Sleepy duckling not eating much HELP!

[Miss Lydia]

I sure hope it helps and she starts responding.

 

[Miss Lydia]

How's little Sage today?

 

[picklestheduck]

How's little Sage today?

She SEEMS like she might be responding! She is still very unwell, but she seems perkier! She has more fight when I try to feed her, and is nibbling some of the other ducklings back when she gets trampled or gets picked on. She has started limping over too the water dish to get drinks for herself. My sister is very sick and can't do much, so she went to go watch the ducklings and chicks and reported back and said that Sage seemed to want to get water for herself. She was getting wet, miserable, cold, and trampled with the other ducklings so I moved the ducklings in with the chicks for a few minutes and she was so exhausted she fell right asleep under the heat lamp. I really would like to bring her into the house with me, but I don't have another heat lamp...and the only place I could put her would be my room where its away from the dogs. I've not been able to get much vitamin B complex down her since she HATES it and flings it out if its in crumbles, egg or straight from the syringe. She also has started taking some egg from my hand a little bit instead of me prying her beak open and putting it in there. I've noticed the back of her neck looks a little funny, and she REALLY struggles to put weight on her left leg. My sister seemed to think it looks swollen. I'll investigate further soon. I will post some pictures of her neck and leg if I can soon. (She squirms a LOT and clear pictures are really hard to get!) I'm actually going to feed her soon.

 

[Miss Lydia]

You need to split your brooder. Sage is struggling for life right now and being trampled sure can't be helping the poor little one place the heat lamp so both sides can share but split your brooder so she can recover without being trampled. Poor little one.
Her leg is most likely injured for being stepped on another reason she needs to have her own side of the brooder right now.

 

[picklestheduck]

You need to split your brooder. Sage is struggling for life right now and being trampled sure can't be helping the poor little one place the heat lamp so both sides can share but split your brooder so she can recover without being trampled. Poor little one.
Her leg is most likely injured for being stepped on another reason she needs to have her own side of the brooder right now.

Ok I will definitely try doing that asap. If I purchase another lamp and get another set up do you think she would be ok alone? Like if I brought her into my room? Or do you think she would be lonely? The brooder I have set up is only temporary and I think splitting it would be difficult, so I'm tempted to just bring her in alone but I don't want her lonely. She isn't too great today, but I have also been SUPER busy with church and then with horse chores all day, but every few hours I was sure to go and feed her. I'm pretty concerned about this week since I'll be busier with school and appointments, but I will try hard to help her. My schedule is pretty flexible when it comes to being home more though.

 

[Miss Lydia]

For now while she is struggling she needs to be kept separated. Give her a safe mirror and a stuffed animal. And some special TLC. Once she is stronger let her visit with your supervision so she and them get to know each other.

 

[picklestheduck]

For now while she is struggling she needs to be kept separated. Give her a safe mirror and a stuffed animal. And some special TLC. Once she is stronger let her visit with your supervision so she and them get to know each other.

Ok. Thank you SO much! I will be headed out soon for an appointment and will try to pick up a heat lamp then. Thank you so much again!

 

[picklestheduck]

Yesterday I got a heat lamp and moved her into my room. I had to rearrange everything and she is setup in front of my dresser. She spent the night there snuggled to a frog stuffed animal and only lonely peeped until I talked to her. She seems to have bonded with me and does happy little baby peeps whenever she sees me. But she still isn't doing great. The other ducklings are growing SO fast and so much while she basically seems to stay around the same size. I mixed soaked crumbles into the raw egg and then scrambled it and she will eat a little bit but then I have to put some in her beak for her. She gets water on her own and will even eat some floated mealworms from it. But I've noticed something. Every single time she puts her beak in the water past her nares she inhales water. And she has noticed it too. So I haven't been giving her bath time because she only sits there and because she inhales water. This causes her to not clean out her nares and now they are plugged. I have no clue what to do. She still limps bad on her left leg and has wet poop or diarrhea (she has the whole time almost), and her neck feels kinda funky. I wonder if she has a birth defect or something. Its kinda a miracle shes still alive. I haven't been giving her the B complex the last couple days because its really hard for me to give her and she flings it everywhere. She seems to fling her head a LOT and flings anything and everything out sometimes. Last time I tried giving her B complex she flung it out all over my face and I had a stained yellow nose and cheek and she got some in the corner of my eye. She also stained my pants and leg. Please note that its not that I gave up, I'm taking a break because its a LOT. Shes clearly bonded with me, and I with her, but its a lot to keep up on. I tirelessly feed her and wipe her bum off and cuddle her. Today I had my window open by my bed so I took her out of the tub and set her on an old T shirt on my bed and laid on my stomach with my arms around her. I figured she could use some fresh air and so she snuggled into the crook of my arm and dozed there. I could have too but wouldn't let myself. She woke me a few times in the night peeping loadly and looking around alarmed until I crooned to her and let her know I was there. She instantly peeped quietly and happily and then snuggled back up to her frog stuffy and fell asleep. She also woke me up when she loudly got a drink. We've become SO attached to each other. Today I had to move her out to the garage for a few hours while a family member used my room for working from home, but I made sure she had her own secluded spot out there. Her neck feels kinda odd. Like formed different than the others maybe. It also looks kind of bare and yellowish brownish, but shes also a cayuga so maybe its just her skin. I almost wonder if the head flinging, odd neck, and bum leg are connected? She will put some weight on the leg, she just obviously limps and tries to hold it up as much as possible. It doesn't really look swollen to me. I gave her some natural vitamin C in the water and will try to add the B complex tonight and see. Any ideas about her nares? She was breathing harder/making a clicking noise and breathing out of her mouth it looked like. I honestly don't know what else to do for this ducky.


Also we found this last night, could this be whats going on or no? I don't find her on her back and her neck isn't exactly twisted....but its not right. I will try to get pictures but shes super squirmy so its hard

 

[Miss Lydia]

I'd think she'd be dead by now if she had that disease. She could very well have something genetic going on. But for her to still be alive says she is a fighter and your wonderful for keeping up with trying to get her through this. She won't eat at all if you put her feed down by her water? She really does need to clean out her nares so at least a bowl deep enough for her to clean them out should be put out for her, I don't think at her size you'd be able to clean them for her. If the other ducklings trampled on her it's going to take time for the leg to heal. Hopefully, that's all it is and it will get better soon. Maybe you can get someone to help so you can get a good picture of her neck and her leg too. Also her nares if you can? Put the B complex in her water. It's not ideal but at least she is getting it.

@New duck mommy 2021 has a duckling she has been working with to get him through a rough time since hatch maybe she can off some advice on what she has been doing?

 

[picklestheduck]

I'd think she'd be dead by now if she had that disease. She could very well have something genetic going on. But for her to still be alive says she is a fighter and your wonderful for keeping up with trying to get her through this. She won't eat at all if you put her feed down by her water? She really does need to clean out her nares so at least a bowl deep enough for her to clean them out should be put out for her, I don't think at her size you'd be able to clean them for her. If the other ducklings trampled on her it's going to take time for the leg to heal. Hopefully, that's all it is and it will get better soon. Maybe you can get someone to help so you can get a good picture of her neck and her leg too. Also her nares if you can? Put the B complex in her water. It's not ideal but at least she is getting it.

@New duck mommy 2021 has a duckling she has been working with to get him through a rough time since hatch maybe she can off some advice on what she has been doing?

Thank you do much! Yes I will! I did finally put the B complex in her water, and a natural vitamin C that a friend of mine gives to all her animals when they are sick or not doing well. I woke up to the sweetest noise this morning. SAGE WAS EATING HER CRUMBLES! She still struggled with them but she was nibbling at them and getting some! She seemed to do the hard swallow thing all my birds do when they need water after food, and she was confused so I gently nudged her towards the water and she drank a bunch. The water was full last night and it was quite low this morning. She still had plenty but she very clearly drank a bunch. She LOVES her frog stuffed animal and is usually found snuggling with him. My mom was in the hall outside my room when I came out and shut the door and went downstairs for her scrambled egg, and apparently when I left she started SCREAMING for me. As soon as I came back in though, she quieted and made happy little peeps. She talks to me if I talk to her, and loves to come out and snuggle. Last night I laid on the floor next to her and she fell asleep and I came so close to it but I wouldn't let myself. She keeps making a weird noise out of her mouth after eating and drinking, but I think its because her nares are plugged and thats how she breathes now. Not sure. Do you think I should try putting her in some shallower water to see if she will clean herself of her nares? I just don't want her to hurt herself further by inhaling more water.