Baby duck troubles! Bent leg and swollen face

[chickens really]

A lot of assumptions have been made without asking for clarification.

The ducks and chicks are not together. Have never been together. The swelling is not from a wound, there is no visible wound on the outside at all. I started treatment immediately as soon as I found out I could not get Baytril and asked a vet if oxytetracycline would be safe for ducks. They said it was. It started out smaller than this - it looks much worse now. THUS THE REASON I'm asking for help. If it looked better I wouldn't need help, right? So oxytetracycline might be safe but it doesn't seem to actually be working.

Most of the research I read before posting here said this type of swelling is a sinus infection. We've got the deepest waterer we can give them without giving them a little mini pond to swim in. They are only a week and a half old. All the hatchery websites I've been to, and all the advice I've read says never to let baby ducklings get drenched or have access to swimming water before 4 weeks. They don't have the oils from their mother, so they get chilled. They also can get tired and drown. So we have not given them any pond-like bathing bowls. Not until they are 4 weeks. It amazes me how strong their instinct is to get in the water! They put their little feet in the water, and try their best to swim in it. They make a swampy mess out of their water in the first 2 minutes after we put it in their box.

We change their water 2 to 3 times a day, every day. We change their bedding twice a day. Again, please try not to assume that I'm a horrible person and never change their water. They are messy little creatures!

The automatic assumption that I didn't read anything at all before asking a question is frustrating. I have done a lot of research on it. I'm extra frustrated that the treatments that have been suggested that I'm trying are not working. I do appreciate the suggestions. You don't know everything I've read, I understand that. But I did try to post details about what I've tried.

I already have ACV. Haven't added it, wasn't sure if it would counteract the antibiotics in the water.

I do also add a vitamin supplement to their water that also contains niacin. I didn't want to overdose them. Does anyone know how much is too much?

I live in Nampa, ID. I don't like it here much. Wish we could move back to Oregon. We made a monumental mistake moving here. We've had several pets die since moving here. It has been heartbreaking. Never lost so many animals before we moved here. I always had good luck with animals before. When they were sick I've been able to treat them and help them get well. My success rate here has been less than stellar. Getting really tired of the high level of sickness and




death we have experienced here. But we're here now. And spent all our money moving so we're stuck here for now.

Think I answered all the questions/comments that came in.  Thank you for taking the time to respond.

I guess by the reply you can treat them then?..........

Best wishes and sorry to upset you.....,


Cheers!

 

[chickens really]

This is my fourth year raising Ducklings and I have had Chicks for years...Never once have I had your issues.......Try to help but your defensive..

Best wishes..

 

[junebuggena]

Brooders are too small. Ducklings grow really fast. And waterer needs to be deeper. Take an empty milk jug and cut some holes in at chest level of the ducks. Then fill with water. They can dunk and flush their nostrils properly, but they can't get in to swim. And supervised swimming is perfectly fine for ducklings. Just dry them off and pop them under the heat lamp for a warm up after their swim.

 

[Sparkling]

Brooders are too small. Ducklings grow really fast. And waterer needs to be deeper. Take an empty milk jug and cut some holes in at chest level of the ducks. Then fill with water. They can dunk and flush their nostrils properly, but they can't get in to swim. And supervised swimming is perfectly fine for ducklings. Just dry them off and pop them under the heat lamp for a warm up after their swim.

Thank you. A descriptive suggestion really helps. This is constructive advice I can work with. The earlier posts saying everything is wrong didn't really offer anything useful. I appreciate you taking the time to offer a descriptive suggestion. No one suggested HOW to get a deeper water dish that they wouldn't drown in before now. I will try this.

 

[chickens really]

 
Brooders are too small. Ducklings grow really fast. And waterer needs to be deeper. Take an empty milk jug and cut some holes in at chest level of the ducks. Then fill with water. They can dunk and flush their nostrils properly, but they can't get in to swim. And supervised swimming is perfectly fine for ducklings. Just dry them off and pop them under the heat lamp for a warm up after their swim. 

Thank you. A descriptive suggestion really helps. This is constructive advice I can work with. The earlier posts saying everything is wrong didn't really offer anything useful. I appreciate you taking the time to offer a descriptive suggestion. No one suggested HOW to get a deeper water dish that they wouldn't drown in before now.  I will try this.

Sorry...Ducklings don't drown in water they can clearly only Dunk their heads in......

Best wishes..

 

[Ducks4us]

Apple cider vinegar is safe with the antibiotics.
But if the antibiotics are not working at all i would not keep using them.
I would pick one source of niacin. So you know how much your giving.
You can order it online if your stores dont sell it.
If using capsules they need 150 mg in each gallon
Brewers or nutritional yeast/ 1 tablespoon per cup of feed
This is almost certainly why your ducklings foot is having problems. Because it isnt recieving enough niacin.

 

[Ducks4us]

Also if using capsules they can NOT be flush free or time released

 

[Miss Lydia]

A lot of assumptions have been made without asking for clarification.

The ducks and chicks are not together. Have never been together. The swelling is not from a wound, there is no visible wound on the outside at all. I started treatment immediately as soon as I found out I could not get Baytril and asked a vet if oxytetracycline would be safe for ducks. They said it was. It started out smaller than this - it looks much worse now. THUS THE REASON I'm asking for help. If it looked better I wouldn't need help, right? So oxytetracycline might be safe but it doesn't seem to actually be working.

Most of the research I read before posting here said this type of swelling is a sinus infection. We've got the deepest waterer we can give them without giving them a little mini pond to swim in. They are only a week and a half old. All the hatchery websites I've been to, and all the advice I've read says never to let baby ducklings get drenched or have access to swimming water before 4 weeks. They don't have the oils from their mother, so they get chilled. They also can get tired and drown. So we have not given them any pond-like bathing bowls. Not until they are 4 weeks. It amazes me how strong their instinct is to get in the water! They put their little feet in the water, and try their best to swim in it. They make a swampy mess out of their water in the first 2 minutes after we put it in their box.

We change their water 2 to 3 times a day, every day. We change their bedding twice a day. Again, please try not to assume that I'm a horrible person and never change their water. They are messy little creatures!

The automatic assumption that I didn't read anything at all before asking a question is frustrating. I have done a lot of research on it. I'm extra frustrated that the treatments that have been suggested that I'm trying are not working. I do appreciate the suggestions. You don't know everything I've read, I understand that. But I did try to post details about what I've tried.

I already have ACV. Haven't added it, wasn't sure if it would counteract the antibiotics in the water.

I do also add a vitamin supplement to their water that also contains niacin. I didn't want to overdose them. Does anyone know how much is too much?

I live in Nampa, ID. I don't like it here much. Wish we could move back to Oregon. We made a monumental mistake moving here. We've had several pets die since moving here. It has been heartbreaking. Never lost so many animals before we moved here. I always had good luck with animals before. When they were sick I've been able to treat them and help them get well. My success rate here has been less than stellar. Getting really tired of the high level of sickness and death we have experienced here. But we're here now. And spent all our money moving so we're stuck here for now.

Think I answered all the questions/comments that came in. Thank you for taking the time to respond.

Ducklings need at least 150 mgs of niacin a day. if you can get nutritional yeast go for it and just sprinkle 1 tab per cup of feed

Have you felt inside the ducklings mouth to see if something maybe in there like caked feed or something else. Just covering all bases. If an abscess seems it would have had to have an injury of some kind. How is it's breathing any drainage coming from eyes or nares? eating and drinking good.

The lil one with the leg that looks to be turning in can be helped with proper dose of niacin if it's a deficiency you can also try a boot for the lil one I'll get the link and you can read what to do.

https://sites.google.com/a/poultrypedia.com/poultrypedia/poultry-podiatry

here is a link that shows a good waterer that can be made easy and they cannot get into and drown as long as the hole isn't too large then you just cut the hole larger as they grow.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/750869/raising-and-caring-for-ducklings#post_10611711
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/641902/created-a-water-saver-for-my-duck-brooder