Twisted neck in 3 mo. old duck

[Zenhen1]

Thanks in advance for any advice this thread may receive.

We have a Crested Blue Swedish duck that is 3 months old. She was an incubator baby. When it was time for them to hatch, she was the very last one and had been rocking her egg trying to get out for a couple days prior but didn't make a hole. We assisted her hatch by creating a hole and hatching her very slowly which actually worked perfectly.

We quickly realized why she may have had issues hatching. She couldn't walk and her crest covered a lot of her head. We started her on Vit B complex and she seemed to improve a bit and her neck seemed stronger. She can extend her legs, which she does a lot (much like a baby in a bouncer she is constantly bouncing up and down) but she can't coordinate them enough to walk.

So we continue to feed her several times a day and snuggle her constantly. Now, over the last couple of days, whe will twist her head under her and around exactly like they do when they are breaking out of their shell. I am with her 24/7 and carry her to every room with me everywhere I go so I know for a fact this is something new. I stopped giving her vit B a while back bc she was starting to seem like she was getting too much and when I backed off, she got better. This was around 1 mo old.

She still eats and drinks, but she is frequently trying to intentionally twist her neck around up and under her. She eats Cluck and Co. Organic duck pellets with niacin.

Have we reached the point of euthanasia? I love her dearly and do not want her to suffer anymore.

 

[Tookie]

Sounds like it could be wry neck. I would try treating for that.
Give 1/4 of a tablet of B Complex, 400IU Vitamin E, and egg for selenium to help absorb more Vitamin E. Give that all daily.

Could you get a picture/video of her doing the neck thing?

 

[Zenhen1]

Sounds like it could be wry neck. I would try treating for that.
Give 1/4 of a tablet of B Complex, 400IU Vitamin E, and egg for selenium to help absorb more Vitamin E. Give that all daily.

Could you get a picture/video of her doing the neck thing?

I swore I posted my previous reply. But it looks like it didn't take. Thank you so much for your help.

I can get whatever I need for her after work today, however, right now I have vitamin b liquid complex and a gel for goats that is selenium and vitamin e. Can I use those 2 things for her?

 

[Zenhen1]

 

[Tookie]

I swore I posted my previous reply. But it looks like it didn't take. Thank you so much for your help.

I can get whatever I need for her after work today, however, right now I have vitamin b liquid complex and a gel for goats that is selenium and vitamin e. Can I use those 2 things for her?

Its alright! Glad I can help.

What liquid B Complex do you have? It should work, you just want to have Thiamine (B1) in it.
If the gel for goats has at least 400IU of vitamin E, it should work.
I'm not sure on how to dose those things, because the dosage I gave is for a tablet and capsule.

 

[Tookie]

View attachment 4086395

Aw, poor thing! Is she flipping onto her back?

 

[Zenhen1]

Aw, poor thing! Is she flipping onto her back?

She did at the time I was trying to take her picture. We had to schedule euthanasia for her. We go in 3 hours to get her put down. She had neck issues from the beginning but never where she twisted her head around like that. Her twisting her head around so severely just started the day I started this thread but it has escalated drastically where she can't even keep her head from twisting at all. We tried everything we could and although we probably have 100 poultry and waterfowl, losing 1 is never easy.

Thank you so very much for your help with this thread. I am praying for a miracle and if the vet thinks we can save her, I will updated this thread in case it can help anyone else.

 

[Tookie]

She did at the time I was trying to take her picture. We had to schedule euthanasia for her. We go in 3 hours to get her put down. She had neck issues from the beginning but never where she twisted her head around like that. Her twisting her head around so severely just started the day I started this thread but it has escalated drastically where she can't even keep her head from twisting at all. We tried everything we could and although we probably have 100 poultry and waterfowl, losing 1 is never easy.

Thank you so very much for your help with this thread. I am praying for a miracle and if the vet thinks we can save her, I will updated this thread in case it can help anyone else.

Aw, I'm so sorry to hear this. I hope the vet thought you could save her, but if not I'm sorry.
Because she's had issues since she was little, it may very well be nothing you can fix.
Treating for wry neck can take a long time, so to see improvement with that you'd need to give the vitamins for awhile.

 

[Zenhen1]

The vet also thought putting her down was the best path forward. I believe that she not only had wry neck, but she also had a neurological problem bc she couldn't walk, but could move her legs and she would constantly do a jumping motion.

I am also convinced it was in part because she was crested and it covered almost all of her head. I think we are going to avoid buy or breeding anymore crested ones. I research everything ad nauseum and the one time I didn't was when I picked up some Crested ducklings without knowing what causes it. I looked it up on my way home from getting them and instantly regretted it.

Lessons were learned and the few short months with her were beautiful. I love this site and am so thankful for the help.

 

[Tookie]

The vet also thought putting her down was the best path forward. I believe that she not only had wry neck, but she also had a neurological problem bc she couldn't walk, but could move her legs and she would constantly do a jumping motion.

I am also convinced it was in part because she was crested and it covered almost all of her head. I think we are going to avoid buy or breeding anymore crested ones. I research everything ad nauseum and the one time I didn't was when I picked up some Crested ducklings without knowing what causes it. I looked it up on my way home from getting them and instantly regretted it.

Lessons were learned and the few short months with her were beautiful. I love this site and am so thankful for the help.

So sorry for your loss, she was beautiful. Take comfort in knowing she's not in pain anymore.

I agree it was probably neurological, and because she was crested. Those crested ones sure are cute though.

This definitely was a learning experience and I'm glad I could help!