Worried. Duckling fell!

[ktduck]

I might be just worrying about nothing but one of our ducklings fell the other day. He seemed fine and was acting very normal. Since then he seems to have gotten quite fat, in comparison to our other duckling he is very big. He also keeps resting on the back of his legs, he will walk/run for a bit but then sit down.
We have checked his legs, pressed all over him and he never makes a peep.
Is he just lazy and eats a lot? Or could this be related to his fall? If not, should we just give him more exercise?
Thanks for the help.

 

[ktduck]

Hi all,
Thought I might update you on my ducks. Francis started breathing quite heavily and fast, and was really lethargic etc
So we took the two to the bird vet, Francis needed to get an x ray. It turns out that both my ducklings have heart murmurs, and Francis"s heart is very big for his body. They are not sure if that is causing his heavy breathing or if he is recovering from a sprain from falling. He has had some medicine and they had bok Choy and kale today and they seem good.
It has been so emotional today! And expensive! I did ask the bird vet about electrolytes and vitamins and she didn't think it was necessary? I don't know where to get them either?
Anyways thank you for all your help and advice it helped in a stressful time.

 

[HollyDuckFarmer]

Looks ok in the pic. I'd just keep an eye on that and don't worry about exercising your ducklings.

 

[desertdarlene]

If he's walking around and moving normally, he may be OK and just sore from his fall. And, he might be going through a growth spurt and need extra vitamins.

 

[Amiga]

You have received good counsel. Just watch, watch, watch. Ducklings can bounce back from injuries, and sometimes it won't show up immediately. I second the vitamins idea. Do they get bath time? I mean, time in a warm bath - no soap, which is not good for ducks or lings.

 

[AliciaDuckLady]

One of my ducklings fell off our washing machine onto concrete and was absolutely fine. I was pretty shocked she didn't hurt herself! They are surprisingly resilient at times!

 

[ktduck]

Thanks everyone, yeah they have bath time everyday and he swims around fine. What sort of vitamins would u recommend? I haven't given them any vitamins at all, only there baby duck feed and some treats of smooshed up broccoli.

 

[Amiga]

I use poultry vitamins with electrolytes and probiotics. In your case I would say once a week or two for a couple of months, which is what I did. Now that mine are grown we have them during stressful times for the most part. Just occasionally.

Depending on what you are feeding, niacin supplements on a daily basis may be a good idea. If you are using chick starter, then 100 mg of niacin dissolved per gallon of drinking water could head off leg or nerve problems. Ducklings need much more niacin than do chicks.

And if you do add niacin, get the plain capsules not no-flush or timed release.

Some add a sprinkling of brewer's yeast to the food if they cannot find niacin capsules.

 

[ktduck]

Thank you for that great info ill be sure to get them onto some vitamins etc

 

[veronicasmom]

Poor little guys and poor you! I hope they continue to improve.