Sick Duckling Issue?

[onehorse_2000]

First off, my success with ducklings has been poor, not sure why, but it has been, but I vowed to be better this time and that I would try it one more time. That being said, I have a duckling that I hatched from eggs that is roughly 4 weeks old or so that is sitting down on his/her hocks, tail tucked down, lethagic, breathing some through his/her mouth. What is going on and what, if anything, can I do for them? My reading said that ducklings are pretty rugged and that there isn't a whole lot that they can catch?

 

[Cuqui18]

i literally have almost no experience with ducks but my friend has ducks and she told me to ask what they've been eating- did u feed them 'medicated' or 'unmedicated' feed starter??? and has the duckling been eating at all recently?

 

[onehorse_2000]

No medicated feed, organic mix, alfalfa and peas for extra naicin.

 

[azhenhouse]

It is very important that ducklings have niacin. Do you give your ducklings niacin? Can the duckling get his bill completely in the the drinking water? This helps clear out his nose. Is he alone? If so, maybe he needs a buddy. Try to post as much details about what he eats, drinks, living quarters, etc. It helps. Do get him on niacin asap if he is not on it already. Hope this helps.

 

[Cuqui18]

alright then i dont know what is wrong- the good news is you know you didnt poison her or anything because that sounds like the perfect diet to me

im posting in hopes someone else with more experience will help you out here. anyone???

 

[onehorse_2000]

Quote:
They are getting about a 1/3 of a bag of peas daily for naicin, is this enough?

 

[azhenhouse]

You posted while I was typing... I don't know if the peas alone would be giving him enough niacin. I haven't heard of feeding alfalfa to a duck. Curious to see what others say about that. I know that with the niacin they should get 100 to 150 mg in a gallon of water.

 

[azhenhouse]

Oh, and the niacin should be given to them from zero to eight weeks.

 

[DuckLover9138]

You can feed them mushrooms. They are cheap, a good source of nitrogen for you, and readily available.