Lethargic duckling (2 day old)

[Mother_ducker]

Hi everyone,

We just received our first ducklings in the mail this morning and one of them seems to be having a bit of trouble. He drank a little water but I haven’t seen him eat since we put them in the brooder, and he’s very lethargic. I’ve seen him walk a little bit so I know he’s able to, but his legs seem weak and he’s not nearly alert or vocal as the other two. He also seems to be breathing a bit hard at times.

I’m trying not to be too silly about it given that he just spent his first two days in the mail, but is there anything extra I can do to help him perk up?

The brooder is plenty warm with lots of space. I made sure to give them warm water with a little sugar added and good starter feed. I tried to tempt the male with a little boiled egg yolk but he’s not interested.

Thanks in advance for any insight!

 

[CayugaJana]

Things I’ve tried in the past:

Putting honey in their water and wetting the feed for easier chewing.

Go to Walmart or Walgreens and get this. It is vitamins that ducks need extra of plus B Vitamins are also your “feel good” vitamins. They make you feel better. I would give it straight to the weak duckling from the dropper ASAP. Not to scare you but I haven’t had much luck with the weak ones after shipping. But didn’t think about B vitamins at the time. I would give it as much as it will ingest in one sitting. Which probably won’t be much if it’s not well. Then add it to their water 24/7 until they are all acting better.

If a Tractor Supply is closer, I can give you more options.

 

[Mother_ducker]

Will do! I’m planning to hit up tractor supply later this afternoon as well.

 

[CayugaJana]

This one is at Tractor Supply in the cattle vitamin shelf. It’s a lot more concentrated so you don’t have to use much. But you do have to buy a syringe to pull it out of the bottle. So either way is fine.

 

[Mother_ducker]

Awesome, thank you so much!

 

[Mother_ducker]

I managed to get a little bit of the vit B in him, and a bit of water. It seemed to help slightly. I’ll try again in a bit.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Just be careful to just do tiny amts right inside the bill or dribble along the edge. don't want to shoot down the throat. Sure hope it helps

 

[CayugaJana]

I managed to get a little bit of the vit B in him, and a bit of water. It seemed to help slightly. I’ll try again in a bit.

I sure hope the little fella starts feeling better soon. You are doing everything you can to give it a fighting chance.

 

[Mother_ducker]

He passed while I was out at TSC. Poor little dude. I expected to lose at least one though. Hopefully he didn’t have anything contagious.

 

[CayugaJana]

Poor baby. Just make sure they are all eating and drinking well and they should be fine.