white crested duckling trouble

[Despin]

I have a white crested that is having several issues. he is 1 1/2 weeks old right now. I got him as a day old hatchling. When I received him, I noticed his head and beak were slightly deformed. his entire beak sits at an angle. one side of his head was almost flat. For the first few days I had him he would have seizures. He would tilt his head way back and his legs would just kick constantly. He is slightly smaller then the rest of my ducklings but he is eating and drinking well. he hasn't has a seizure in a few days. I'm hoping this is because he has gotten bigger and the head deformity is almost unnoticeable. The problem now seems to be his balance. he cant seem to stay standing long with out wobbling and falling over. He can turn himself back over. This happens most often when he is trying to groom himself. I don't believe this is a niacin deficiency. I make sure to give them the proper food and even add supplements to their water. The way he moves his head and neck around sometimes makes me think he is blind in one of his eyes. On the side that the deformity was on. Could this be the cause of his balance issues?

 

[HappyDuckie]

Could you post pictures or videos of him?

 

[Trisseh]

Crested breeds can sometimes (or often!) have neurological deficits. Wry neck, ataxia, stargazing, etc can all be caused by deficiencies as well, but given his age and breed, more likely he has a genetic defect that’s causing his problems. Hard to say what will happen as he grows, you’ll probably just have to play it by ear. You may wind up with a handicapped duck that can’t be left out with the others unsupervised, he may not thrive and pass away, or he may outgrow some or all of his issues.
supplementing niacin, thiamine, selenium/vit e would be good choices if you want to try for a nutritional deficiency. Some breeder flocks are deficient and pass that to the eggs as well, so hard to say. Not sure where you got him from. Surprised they sold a duckling like him, but glad you got him and are trying to help him!

 

[Despin]

Here is his picture. The deformity was on his right side. it isn't as noticeable now. It is hard to get a picture of it because he always wants to turn away from that side. when i got him that side of his head was flat and the top part of his beak was slopped and hanging over the bottom. it seems to be repairing itself some now that he is growing. Tried to add a video but its too large. It shows that when he walks he does favor his right side. He misjudges where to put his right leg causing him to tip over.

 

[Despin]

Crested breeds can sometimes (or often!) have neurological deficits. Wry neck, ataxia, stargazing, etc can all be caused by deficiencies as well, but given his age and breed, more likely he has a genetic defect that’s causing his problems. Hard to say what will happen as he grows, you’ll probably just have to play it by ear. You may wind up with a handicapped duck that can’t be left out with the others unsupervised, he may not thrive and pass away, or he may outgrow some or all of his issues.
supplementing niacin, thiamine, selenium/vit e would be good choices if you want to try for a nutritional deficiency. Some breeder flocks are deficient and pass that to the eggs as well, so hard to say. Not sure where you got him from. Surprised they sold a duckling like him, but glad you got him and are trying to help him!

I got him from Mypetchicken.com. I'm thinking you are right that its neurological. I'm going to do whatever I can for him. Thanks

 

[Trisseh]

He’s still adorable, squished skewed head included. Haha. It’s subtle enough that at first glance, it doesn’t jump out at you. good luck with him!

 

[Isaac 0]

I agree it may be helpful to start him on some vitamins, especially vitamin B1, and vitamin E. For vitamin E, you can get one 400iu soft gel capsule and put that over his feed, or drip it along his bill. For B, get some Cattle B complex Injeatcble, and give him a drop or two a day. Scrambled eggs are also good, as they contain several nutrients, one being selenium which helps absorb the vitamin E. Nurtinal might not be his problem, but it's worth trying for a week or two for improvement.

Make sure he is getting enough feed, and water inside, and if you'd like, just to get an idea of how much he's gaining a day, you could start weighing him on a gram scale daily.