Runner duck neck - wry neck or something else?

[ILoveMyDogAndRunnerDucks]

Hi everyone!

First time duck mom and completely in love! I have four 9 week old Indian Runner Ducks (all hens) and they seem to be happy, healthy, loveable duckies!

I wanted to see if anyone could weigh in on what I’m seeing in Miss Betty Quackers (our black runner duck). The back of her neck has a crook - it never goes straight like the others, but her head isn’t turned to the side like I’ve seen in other posts about wry neck. Plus, is she too old for wry neck?

She acts completely normal, is eating fine and running around with her usual goofy personality!

So could this be wry neck, bad duck posture, completely normal or something else?

I did try to preemptively give them some rooster booster poultry cell since they are all molting into their adult feathers & supposedly it helps that as well as if this is wry neck due to a nutritional deficiency, but I gotta be honest… I about puked with that smell and the ducks did not seem to like the taste either!

Thank you in advance!!

 

[sourland]

Vitamin supplementation won't hurt. Has she been like this since a duckling? If so, I would guess that it is a physical anomaly.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Put the poultry cell in their drinking water unless you think she needs a better boost then give it by mouth we have info on how so we don't aspirate them if you'd like to do it that way.

 

[ILoveMyDogAndRunnerDucks]

Vitamin supplementation won't hurt. Has she been like this since a duckling? If so, I would guess that it is a physical anomaly.

I went back and looked through my one million pictures since we got them () and it’s only started in the last 2 weeks or so. Otherwise she looked just like the others.

 

[ILoveMyDogAndRunnerDucks]

Put the poultry cell in their drinking water unless you think she needs a better boost then give it by mouth we have info on how so we don't aspirate them if you'd like to do it that way.

I first tried it in the water according to the instructions on the bottle. They all gave it a go, then just ran to their other water instead. I can’t fathom they have that finicky of a palette given the other stuff they like eating!

Do you think it’ll straighten out if we just keep on with rooster booster poultry cell, or are there any “treats” that might offer the same nutritional boost?

 

[Miss Lydia]

Have only one waterer out while treating. None of us can say for sure if the poultry cell will help with her neck but it is sure worth trying give it at least a week or more.

 

[ILoveMyDogAndRunnerDucks]

Thank you so much - we’ll see if that helps straighten our little Quacker out!

 

[Miss Lydia]

Be sure to update.

 

[alevr]

How is she?

 

[ILoveMyDogAndRunnerDucks]

How is she?

She's still quackers! We're pretty sure it's just part of her anatomy, because she still has her little neck hump. That doesn't seem to bother her.

She did just go through a spell where she was lethargic, not eating a ton & not keeping up her sisters. She spent two days eating meals & snuggling with me while we watched the Olympics & an animated duck movie and she sprung right back to her normal self!

We did use Poultry Cell during this spell too. I think our ducks just get overstimulated easily with all the wildlife in their backyard (including a black bear friend who found his way onto our deck!) & transformation of their permanent "duck den", which is still in progress.

However, whenever Betty sees me or my husband, she comes running up to us, bobbing her head up & down. We pretend she's telling us she loves us, so we bob ours up & down telling her we love her too!