Yet Another Sick Duckling

[duckboatprincess]

Okay... so I've got two crested pekin . They're ducklings a little over a month old right now. The one is doing great, but the other... not so much.

She is having a problem keeping her balance. If she falls, she has a really hard time getting back up. Also, she hasn't been keeping her bill or nostrils clean. She has some mucus discharge from her nostrils right now as well. When she lays down, she leans to the left. She is eating and drinking fine.

There isn't any injuries apparent. I do think though that my drake nipped her bill and it looks like there might be a little bruising on the top of it. Her poop looks normal right now.

She is a crested baby and both of her parents were crested so I don't know if it is just a neurological problem or what. I'm really suprised that they both have made it this far. I can't say that I'm shocked by her issues though. I just hope she can pull through because she's such a sweetheart.

I want to just treat her myself. I've been giving her polyvisol since yesterday twice a day orally. I also cleaned her bill and her nostrils off and gave her a warm bath. I did dry her completely.

At the moment, she is in a dog cage inside of the big ducks' pen. There are pine shavings on the bottom and she has access to a heat lamp 24/7.

Sorry this is such a long post! I just don't know what else to do for her. She looks normal other than the stated issues. She's such a doll though. She just sits on my lap and is perfectly contect with getting loved on. Any advice on how to help her? Thanks!

 

[Chickie Mamma]

Hello, I have a mating pair of white crested and I was told that you are supposed to mate a crested to a non crested (but has crested genes). I think there are genetic problems when you mate 2 crested's. I could be wrong. I had one duckling out of many that I hatched that had trouble keeping her balance. I did the whole vitamin thing and she is an adult now and is doing great. Still loses her balance if I try to catch her. Other than the extra vitamins, I don't know what else you can do. Someone may have a better idea. Good Luck

 

[duckboatprincess]

You're correct. You're not supposed to breed crested to crested. I bought her and her sister from a girl who got eggs from a lady in Maine and hatched them out. She had seven total hatch, which was shocking. I got them about 3 weeks ago. They both had the drunken walk going on, but the one outgrew it. She has to a degree but still has balance issues.

 

[Chickie Mamma]

Mine does fine although "clumsy". I don't think it affects her "living". She mates, swims and runs (although she falls sometimes). Just take note on the level of "clumsiness" and make sure it doesn't get worse. Mine came from a hatchery originally, so I don't think it was from "breeding". Ducks are known for more leg problems than chickens too. It depends if it is neurological or muscular also. I use the yellow vitamin powder in the hatchlings water for a week or two (they grow so fast) and I have not had any leg problems etc.

 

[duckboatprincess]

Hmm... what about the discharge from her nostrils. This started today. She had a little bit the other day but in just one nostril. I thought it was from built up moisture because she had one crusted over.

 

[Chickie Mamma]

You did mention that she was not clearing out her nostrils right? I didn't go back to read. Is it sticky or is it from when you cleaned out the nostrils. I think that would just be gunk that was in there from just not cleaning them herself. I've never had a discharge issue with any of my ducks before. I do know that they can hold alot of mud in their nostrils/bill. When my birds go digging in the mud for worms, they run over to the pool and rinse and wow, alot of mud comes out, so maybe you loosened it up. At her age, I would just fill the sink with a few inches of warm water and let her groom herself. Sorry, but thats all I could come up with

 

[duckboatprincess]

The first time was after I clean them out. Today, it was just coming out on its own. I wiped it off with a damp towel. She has no interest in preening herself or anything. She is more interested in sleeping.

 

[Chickie Mamma]

With the Poly vi sol, she should have more energy, I think. If she is eating and drinking, thats a good sign and she will not lose much strength. Once in a while, I would dip her bill in some water just to keep the gunk loose.

 

[duckboatprincess]

Okay. I gave her a warm bath today and then dried her off and let her hang out inside with me until she was completely dry. I think I'll keep doing that then once a day or something.

 

[threehorses]

Just a question - and the answer is most likely a resounding yes.

But does the duck have a place where she can dunk her entire head to clean out her sinuses daily? Is the water there fresh and clean?

Also, have you considered flushing her sinuses with something - an antiseptic like Chlorhexidine drops in water?

I'd agree that using some polyvisol without iron will provide a moderate amount of vitamin A which will help with respiratory issues.