Young Duck went suddenly lame

[WannaBeHillBilly]

I agree most likely with limits disability she isn’t able to do much foraging so having feed where she can get to it easily would be a good idea . Keep supplementing with the B Complex and water therapy. Can she use her legs normally when in water?swimming? This could even be congenital and just didn’t show up as noticeably until recently.

Hi Miss Lydia,
i don't think it is congenital, Limpy was fine and as cheeky as my other »bitches«. I have found some really nasty looking caterpillars recently, some with long hairs and some others yellow/green striped and as ducks are swallowing everything that fits through their throat... i just don't know... But Limpy is much better today, see the following post.

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

[Sorry for the wait, uploading pictures is so ssslllooowww!]
Same routine yesterday as every day, Limy in the kiddy-pool, swimming and for the first time cleaning her/himself thoroughly. Then vigorously eating a mix of meat-bird crumbles, multi-vitamin powder, crumbled egg and calcium powder while releasing nasty stuff at the other end (ducks can fart and yes, it stinks!) After the bath Limpy sat for a while in the grass, drying and preening before i turned her/him on the back to examine the legs. Loud protest:
Limpy flailing, getting back up on her/his feet and when i looked up, i looked straight into the eyes of "Nurse":
I think i will name her "Nurse", because she is really caring for Limpy, always observing what i am doing to her little sister/brother. And i'm sure she is a she because she is quacking and not rasping. (That's another story, i think i see signs for my duckies genders…)

Today, no bath for Limpy as it was raining cats'n dogs in the afternoon, but i dragged (litterally!) her/him out of the chicken-house and sat down with her/him on the other platform to feed her/him the usual mixture of meat-bird crumbles, vitamins, minerals plus today glucose and ascorbic-acid. She/he was sooo hungry that she/he started choking…

All that while the sisters and brothers were watching in disbelief - Wow she/he gets treats and i don't! - That human isn't eating the duck!
And quacking about what they saw.
After dinner, i let Limpy "fly" back onto the grass to her/his siblings…
Who were obviously more interested in that wet grass.
However, today Limpy is walking much better than yesterday, just a little bit motivation was necessary:

There is definitely progress! - Will keep you updated.

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

No pictures today, i had to bring in the hay before Florence graces us with her visit tomorrow…

Had Limpy "fly" on my hands to the pool where she/he successfully touched down in the water. While swimming he had the usual meal, today garnished with some dried meal-worms (i finally found them in the local store). Now she/he is hooked and all the siblings too. Meal-worms let ducks forget their dignity, this is duck-weed!

Tonight i have not brought her/him back to the house, for now all the Ducks enjoy the tall grass, the occasional grasshopper and nibbling at the dandelions. Limpy was able to somewhat keep up with the other ducks wandering around, she/he is walking stiff, like its legs are stilts but better than yesterday. I may post a video tomorrow, when i have to put them all into lock-down before the bad weather arrives.
Hmm! On second thought i probably should not show Limpy how to fly, she/he might start to like it - o-oh!

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

Daily update: Limpy walked out of the duck house onto their porch alone! Sorry no pics or videos, it was raining cats'n dogs and I had to rush to the airport...

 

[Miss Lydia]

That’s Awesome!!​

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

Finally, a video of Limpy walking again, a little stiff like having swallowed salt-sticks

He is running around with the other's, still is exhausted pretty fast and then just drops down into the grass and rests.
"He"? - I am very sure now that Limpy is a drake, he isn't quacking at all, his bill has no green specks and Donald the other drake (also no quack, no specks) is now trying to dominate him.
The other three ducks are quacking like ducks and have green specks on their Bill's, I assume due to changes in their hormones. Waiting for the first eggs now...

 

[Miss Lydia]

That’s improvement right? Also when one is not acting right that gives another the right to pick at it. It ain’t fair but that’s the way it is.

 

[Soon2BChixMom]

Wow. He looks so much better!

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

Wow. He looks so much better!

Indeed he looks better! I just have to have an eye on him and yell at Donald when he starts to harass him. Would the »spray with water« method (from disciplining a cat) work with ducks too?
Limpy won't let me come close to him at all and i don't want to »hunt him down« just to give him some extra worms.

 

[Soon2BChixMom]

Indeed he looks better! I just have to have an eye on him and yell at Donald when he starts to harass him. Would the »spray with water« method (from disciplining a cat) work with ducks too?
Limpy won't let me come close to him at all and i don't want to »hunt him down« just to give him some extra worms.

I don't know about spraying with the hose. I do it if my naughty drake is harassing me and it's handy. However, they also like the hose. So, it's not really discipline.
Limpy won't come to you even for a treat? Probably doesn't want any more stuff shoved down his throat.