Three Questions About Lame Duckling from TSC

[DarkWater1929]

Hello! I am a very infrequent visitor to the Duck forum. Until now, most of my questions, crises, stories and input have related to my chickens. We have had ducks, throughout, but they are muscovies, and pretty independent, hardy characters, so I have not had to do much duck research. Until now.

Five days ago, I was in TSC. They had just gotten their first shipment of babies, and, naturally, I had to look. The warmer was full of sooty-yellow ducklings. So dear! They were all clustered together, near the heat source, except for one, which appeared to be mid-siezure, off by itself. I summoned a clerk, at once.

The clerk said that the duckling had been like that since they had arrived, earlier in the day. When I expressed concern for it, he gave it to me. I was, and am, delighted with it!

Some research here has given me to believe that the flopping is caused by a niacin deficiency. The baby can stand squarely on its feet for a few seconds. Then, it begins to ride up on the front of its feet, loses its balance, and topples over. For some reason, if there is water nearby at all, it invariably ends up in it, gets good and wet, then falls back out of the dish, where it spins on its side for a while, before ending on its back, in a corner, shivering. This is the reason that I am able to report that it loves a warm, low setting, blow dryer treatment.

As soon as I was convinced that niacin was the issue, I began to give the baby a liquid vitamin B complex that I happened to have. I gave some directly into it's bill four days ago, and two days ago. I have also put some in the water. I bought a chick starter (no duck starter available) that contains a niacin supplement. Additionally, I have given the duckling peas several times. I tried to feed it worms that I gathered for it, but I was unwilling to show it how to eat them, and without this guidance, it merely poked at them a bit.

Though it is getting bigger, it does not seem to be improving.

My first question is, therefore: How long does it take, for improvement to occur, in the usual situation? I have to believe that the duckling is now getting plenty of niacin, right?

It occurred to me that perhaps I was holding the baby too much, and that it was therefore not getting the opportunity to learn to walk. So, I tried not to pick it up as much. The result was a very unhappy, pathetic, loudly cheaping little baby, that made my heart bleed.

Then I thought, perhaps, if it had a little friend, it would be happier to stay in its house, and the friend could model walking like a duck for it. So I sent my daughter back to TSC, to retrieve another little duck. When she arrived, she found that they had sold out of the sort of duck that I had brought home. They did however, have a lot of very adorable yellow runner ducks. I had thought that one would be plenty, but having seen them, she did not agree, and came home with five. They are all larger, by a good bit, then my floppy little baby. This brings me to my next two questions:

Will the larger, a different breed, ducklings be mean to my little baby duckling? I know that chickens will kill one another, if they sense weakness. Are ducks the same way? So far they seem only to Peck gently at the little one. But I don't dare leave them alone together. What do you think?

Then, if the consensus is that, no, the little one should not be left alone with the larger runner ducks, should I perhaps pick the smallest of the lot, and put it in with my little duck in a separate housing arrangement?

Any responses will be welcome! Also, if you can think of things that I should have asked, but didn't, please feel free to point that out, and provide whatever information you can! I really adore this little character, and know that I will soon be attached to the five new ducklings as well. I certainly want to do right by all of them! Thank you so much.

 

[Quatie]

The ducklings should be ok together. They may pick on the little one a bit, but eventually they will accept it. The main thing I would worry about with the size difference is they could accidentally trample the little one if scared.

If the duckling is still having major issues, it might be good to keep it separate for a few more days till it gets stronger.

This little girl of mine gets along great with my week older ducks. When I first got her, she was weak and even smaller. They pick on her cagemate that is twice her size, not pictured here. The little one actually attacks my older ducklings. I have only held off putting the ducklings together because I don't want her trampled on accident.

 

[Quatie]

Also, if you haven't, I would suggest talking to @Isaac 0 about your duckling. He knows a ton about ducks and how to treat them for various ailments.

 

[Pollo Blanco]

I would try running lukewarm water into the sink and let it swim. Swimming is the best therapy for ducks legs.
Be sure to gently dry it off and make sure that it's in a warm place when you are done.

 

[HeatherKellyB]

I'll tag a few more of our duck experts just in case Isaac isn't available right away.

@Miss Lydia @KaleIAm @SolarDuck
@WVduckchick @DuckyDonna @Trisseh @Pyxis

There are others but I just wanted to get some input from a few sources along with what's already been mentioned. I wish you the best. I'll be over here cheering your duckling on. Does the little floppy duckling have a name?

 

[KaleIAm]

I'll tag a few more of our duck experts just in case Isaac isn't available right away.

@Miss Lydia @KaleIAm @SolarDuck
@WVduckchick @DuckyDonna @Trisseh @Pyxis

There are others but I just wanted to get some input from a few sources along with what's already been mentioned. I wish you the best. I'll be over here cheering your duckling on. Does the little floppy duckling have a name?

Thanks for the tag.

@DarkWater1929 Your new baby sounds very precious. I don't have experience with ducks and seizures, personally I would consult an avian veterinarian. Isaac might know more about seizures.

I would make sure to keep him warm, and out of his water dish. Do you know about cutting a hole in the top of a tuberware type container so only their heads can get in?

I think having a friend with him is likely good, and you can observe closely to make sure he is not being hurt. My duckings pecked gently at each other to explore each other with their mouths.

He is less than a week old at this point, right? You might weigh him daily to make sure he is gaining at the same rate. Since nutrition is a concern I would order Mazuri waterfowl starter. You can buy it from chewy online.

I will also be cheering on your baby.

 

[Ratchnick]

That does not sound like niacin deficiency to me. You could get it a friend butt most likely the sick one will die, then you will be down to one again. If you make sure it eats and drinks it may live.

 

[Trisseh]

Good on you for taking in this little one! It’s hard to say what’s going on, but a niacin deficiency won’t cause balance issues in this way. Every duckling I’ve had that’s needed additional niacin seem just weak on their feet and lay down a lot, and improve within a week or so. The b-complex is definitely a good idea because thiamine is another one of the b vitamins that a deficiency can cause neuro issues. Vitamin E and selenium may also be helpful if it’s a deficiency issue.

This duckling could also have something else entirely going on with it, be it a congenital or genetic defect, a head injury, etc. Is it crested? If you’d like, you can take a video of the duckling and upload it to YouTube, then post it here. That may give us some more insight into what’s going on.

I would not keep the larger ducklings in with it as they can certainly trample it, and I have had some older ducklings that have picked on the smaller or weaker ones. These may not but it’s hard to say, although you have less of a chance of a problem with as you said, the smallest, quietest of the bunch. Is there any way to divide the brooder so your little one still can see and hear it’s new friends, but is physically separated?

And as already mentioned, swimming in warm shallow water is excellent physical therapy - you just need to make sure the swimming sessions aren’t too long so the duckling doesn’t get waterlogged and chilled.

I had one little one that needed assistance at hatch that wound up with splay leg and a possible injury to one leg as well from its larger runner broodmates. He pulled through ok but he wasn’t tipping forward or showing other neurological signs. but swimming helped him immensely, especially in water that was just deep enough that he could float if he picked his legs up, but shallow enough he could stand on the bottom if he wanted to.

Fingers crossed it’s a vitamin deficiency and this little one will pull through for you! If not, you still gave it a chance that it didn’t have when it was at the store.

 

[DuckyDonna]

You've been given good advice here. I don't really have much of anything to add. @Isaac 0 is going to be a good source and putting a video up is a great idea. Also, if you've got a smaller one among the runner babies try putting just that one in with the little one and see how that goes.

Here is a picture of the water bowls I use when they are small. Just cool whip containers with smaller holes cut in them big enough for their heads to go into but not their bodies.

 

[Isaac 0]

Do you have a video of the duckling?
Do you have any pictures of its droppings?
How does its navel area look - dry, and fluffy, or swollen, and red?

In consideration of its age, and the symptoms you're noticing I would feel a niacin (B3) deficiency would be unlikely, as that most frequently occurs in birds that age from three weeks to twelve weeks; a niacin deficiency will cause foot angulation which can make it hard for the bird to walk but often won't cause neurological-related ataxic symptoms.

I feel it would be best to stop the B supplementation and start providing a broad vitamin supplement that will address a nutritional problem in whole. Pyridoxine (B6), Thiamine (B1), and vitamin E are a few vitamins that can create unsteadiness and ataxic-like symptoms in birds. Vitamin supplementation can be achieved by using products such as Poultry cell:

https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/rooster-booster-poultry-cell-16-oz

With ducklings that were shipped, head, and spinal trauma is another likely possibility; unfortunately with that, you are limited as far as how much you can do. An NSAID, acquired by a vet might address such as scenario.

Providing overall supportive care in some instances is enough to treat the problem. Supportive care with ducklings should include, ensuring they stay adequately warm, aren't getting bullied by their flock members, and are getting enough feed, and water inside them. A simple way to measure whether the duckling is eating, and drink enough is by weighing it on an accurate gram scale daily.