Weak legs, 4 week-old Welsh Harlequin male, any advice?

[Miss Lydia]

Yes you can !

 

[Ducktown]

I have had similar problem with one of my ducklings. I have bought 3 ducklings which were neglected and looked like they were 1 week old at 4 weeks. My duckling was 3 times bigger and healthy as a duckling can be, the chicks I bought were all bald and had trouble eating - they refused to drink during feeding and that made 2 of them die from suffocation. The remaining duckling survived and it had unbelievable appetite. It started gaining in size and weight as soon as I got it. In less than a week, it became obvious it had issues with his legs. It started like a limp, and then it went downhill. It still had appetite, but I had to bring the feed to him, he rarely decided to take a walk. Usually just to get himself from the resting place to the pond and into the duck house in the evening.

I was giving my ducklings a lot of yeast as a supplement. They also got chick starter feed, a lot of greens and quite a lot of slugs and insects they could catch (the fat one did not, because he just followed the larger drake and lied down). Later, I decided that niacin levels must be high enough, and I realized it gained a lot of weight which could be the cause of leg issues. I lowered the feed ratio and made the ducklings start looking for their food. In a few weeks legs became stronger and stronger and the leg issues faded out. Now he's just as fast and agile as all the other ducklings I have. I try to give them as much greens as possible, that way, they eat less feed and gain less weight. I even stopped giving them additional yeast. They all remained healthy and happy.

 

[lomine]

I'm sorry. I've never had to cull a duck but I have had to cull quail chicks. It's never an easy decision to make or an easy thing to do, even on birds you are intentionally raising for meat. Take comfort in knowing you did what was right for the duckling even if it was very hard for you. His suffering is over and he is at peace.

 

[DogsDucks&Cat]

Just an update on my male Welshie...

I increased the brewer's yeast as well as ensuring plenty of exercise, and it was slow going, but his legs seemed to have strengthened up finally! They don't shake anymore and look much thicker/sturdier in relation to his body. His gait still seems a bit off but isn't causing any problems.

 

[Miss Lydia]

keep up with what your doing.