wobbly duck

[Notchman]

I have 6 KC ducks about 11 weeks old now. One I named wobbles has walked funny since I git them. He (newly developed raspy voice) can only walk a short distance then sits. My other ducks are pretty skittish but he seems to know I will carry him when he needs it. His knees seem to be stiff. I think it might be congenital and permanent because it has been since he was tiny. All the other ducks are fene just wondering if there is any known disorders?

 

[Amiga]

Niacin deficiency can do that. I would get him on 150 mg niacin per gallon of drinking water for 4 weeks. Often improvement is seen within a week.

If they are being fed chick starter, that doesn't seem to have enough niacin for some ducklings.

 

[Notchman]

I gave my ducks brewers yeast for a while. Now that they have a raspy voices and loud quacks I can tell the sex on all of them. Wobbles is one of two males. Bot males are a bit bigger than the rest and both have trouble walking for long distances. Both males also seem to have minor crests, small tufts on their heads only a few long feathers. Does anyone think it could be a birth defect? I feel bad for them and would hate to cull them because I have spent o much time caring for Wobbles.

 

[Amiga]

Wobbles may need more than you are giving them. I don't know how much you have been using or for how long. The recommended time period for ducklings with symptoms is about ten weeks according to Storey's Guide to Raising Ducks.

 

[Notchman]

I gave brewers yeast while they were inside, about 6 weeks. Now that I moved them outside and they are eating all kinds of wild food from our farm pond I thought that would be enough. The big guys can move around fine as long as they walk slow its just when they run.

 

[Notchman]

I have a large farm/fishing pond. Now I have the ducks trained to waddle down each morning and waddle back before dark. The wobbling ducks are alot better now. The two males walk slow and still dont like to run but they are healthy otherwise. I think the physical therapy of walking about 600ft each way and swimming all day did the trick.