Something wrong with one of my ducklings? Acting tipsy all the sudden?

[icyangel222]

I just hatched out some ducklings during the 2 days before Easter, from our own flock. And the first one that hatched is acting kinda oddly. Today I found it stuck laying on it's back, I had to help that one off it's back a few times before. After, I noticed it was walking funny like head tilted and walking in a curved pattern instead of straight forward, it's like it's tipsy. It's been a few hours and it still is acting like that. Any ideas what might be going on?

 

[Finny]

What are you feeding it? It might be warning signs of wry neck. I would feed it non medicated feed with niacin and brewsters yeast.

 

[Amiga]

I agree with Finny. You could have a case of vitamin deficiency - it can happen. Brewer's yeast, a tablespoon in the food, will provide B vitamins. You could decide to get niacin capsules - plain, not no-flush - and put 150 mg of niacin in each gallon of drinking water.

Improvement is often seen within days, and it is best to keep them on the supplement for a couple of months at least.

 

[icyangel222]

Ahh, well too late now, I just woke up from my nap to find it dead. I forgot to mention that it would sometimes randomly peep loudly as if it were startled by something. It was having problems balancing while standing or walking, and head was tilted. I always give my chicks and ducklings non-medicated starter feed. The other ducklings aren't showing any problems so far that I can tell. Of course the best looking one ended up dying. I'm thinking along the lines that maybe it had a brain tumor or something. Stuff just happens sometimes, but I wanted to see if others had a similar experience and what it could have been.

 

[Finny]

I am so sorry to hear about the duckling . I prevent problems with your other ducklings I would still have supplements available for them.

 

[Leeab]

I've had the same problem with my first born. It started when the chick was 2 wks old she hangin in there been a wk. trying to figure out what's going on. This is the closest I came to her problem. Sounds exact. I'm going to try this. But not sure what these ingredients r? So I'll do more research but start in the am after I get these!

 

[Amiga]

Plain niacin - it is getting harder to find, apparently. Just plain niacin in capsules so you can open them and dissolve them into water, at 100mg to 150 mg niacin per gallon of drinking water.

An alternative is to add a tablespoon of brewer's yeast per day to her food. Or you might try a B Complex vitamin dissolved in water using the 150 mg B3 (niacin) as a guideline for how much water per pill.

Some have found Vitamin E helpful as well - I don't recall the dosage there, but here is Bentley's story - you may find it helpful. And then I will post Qwackers' story.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/761308/peking-duckling-with-crooked-neck-help

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/857143/treating-wry-neck-in-crested-duckling-edited-title

 

[Leeab]

Thank you for repling. But , I did find niacin in caplets 500mg at Walmart, I put a caplet in a half gal of water. Brewers yeast had to go to gnc. But she's still hangin in so I will give it a try.. Fingers crossed. I did get non medicated crumble they suggested.
I will look into vit E.

 

[Amiga]

Please keep us posted

 

[Leeab]

its been a whole day, she seems to b standing. so that's an improvement already.. fingers crossed..she's been singing not squawking, so that's good..
It's been two days, less an less of falling an can't get up but still hangin in..