Flintmaureen
In the Brooder
- Jul 28, 2022
- 1
- 1
- 11
Hello all!
My partner and I recently started raising ducks and chickens, and about a month ago received a crested duck, day-old from a hatchery, along with 9 other ducklings.
Our crested duck started exhibiting wobbliness immediately, and has not shown much improvement as she’s gotten older. Specifically she has trouble walking and often flips over, spinning her legs in the air to try and right herself. I’ve searched a lot on this site for recommendations, learning that it is likely neurological. We tried Nutri drench as well as providing extra niacin, but no real effects have been noticed.
She is now about a month old. She is putting on weight and starting to have some of her true feathers come in, but still struggles to walk and stand up, flipping frequently when she does. When she was about a week old, we separated her, along with another smaller duckling (a runner duck) from the rest of the flock as she was getting trampled by the larger siblings (jumbo Pekins). Since then the other ducklings have transitioned to the outdoor run, and a few days ago we but moved the companion duck outside as well, so the crested is by herself on our screen porch. She seems to be eating regularly, and will also eat snacks such as watermelon or tomato peels when left for her.
I’m struggling with what to do with her — I am hesitant to move her outside with the rest of the ducks as I worry that she’ll struggle to access food and water amongst her much larger and more mobile siblings. She’s on our screen porch right now and that’s not a long term solution… any advice would be appreciated! I especially wonder if folks who have had ducks with this issue are able to successfully transition them to a mixed flock…
My partner and I recently started raising ducks and chickens, and about a month ago received a crested duck, day-old from a hatchery, along with 9 other ducklings.
Our crested duck started exhibiting wobbliness immediately, and has not shown much improvement as she’s gotten older. Specifically she has trouble walking and often flips over, spinning her legs in the air to try and right herself. I’ve searched a lot on this site for recommendations, learning that it is likely neurological. We tried Nutri drench as well as providing extra niacin, but no real effects have been noticed.
She is now about a month old. She is putting on weight and starting to have some of her true feathers come in, but still struggles to walk and stand up, flipping frequently when she does. When she was about a week old, we separated her, along with another smaller duckling (a runner duck) from the rest of the flock as she was getting trampled by the larger siblings (jumbo Pekins). Since then the other ducklings have transitioned to the outdoor run, and a few days ago we but moved the companion duck outside as well, so the crested is by herself on our screen porch. She seems to be eating regularly, and will also eat snacks such as watermelon or tomato peels when left for her.
I’m struggling with what to do with her — I am hesitant to move her outside with the rest of the ducks as I worry that she’ll struggle to access food and water amongst her much larger and more mobile siblings. She’s on our screen porch right now and that’s not a long term solution… any advice would be appreciated! I especially wonder if folks who have had ducks with this issue are able to successfully transition them to a mixed flock…
