Weak duckling, please help

[MimiEggs]

Just wanted to report that both ducklings are doing GREAT!!! Not sure what did the trick but was probably a combination of things. Increased their pen space to a 6 ft X 6ft fenced off square in my living room, put the waterer on one side, the feeder on another, and a nesting/bed on another, covered the floor with puppy pads to make it easier to keep clean. This forced the weaker duckling to have to "walk" for both food and water (she follows the other duckling everywhere). Also took them outside for a swim in the baby pool each day for added exercise, fun and a good bath. The weaker duckling started out with tentative swims, while the other ducklings was having a blast all over the place. Took a couple of days but the weaker duckling (gotta come up with names) finally began really enjoying her swims. Also as of last night she was trying to "run around" in the house pen.

Thanks for all the comment, suggestions and help.
Very much appreciated.

 

[Amiga]

 

[The Howards]

Awesome! So happy she is doing better.

 

[MimiEggs]

Update on my "weak duckling"

After antibiotic treatment, adding more niacin into her drinking water, and increasing the size of their brooding space my little "Precious" appeared to be making some improvements. However, the more time I spent with her the more I realized she was not enjoying life as other ducklings. She did stop falling over on her back/paddling the air and I took this as a good sign. Watching her day to day I began to see that she would not preening her tail or underside of her belly. I guess she figured it wasn't worth ending up on your back for. She would walk about the pen and just looked so miserable, like every step was an effort. Long story short I couldn't take it any more.

This morning I took her back to the Vets office for a recheck and to see what he could come up with. After careful examination of her spinal column in the tail region he determined that she had apparenlty suffered a traumatic injury during shipment, perhaps they got bounced around or maybe the other duckling stepped on her, who knows. They could, of course, do a series of x-rays and possibly do surgery to correct whatever was wrong, then again I would be looking at possibly a $1,500 bill and she would have to go through the pain of surgery. All of which would be a step by step prossess with no guarantee.

I just could not see her spending one more day suffering, so I elected to have her put to sleep. Makes me wonder about the whole shipping thing. I got her from the same company I ordered 25 chickens from and the ducks arrived in the same size box those 25 chicks were in, with room enough for about 2 dozen more. I hate this part of having animals

 

[Miss Lydia]

Update on my "weak duckling"

After antibiotic treatment, adding more niacin into her drinking water, and increasing the size of their brooding space my little "Precious" appeared to be making some improvements. However, the more time I spent with her the more I realized she was not enjoying life as other ducklings. She did stop falling over on her back/paddling the air and I took this as a good sign. Watching her day to day I began to see that she would not preening her tail or underside of her belly. I guess she figured it wasn't worth ending up on your back for. She would walk about the pen and just looked so miserable, like every step was an effort. Long story short I couldn't take it any more.

This morning I took her back to the Vets office for a recheck and to see what he could come up with. After careful examination of her spinal column in the tail region he determined that she had apparenlty suffered a traumatic injury during shipment, perhaps they got bounced around or maybe the other duckling stepped on her, who knows. They could, of course, do a series of x-rays and possibly do surgery to correct whatever was wrong, then again I would be looking at possibly a $1,500 bill and she would have to go through the pain of surgery. All of which would be a step by step prossess with no guarantee.

I just could not see her spending one more day suffering, so I elected to have her put to sleep. Makes me wonder about the whole shipping thing. I got her from the same company I ordered 25 chickens from and the ducks arrived in the same size box those 25 chicks were in, with room enough for about 2 dozen more. I hate this part of having animals

so very sorry

 

[The Howards]

I am so sorry that happened.