Duckling with twisted leg, please help!

[JustDucky8]

Hi everyone,
I’m a new duck keeper and I’m having an issue with one of my poor ducklings. They’re just under 3 weeks old and one of them has developed a bow leg? Idk if that’s the right term but it’s twisted completely under their body and they can’t really walk. I saw on a couple of other threads to give them the Durvet Vitamin B complex, I just gave the first dose today.

Is this something that can hopefully correct itself with enough time and vitamin supplements? And if so how long should it take before they’re walking better? It’s just truly breaking my heart cuz this was my cuddliest baby and was going to be kept as brood stock. I just don’t want my SweetPea to suffer if they’re not going to get better. Please tell me what I should do.

These are some pictures of the leg.

 

[SmiYa0126]

@Miss Lydia @BelovedBirds please help!

 

[sarahgray18]

Hi, sorry to hear about your duckling!

Are you feeding duck-specific feed? Ducks require a lot of niacin (Vitamin B3) to help with bone development, especially in their legs. If your feed isn't specific to ducks, you can use brewer's/nutritional yeast and mix it in their food or get tablets and dissolve them in their water. The dosages for these should be posted in forums here, I can't remember it off the top of my head. (I'm also unsure whether brewer's or nutritional yeast is preferred since I've heard different people recommend different things.)

The Durvet Vitamin B Complex contains niacin, which is good. I know the general dosage is 1 mL daily, but I'm unsure if it's different for ducklings. Hopefully, someone else can help with that.

It's difficult to tell if this will correct itself over time with vitamins, but it's always worth a try.

Is there any possibility of injury? Can you tell if the hock joint (similar to the human knee) or leg looks swollen compared to the other leg? You can also feel the legs and joints to see if any parts feel warm or hot to the touch, which could indicate inflammation or a possible infection.

 

[JustDucky8]

Hi, sorry to hear about your duckling!

Are you feeding duck-specific feed? Ducks require a lot of niacin (Vitamin B3) to help with bone development, especially in their legs. If your feed isn't specific to ducks, you can use brewer's/nutritional yeast and mix it in their food or get tablets and dissolve them in their water. The dosages for these should be posted in forums here, I can't remember it off the top of my head. (I'm also unsure whether brewer's or nutritional yeast is preferred since I've heard different people recommend different things.)

The Durvet Vitamin B Complex contains niacin, which is good. I know the general dosage is 1 mL daily, but I'm unsure if it's different for ducklings. Hopefully, someone else can help with that.

It's difficult to tell if this will correct itself over time with vitamins, but it's always worth a try.

Is there any possibility of injury? Can you tell if the hock joint (similar to the human knee) or leg looks swollen compared to the other leg? You can also feel the legs and joints to see if any parts feel warm or hot to the touch, which could indicate inflammation or a possible infection.

I started them on the purina flock raiser for about the first week then I switched them to the Purina duck pellets once I realized that had more niacin. I’ve also been putting the Metzer farms Waterfowl Boost supplement in their water for the past 2 weeks. And they’ve been getting peas every couple days for the past week and a half. I have 3 other ducks I got from TSC with SweetPea and 11 I ordered from Metzer that I got the following week but SweetPea is the only one with any issues.

And honestly both of SweetPea’s legs look more knobby/swollen than the other ducks. I think the other one might be getting messed up from the bowed one.

The first two pics is of SweetPea and the last is of one of the other big 3’s legs for comparison.

 

[sarahgray18]

I started them on the purina flock raiser for about the first week then I switched them to the Purina duck pellets once I realized that had more niacin. I’ve also been putting the Metzer farms Waterfowl Boost supplement in their water for the past 2 weeks. And they’ve been getting peas every couple days for the past week and a half. I have 3 other ducks I got from TSC with SweetPea and 11 I ordered from Metzer that I got the following week but SweetPea is the only one with any issues.

And honestly both of SweetPea’s legs look more knobby/swollen than the other ducks. I think the other one might be getting messed up from the bowed one.

The first two pics is of SweetPea and the last is of one of the other big 3’s legs for comparison.

Are you able to post a video of SweetPea walking? Also, are they Pekin ducks? I know that breed is more prone to leg issues.

If the leg doesn't stay in its proper position when walking, I have seen some people have success with homemade splints. You could also try making a wheelchair and see if it helps SweetPea walk with the leg in a more proper position while taking some of the weight/strain off the leg. Swimming/water therapy could also be beneficial. You can wait a while to see if the vitamin supplementation helps first.

The leg around/above the hock does look a little bit swollen to me. If you think SweetPea is in any pain or the other ducklings could further aggravate the issue, it might be a good idea to separate them and keep SweetPea alone or with one other calm friend.

Unfortunately, many factors can contribute to this, such as genetics, breed, incubation, etc. The good thing is you are trying your best and have noticed the issue early.