Wry neck duckling, I'm scared , I need help!!

[Kawie]

Hi there!

Me and my mom are currently raising chickens and we wanted to add 4 littles Ducks to our flock. We ordered some at our local food farm supplies store and we picked them up today.
We ordered 3 females and 1 male. I think that the store sold the duck only for meat at the end, because the lady said that the wry neck wouldn't maters when we would kill it but we actually want them as pet!

When we first arrived there , the lady told us that the male has died during the transport. We were sad but we were also excited to see our 3 other ducklings.

When we saw them first they were in a box with no water and no food. We supposed that they were never fed ( They are supposed to be a day old ) and they were very hungry and thirsty ( We even stopped at a local store to ask for some water for them ). One of them had a weird looking neck and was always looking upward. I searched on the Internet and I found out she had a wry neck. I purchased Poly-Vi-Sol ( Vitamins for toddlers and newborns) and gave her 2 drops 10min ago, like it said on my research.

She is capable of eating on her own , but drinking is a little more complicated. She start to drink and then push her head so hard in the back that she fall and get stuck on her back. She has eaten a lot during the evening and I don't know if she manages to drink enough water for the food to pass through. I also gave her some molass with her food before supper.

Now it's bed time and she can't find a comfortable way to sleep. She's often stuck on her back and she fall asleep that way. Or when I hold her head up. I don't know how to help her anymore, and I'm scared that she is not going to pass the night.

Here's picture of her neck and how she sleep;

All my family including me is working all day tomorrow and we won't be at home to verify if she drink a good amour of water.

Is there any of you that know how can I help her? I had the idea of putting a brace around her neck to help it stay straight , is it good? I can't stand seeing her like that. I got so attached to her

Can anyone help?
Thank you in advance
Kawie'

 

[Thistledewfarm]

No advice but bless her little heart!!! Hope it all works out!!

 

[Kawie]

I Diyed a brace around her neck ( Scott towel and scotch tape ) she can't twist her head that much anymore , maybe that will help for the night , and when she fall on her back , the brace seems to help her stand up more easily. Only problem , I don't know if she can drink on her own with it. Is it worth a try for the night?

I will get her Vitamine E tomorrow when I come back from work and I will wake up during the night to see if she's alright.

What do you guy think?

 

[Kleonaptra]

I think build her a little nest where she can sit upright, restrict her movement until she improves - she might get better, I've seen it on this forum before.
@amiga

 

[Amiga]

It's tough when someone cannot be with her all the time, but it is always worth a try to help them. They can recover from awful problems.

I hope she is still with you.

It is related to vitamin deficiency, so she needs extra vitamins in her water.

Here is Bentley's story https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/761308/peking-duckling-with-crooked-neck-help

Here is Qwackers story https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/857143/treating-wry-neck-in-crested-duckling-edited-title


Here is my writeup on B vitamin supplements

People often get confused about what to use, so please stick with me here

.

You have some options.

I would go with brewer's yeast. Forgive me for using capital letters, but for anyone else who may casually look over this thread, NOT baking yeast, NOT winemaking yeast. Brewer's yeast is a nutritional supplement and it provides niacin and a few other vitamins.

Generally, folks who supplement with brewer’s yeast use a tablespoon per cup of food.

Ducklings need about three times the niacin chicks do. And some ducklings get leg problems or seizures if they don't have enough niacin.

If you cannot find the brewer's yeast, or if you happen to have (here come the capital letters again, please forgive me) PLAIN niacin - NOT no-flush, NOT timed release, then dissolve 150 mg niacin per gallon of water for the duckling’s drinking water.

Another approach is to use B Complex capsules, and use the B3 - niacin - levels as a guide. Again, 150 mg B3 per gallon of drinking water.


Keep the little one on the supplements for about 8 weeks.

Sometimes it only takes a few days to see improvement.

@Kawie

 

[Kawie]

Thanks for your answer @Amiga !

She is still with me , i'm So Happy. She is doing better, she is now capable of drinking water without falling on her back , and she sleep like my two other ducklings ( Not on her back anymore )

Right now I'm giving her 2x a day Poly-Vi-Sol ( Vitamine for newborn and children ) and it contains niacin , that's what they told me at the pharmacy. I asked if they had any Niacin and they told me it was really hard to get that kind since not many are able to
digest it so I just took the Poly-Vi-Sol instead. I'm also giving her half of a gel cap of Vitamine E in water at night.

I will try to switch to Brewer's yeast since many people say it's better , but I don't exactly know where to find it? In grocery stores or any special nutrient store? We do have a local beer store not too far from here , would they sell that there ?

Sometime her head is getting straight and the other day it was like it was before. At least , I'm not stressed anymore about her drinking and eating on her own.

Kawie

 

[Amiga]

Thanks for your answer @Amiga !

She is still with me , i'm So Happy. She is doing better, she is now capable of drinking water without falling on her back , and she sleep like my two other ducklings ( Not on her back anymore )

Right now I'm giving her 2x a day Poly-Vi-Sol ( Vitamine for newborn and children ) and it contains niacin , that's what they told me at the pharmacy. I asked if they had any Niacin and they told me it was really hard to get that kind since not many are able to
digest it so I just took the Poly-Vi-Sol instead. I'm also giving her half of a gel cap of Vitamine E in water at night.

I will try to switch to Brewer's yeast since many people say it's better , but I don't exactly know where to find it? In grocery stores or any special nutrient store? We do have a local beer store not too far from here , would they sell that there ?

Sometime her head is getting straight and the other day it was like it was before. At least , I'm not stressed anymore about her drinking and eating on her own.

Kawie

That's very good news, @Kawie

Make sure the poly-vi-sol is without iron - that is the recommendation. I think iron is not good for them.

It will depend on where you are as to where you can find brewer's yeast. In my writeup, I emphasize that you do not want baking yeast, and you do not want wine-making yeast. The name brewer's yeast can be confusing. It is spent yeast - not active culture - that is my understanding. So, no, the local beer store would not have what you want.

It will take some time for her to recover, just keep helping her out with nutrition. Call around - sometimes big box stores have the vitamins, sometimes health food stores or stores that sell supplements. Every now and then a grocery store will have it.

 

[Kawie]

I did make sure it was without iron, I read too that it wasn't good for ducklings.

Somebody I know said they have some at home , he'll double check for me tomorrow and maybe give me some, and I'm going to double check myself to make sure it's Brewer's yeast. If not I'll continue to search in grocery and specialty store. For now I think she's good with Poly' and Vitamine E , but should I add selenium ? I read that they need selenium to digest or to eat Vitamine E , I should check if the Poly' has some on it. I can maybe give her fruit or vegetable that has some too?

Here's her neck now ( Sorry for the lighting , it was at night ) Even if it still on the side she's doing better that before , it's a little improvement!

She's capable of putting it straight sometime and move it on the other side. I'm just wondering , she seems to have smaller eyes than the others ( I don't know if you can see it on the pic ) any ideas on that?

Thank you again @Amiga , we will continue these Vitamine supplement as long as it take and hope for the best

 

[EnnieM]

Thanks for your answer @Amiga !

She is still with me , i'm So Happy. She is doing better, she is now capable of drinking water without falling on her back , and she sleep like my two other ducklings ( Not on her back anymore )

Right now I'm giving her 2x a day Poly-Vi-Sol ( Vitamine for newborn and children ) and it contains niacin , that's what they told me at the pharmacy. I asked if they had any Niacin and they told me it was really hard to get that kind since not many are able to
digest it so I just took the Poly-Vi-Sol instead. I'm also giving her half of a gel cap of Vitamine E in water at night.

I will try to switch to Brewer's yeast since many people say it's better , but I don't exactly know where to find it? In grocery stores or any special nutrient store? We do have a local beer store not too far from here , would they sell that there ?

Sometime her head is getting straight and the other day it was like it was before. At least , I'm not stressed anymore about her drinking and eating on her own.

Kawie

how much Poly-Vi-Sol did you give?? I had a duckling just hatch with wry neck..

 

[Isaac 0]

2-3 drops a day. Make sure the Poly-vi-sol is without iron.