duckling muscle atrophy - a solution

[Sunbeam56]

So its Easter, right, and we couldn't resist some baby duckies... and one baby goose (shhhhh.... he doesn't know he's "different" ).
Yesterday, one of the ducklings couldn't walk. Couldn't lift his fat belly (love them little fat bellies) off the ground.

So I researched - and I'm republishing this tonic because there was only ONE reference I found to a cure.
We took a Super B Complex vitamin, blended it in a cup of water, and fed it to the birds.

The sickie duckie is walking again today - total turn around in about 24 hours.

The fault is that we are feeding chick starter - which doesn't have enough niacin for baby duckies.

[Kittyzee]

That's fascinating!  How the heck did you know it was something he wasn't getting, instead of just it being him.  Did you call a vet?  A duck farmer?  You are a good duckie mom!!   

[PondmaninAL]

When I had baby ducks as a teen, we had to mix crushed oyster shell with their food. They grew up healthy until something got them.

[Julles]

This is long, but it contains some VERY informative technical stuff about calcium and it's application to poultry.  Toward the end, 3/4 of the way down the page, is info on calcium and muscles and being able to expell an egg.

It's birds I'm talking about here, you know.     

http://www.talkbudgies.com/showthread.php?t=52926

[Sunbeam56]

Most hatcheries give baby birds a little vaccine upon hatching. They hold them for 24 hours. The ones that aren't killed by the vaccine are immune to the common bird diseases.
So I was relatively sure it wasn't a disease.
It was some relatively heavy research. Most bird research that is published is either on the commercial species - chickens and turkeys - or on wild birds. So it took me a bit to find what I was looking for. A homesteader had a blog where she described exactly what I was seeing.


I love the Internet. 

[Kittyzee]

Me too Sunbeam!  You saved that ducks' life with information that was posted on the internet.  I've done the same thing with my barn cats.  I would miss the internet for just that reason:  information-- if I couldn't have it.   

[miguynmkoi]

Lucky duck, Savannah!  I wish I could raise duckies.  Alas, no room    Lucky goose to fall into such caring hands. 

[Sunbeam56]

I guess I'm just simple.... because the baby duckies (and goose) make me happy. 
Right now, their little wings are so tiny compared to their fat bellies. They are funny looking.
Every so often, when we are walking, they decide to do a "buzz around". They RUUUUN like crazy in any direction, flapping their tiny wings - they are so goofy. 

I would post photos, but someone who I won't name, but his name rhymes with "Roark", left the camera in the Valley. We won't have it back until mid next week.

[Julles]

Hmmm.  Went off and left a camera.  Hmmm.   If the name rhymes with "Roark," would the first letter be a "D?"