-4 days since i went to the vet and switched feeds.

 

[HorseFeatherz NV]

From what you have posted, it will take time for your duck to recover. The level of correct vitamin needs to build back up in the little body, and this can only be done with time.

Who knows for sure how long the feed store was feeding them incorrectly, so all that time needs to be corrected.



You can also feed Flock Raiser, it is correctly formulated for duck feed also. I feed Flock Raiser to everything - chicken, duck, goose - from the time they hatch until they pass.

 

[The Duck ABC's]

It may be the crested gene, since all the others are fine. It's a nasty gene that can cause neurological problem and many of them may be permanent. Let's hope you are lucky and it is only a deficiency.

 

[duckyfromoz]

When treating a deficient duck/duckling they need more than the daily recommended doasge of what they are deficient in. Although this little one may have issues because of it being crested- a multivitamin would be better than just Niacin alone. Thiamine is another vitamin that they are often deficient in- so to give your little fellow the best chance- get some multivamins from the feed store. Most are ones you just add to the drinking water- you can also make up a more concentrated mix and feed it with an eye dropper to increase the chances of its recovery.