Sickly ducklings

[Miss Lydia]

Can you see how fat the crop of the large one is. Morning temperatures are dropping to 15°C and even lower later this week (12°C). Thy are both feathering-up so I'll just make sure they are well fed before they go to bed and hope they won't get cold. They were roaming around in the rain, which makes me think they'll be more than OK. The heat hurts them more than cold, I think.

I use baker's yeast. It's much more available than brewer's yeast around here (I have yet to find it) and has similar nutrition value.

Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz)
Energy 1,361 kJ (325 kcal)
Carbohydrates
41.22 g
Sugars 0 g
Dietary fiber 26.9 g
Fat
7.61 g
Protein
40.44 g
Vitamins
Thiamine (B1)
(956%)
10.99 mg
Riboflavin (B2)
(333%)
4 mg
Niacin (B3)
(268%)
40.2 mg
Pantothenic acid (B5)
(270%)
13.5 mg
Vitamin B6
(115%)
1.5 mg
Folate (B9)
(585%)
2340 μg
Choline
(7%)
32 mg
Vitamin C
(0%)
0.3 mg
Minerals
Calcium
(3%)
30 mg
Iron
(17%)
2.17 mg
Magnesium
(15%)
54 mg
Manganese
(15%)
0.312 mg
Phosphorus
(91%)
637 mg
Potassium
(20%)
955 mg
Sodium
(3%)
51 mg
Zinc
(84%)
7.94 mg

You cannot use yeast that is for baking bread etc. It can swell and cause serious trouble even death.

I am glad your putting them up at night so very important to keep them safe from predators. I do see how large the chest is she must have just pigged out on slugs?

As long as they have dry bedding and draft free house they will be fine.

 

[Ducktown]

You cannot use yeast that is for baking bread etc. It can swell and cause serious trouble even death.

It's the same kind of yeast, except it's not selected for brewing. They both ferment sugar into alcohol and CO2, the main difference is the yeast's tolerance to higher levels of alcohol, otherwise, they are nearly the same. They could swell just as well from living brewer's yeast, perhaps even more likely, because the strain in brewer's yeast is more tolerant than saccharomyces cerevisiae strain, which is used as baking yeast. Nutrition values are nearly the same. It has 40.2 mg Niacin per 100g of baking yeast.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Thanks for the info.

 

[Ducktown]

Yesterday I said that duckling seems better. Well, just when it's in water, it still doesn't like to walk and even when I feed him, he rarely stands, instead he lays down and eats. I don't think he limps like it used to, his walk seems quite normal now. When he lies on the ground and needs to get up, it's evident he has problems standing up.

I am giving them a lot of greens, they get slugs, grubs, worms and who knows what else they catch from the pond.

I'm starting with some additional baker's yeast. I'll see how it goes. I believe it takes a week or so before issue improves. Perhaps the damage is already irreversible. It is growing fast, though. And it's getting first feathers. Beside the leg issues, he seems rather healthy.

 

[Ducktown]

No change regarding the walking...
I did notice that it gets more evident after s/he feeds. Perhaps it does grow too fast for the legs to strengthen up. Especially because it rather lies on the ground than do exercise. I was just watching its size tonight. It is gaining a lot of weight and grows extremely fast. I guess if there would be any deficiency, it would loose the appetite and wouldn't grow so fast. First feathers started appearing on head on chest and around the wings. The bald spot on the head will soon be history.

The little one is offering some help to the large duckling.

 

[Miss Lydia]

I sure hope the yeast helps. How precious they are so close.

 

[Ducktown]

Ok, I've noticed something new. I don't know if it happened today or I just didn't notice before. The duckling with leg issues is only using left foot when swimming in the pond. It only paddles with one leg, when it walks, it moves both legs.

Extra niacin doesn't seem to do anything. Its appetite is unbelievable, it grows fast and it's going to get feathered very quick. It has pitch black feathers with green glow.

What could be the cause? It is possible that in the early days when the ducklings were neglected, he got bumblefeet, but it doesn't have any now. His feet seem to be healthy. What could be the cause of this?

 

[Miss Lydia]

I have no idea seems it would swim in a circle if using only one leg? Not sure I'd be too worried as long as it is walking good once out of the pond.

How about some new pics sounds like my blk Runners they have some purple and green on them.

 

[Ducktown]

It looks like it steers with tail and the other leg. It has the idle leg positioned almost at the water surface and only uses it when there are plants to avoid or go through.

I'll snap some photos of both ducklings and post them later today.

 

[Ducktown]

Today, I think I've heard the black duckling make a female duck sound - it quacked. Well, it was not better today, if anything, it was worse. It really has hard time walking so it doesn't go anywhere if it isn't necessary. The other duck is with her, so they don't forage, instead they wait for me to feed them and if I'm not around, they protest until someone hears them. I did make them walk a bit in the evening, so at least the large one was able to catch some bugs herself. The black one was on the ground most of the time, doing nothing.

I'm not sure what else I can try!? I upped niacin and it didn't help a bit. They otherwise grow fast and I don't think there's any deficiency involved at all. I think they are actually getting too fat, at least the large one.