Duckling born with wry neck

[mistakenraigan]

I have a Cayuga duckling who hatched about 18 hours ago and still has difficulty standing. It reminds me a lot of a baby quail I had that had wry neck or "star gazing" where it struggles to keep it's head up or maintain it's balance. It was an assisted hatch since it hadn't progressed for 2 days after the first external pip and we found out later that it was poorly positioned. I've given it a drop of nutra drench every 30-45 minutes for the last 5 hours and a bit of electrolyte water, but it hasn't really seemed to have made much progress beyond that. Is there anything else I can do for it?

It's currently in a Tupperware container with some paper towels keeping it propped up and preventing it from flopping on its back while sitting in the brooder with the other babies.

 

[HollowOfWisps]

If you have a tractor supply or farm store near by go pick up "Poultry Cell". I raise a breed that is prone to hatching issues and have used Poultry Cell with great success for assisted hatch ducklings that are struggling.

 

[mistakenraigan]

If you have a tractor supply or farm store near by go pick up "Poultry Cell". I raise a breed that is prone to hatching issues and have used Poultry Cell with great success for assisted hatch ducklings that are struggling.

I already have some of that! Do you recommend giving it to them straight or mixing it with a bit of water?

 

[HollowOfWisps]

I already have some of that! Do you recommend giving it to them straight or mixing it with a bit of water?

I usually give the first dose straight undiluted in a little coke bottle cap or something small and dip their bill in it a couple of times until they start to chew and swallow it. I never really measure on the first dose if I'm using a cap I just make sure they seemed to have swallowed a little bit. After that I mix it in their water if they are drinking and keep it available for the first week. If they aren't taking fluids I use a 1cc syringe and put a single drop at a time on the edge of the inside of their bill giving a total of .25cc throughout the day.

 

[mistakenraigan]

I usually give the first dose straight undiluted in a little coke bottle cap or something small and dip their bill in it a couple of times until they start to chew and swallow it. I never really measure on the first dose if I'm using a cap I just make sure they seemed to have swallowed a little bit. After that I mix it in their water if they are drinking and keep it available for the first week. If they aren't taking fluids I use a 1cc syringe and put a single drop at a time on the edge of the inside of their bill giving a total of .25cc throughout the day.

He acts like a totally normal baby, it's difficult to distinguish him from the rest. Thank you so much!