wobbly runner duck?

[sillyduckz]

hi all, i have some questions regarding some new concerning behavior in my almost 6 month old runner duck. she's a bit wobbly and is having trouble keeping her chest from falling forwards. she is otherwise in good spirits and is actively foraging with her two duck sisters outside under my supervision. should this be cause for concern? im a fairly new duck owner(a little over one year) so i appreciate any input and ill try my best to answer any questions in regards to our situation. thank you!

here's a relevant video showing her symptoms: https://litter.catbox.moe/t5re1e.mov

 

[Miss Lydia]

it could very well be a niacin deficiency. Has she had any supplement of niacin since a duckling? what do you feed your ducks [Very pretty ducks.]
Niacin deficiency is something that can happen to one duckling out of 2 or more and from all I have read, it could be because the niacin just isn't being assimilated with the duckling having the problem it can lead to lameness and even death. It's very important to supplement our ducklings diet right off with some form of niacin [not flush free or time released]Many of us use Nutritional yeast mixed into their feed some use Brewers yeast but not all brewers yeast contains a good amount of niacin so we have research if we go with that product. But once one shows signs of niacin deficiency we treat with liquid B Complex and TSC carries a good one brand name Durvet. 1 ml daily until the duckling/duck is up and walking normal then for 1 week after. I use Nutritional yeast with my whole flock even though all are adults now just because it is so good for them. The liquid B Complex will say injectable but we use it orally over a yummy treat to make sure they get full dose. I'd start out with treating for Niacin deficiency it is easy to treat. You'll need to give her a week or more before noticing improvement maybe longer depending on how long it has been going on.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/niacin-deficiency-in-waterfowl.1367557/

 

[sillyduckz]

it could very well be a niacin deficiency. Has she had any supplement of niacin since a duckling? what do you feed your ducks [Very pretty ducks.]
Niacin deficiency is something that can happen to one duckling out of 2 or more and from all I have read, it could be because the niacin just isn't being assimilated with the duckling having the problem it can lead to lameness and even death. It's very important to supplement our ducklings diet right off with some form of niacin [not flush free or time released]Many of us use Nutritional yeast mixed into their feed some use Brewers yeast but not all brewers yeast contains a good amount of niacin so we have research if we go with that product. But once one shows signs of niacin deficiency we treat with liquid B Complex and TSC carries a good one brand name Durvet. 1 ml daily until the duckling/duck is up and walking normal then for 1 week after. I use Nutritional yeast with my whole flock even though all are adults now just because it is so good for them. The liquid B Complex will say injectable but we use it orally over a yummy treat to make sure they get full dose. I'd start out with treating for Niacin deficiency it is easy to treat. You'll need to give her a week or more before noticing improvement maybe longer depending on how long it has been going on.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/niacin-deficiency-in-waterfowl.1367557/

thank you for the all the information! i had been giving them nutritional yeast up until approximately 8 weeks old and then stopped as i had read that the feed i was providing (layena flock raiser) was already fortified with niacin. they have all been doing well and were recently switched to nutrena all flock feed. so far Reptar is our only symptomatic duck but i will begin all of them on nutritional yeast and Reptar on nutritional yeast+durvet. i appreciate your quick response, this all began early this morning and sent me into a bit of a panic trying to determine what's going on with her.. she doesn't seem to care and is pretty annoyed that i keep interrupting her free-range time, lol.

update: our local TSC doesn't carry Durvet liquid b complex and buying it online means it won't arrive til approx Oct 1-3.. can i wait for the b complex to arrive and begin her on nutritional yeast today or would it be unsafe to wait and best just to find a similar vitamin b product? thanks kindly

 

[Miss Lydia]

thank you for the all the information! i had been giving them nutritional yeast up until approximately 8 weeks old and then stopped as i had read that the feed i was providing (layena flock raiser) was already fortified with niacin. they have all been doing well and were recently switched to nutrena all flock feed. so far Reptar is our only symptomatic duck but i will begin all of them on nutritional yeast and Reptar on nutritional yeast+durvet. i appreciate your quick response, this all began early this morning and sent me into a bit of a panic trying to determine what's going on with her.. she doesn't seem to care and is pretty annoyed that i keep interrupting her free-range time, lol.

update: our local TSC doesn't carry Durvet liquid b complex and buying it online means it won't arrive til approx Oct 1-3.. can i wait for the b complex to arrive and begin her on nutritional yeast today or would it be unsafe to wait and best just to find a similar vitamin b product? thanks kindly

Do they have another brand? that link I shared has other brands showing. Darn usually TSC carries it . If you can't find it start her back on the nutritional yeast and order it. It really is the best for getting them through this. Do you use 1 Tablespoon per cup of feed? I hate to rec this but I would separate her with her own feed with the NY on it to make sure she is getting some while you wait.

 

[sillyduckz]

Do they have another brand? that link I shared has other brands showing. Darn usually TSC carries it . If you can't find it start her back on the nutritional yeast and order it. It really is the best for getting them through this. Do you use 1 Tablespoon per cup of feed? I hate to rec this but I would separate her with her own feed with the NY on it to make sure she is getting some while you wait.

the only similar product they carry is rooster booster liquid b12 which seems to have a pretty different formulation to durvet being that it's high potency and only b12 rather than a complex. i've ordered the durvet b complex and i'll be starting her on the nutritional yeast tomorrow morning with 1 tbsp per cup of feed. she has a great appetite so it'll be no problem for her to get that in her system; i'll try to incorporate some vitamin b rich treats into her diet til her supplement arrives. thank you again for all your help!

 

[sillyduckz]

after a nice long snooze last night, Reptar has miraculously returned to full health!! no more wobbling or fatigue.. i genuinely have no idea what happened. i'll still be giving them their nutritional yeast and continue to monitor to see if any symptoms reemerge but everyone is looking fine right now. we've had some pretty moist weather here for the past week and mushrooms have been popping up, and while ive never noticed them take interest in mushrooms, maybe Reptar was feeling a little adventurous.. ugh lol. thank goodness she's doing better today.

here's Reptar back to her spunky self