Niacin
First of all, when getting a duck, the most important thing to avoid legs, joints and many other problems as your duck grows fast, is giving them Niacin in their diet, even as adults. The brand of Niacin I like most is this one below! I like it because the niacin are in a capsule that I can easily open and spread over the ducks food. To this day, my ducks and geese have never had niacin deficiency. A lot of times, some brands of duck food don’t even have all the proper vitamins in the feed that a duck needs. Especially Niacin. So you need to supplement that if your food doesn’t have that. What is Niacin deficiency ?
Waterfowl are prone to skeletal issues due to a lack of Vitamin B12 (niacin) in their diet. The deficiency usually is seen as a weakness in the legs and an inability to stand or walk. You may also see swollen hock joints in birds with a niacin-deficient diet. *Click the image if you are interested in buying the product.
It is totally avoidable and treatable, but imperative to start as a duckling to avoid health issues. Feed a duckling diet, because waterfowls have different needs than poultry as they grow. Your duckling will grow so fast, usually full grown within the first month, that the niacin will really help prevent any joint problems. After all, domestic ducks are heavier than wild ones and it is hard on their legs to support that extra weight. Peas have niacin but are not enough to provide a good source of the supplement. Chicken food might be cheaper and easier to find, but it doesn’t have all the nutrients and vitamins your duck needs. If you are thinking of giving them chick food and supplementing the rest of what your duck needs, it will just be more expensive to do it that way anyway, so you might as well just find them proper duck food to avoid any problems later.
Angel Wings
Angel wing, also known as airplane wing, slipped wing, crooked wing, and drooped wing, is a syndrome that affects primarily waterfowl, such as geese and ducks, in which the last joint of the wing is twisted with the wing feathers pointing out laterally, instead of lying against the body. In adult birds, the disease is incurable and usually leads to an early death, as affected birds are rendered effectively or totally flightless. In young birds, wrapping the wing and binding it against the bird’s flank, together with feeding the bird a more nutritionally balanced diet, can reverse the damage.
Because of the discussions I have heard over the years on the cause of angel wing, I did a search on the subject. Waterfowl from many parts of the world develop the condition, especially in wild birds, so it would seem that it is a nutritional problem. The only wild waterfowl populations known to be affected are those fed by man. In Sweden, ten different park populations of Canada geese produced angel wings. The following year one flock was not fed any artificial feed and there were no angel wing goslings produced.
It is suggested to not feed high protein, high energy feed (such as poultry feed), provide plenty of room for exercise, keep in small groups, provide plenty of grass or green feed and keep the pen dark at night if possible so less eating occurs.
Your birds, as adults, don’t need to be fed at night anyway. They can go 6 hours without food and water. Feeding ducklings a diet too high in protein/energy causes them to grow too fast, and the weight of their wings ends up being greater than the strength of the wing to support itself. This is what causes the twisting at the very tip of the wing. If you notice, as your waterfowl is growing, the wings are always the last part of the body to grow out.
Ensure protein level is no greater than 16% at the maximum.
Egg binding
Another problem that people have issues with, is the lack of calcium for their hens, once they start laying eggs. Laying eggs for a female duck is very hard on them. Some duck can lay up to almost 300 eggs a year. Laying so many eggs require a HUGE amount of calcium. Your duck food will never provide the amount of calcium needed to lay all those eggs. This is why you need to supplement with Oyster shell. You can also keep their eggs and crush the shell to use them as a calcium source. I notice that some ducks don’t like oyster shell and so, that still lead to a calcium deficiency problem. They do sell grounded oyster shell as well.
One of my ducks doesn’t like how sharp oyster shell are. Some brand have very sharp, big piece of shell that hurt the duck’s mouth. They have very soft tissue in their mouth and so I suggest giving oyster shell in ground form. One reason some prefer feeding oyster shell is that it also provides help grinding the food down in the duck’s gizzard. But if your duck spend a lot of time outside, they will find pebbles, mud, dirt to help grind their food. They are pretty smart and usually know naturally what they need.
This will prevent your ducks from becoming egg bound. Egg binding in a duck is an extremely death threatening problem that needs to be resolved right away or the duck risks passing away in a very painful way. Keep in mind that avian vet are not always readily available. It is easily preventable by choosing to offer supplement to your laying hen. It also helps them push the egg out easier. Calcium helps ease the muscle contracting to push out an egg. When the hen lacks calcium, the egg will be a lot harder to push out because it will be too soft, and risk getting stuck or perforating in your hen. That is an extremely dangerous and painful situation for your duck.
Oyster shell.
This type of oyster shell is in a pebble form which is easier than the sharp shell, for your duck to swallow. This type, or the very fine powder type oyster shell are best for your laying duck and won’t hurt them. *Click the image if you are interested in buying the product.
Egg binding solution
If a bird cannot lay an egg, she is considered Egg Bound. This can be a very serious condition. It is almost always caused by a nutritional problem. It is also more likely to happen in young birds that have not laid before.
Catch the duck and lubricate the cloaca and egg (if it is exposed) with KY Jelly, being careful not to tear the lip of the cloaca, and then place her in a warm, moist environment. Try setting her in a pan or pool of warm water for an hour with Epsom salt. If this does not help, try gently massaging the egg out, continuing to lubricate the cloaca and give her some calcium supplement.
The last resort, if the egg is exposed, is to put a small hole in the egg and remove all the contents with a syringe. Then you must break the shell and remove it. Be very careful as the edges of the shell are sharp and can cause lacerations in the oviduct. If you must perform this operation, then you should put your bird on antibiotics for a week after the operation. Make sure that you clean your duck carefully and remove any egg content for risk of infection that could kill your duck.
Duck Bumblefoot
Another common health problem in ducks is the dreaded bumblefoot. Bumblefoot is a common condition seen in many birds kept in captivity. Prevention, early recognition, and early treatment are key when it comes to managing bumblefoot. Bumblefoot results from several contributing factors.
This includes any existing foot deformity, having excess weight, trauma, poor circulation, irritation (such as excessive friction or pressure), exposure to rough or inappropriate surface used for flooring, excessive moisture, poor sanitation, imbalanced diet, or vitamin deficiencies, a cut, a scratch.
What does Bumblefoot Look Like?
During the early stages of bumblefoot, it may initially appear as a small, superficial lesion, rough abrasion, or mild discoloration of the foot. However, once there is a breakdown in the skin barrier, it provides a direct opening for opportunistic bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus) to enter and cause infection. Once the foot is infected, ducks often begin to show slight behavioral changes (associated with onset of pain caused by the infection), and varying degrees of lameness. If left untreated the infection often becomes chronic and progressive, eventually spreading into the underlying bones, tendons and joints and resulting in osteomyelitis, tenosynovitis, septicemia, and arthritis.
Initially, if it is a relatively mild or early stage bumblefoot, daily Epsom salt soakings, bandage, nutritional support, and strict sanitation of the environment to ensure the duck’s foot stays clean and dry may be sufficient. However, if after 1-2 weeks you see no improvement or it gets worse, then you need to schedule an appointment with your veterinarian as surgery of the wound and antibiotics for the infection may be necessary.
How is Bumblefoot Treated?
The primary goal in the treatment of bumblefoot is to obtain healing as soon as possible. The faster the healing, the less chance for an infection to spread. It is really important to keep the foot as clean and dry as possible, to prevent contamination with bacteria and other foreign organisms. This is where daily bandaging is important, and strict sanitation. Taking pressure off the area: For optimum healing. This can be accomplished with a duck shoe or bandage. Some additional vitamins, especially vitamin A can be helpful.
Bumblefoot Complications
Bumblefoot left untreated or improperly treated, can lead to osteomyelitis, which occurs when the infection spreads to the bone. Another serious complication of bumblefoot is that if the condition becomes chronic in nature, it increases the bird’s risk of developing amyloidosis, which is a fatal progressive condition which has no cure.
Prevention : Maintain a sanitary environment for birds to live in. Provide a soft, even, and clean floor surface. Design outdoor runs with proper drainage to prevent flooding and accumulation of mud. Feed a balanced diet, making sure your ducks are getting enough vitamin A. Encourage daily swimming in a pool to keep their feet clean.
Treatment: Keep their living area as clean as possible. Practice good sanitation to reduce accumulation of feces. Encourage ducks to spend as much time as possible in the water. Provide a small pool, pond, large water trough, or any container that can be filled with water. Provide enough depth so that the ducks can float without their feet touching the bottom of the pool.
Do you have a broody hen ?
Ducks become broody when their hormones tell them it is time to sit on their eggs. They can also become broody if they are bored. If you want your birds to hatch and raise their own, this is good news, but if you want them to continue laying, this is not good news as once a duck becomes broody, they stop laying eggs.
How do you know if your bird is broody? She spends much more time on the nest and refuses to leave if you try to remove her. She may put more of her feathers in the nest or she tucks her head lower when she is off the nest and lets out a very loud “Quack” letting everyone know she is broody and does not want to mate.
How to Break Up a Broody Bird
1- The best way is to buy dummy eggs *Fake eggs* and replace the ones in the nest with the dummy eggs. When she sees that the eggs won’t hatch, she should eventually stop sitting on them and give up.
2- If that does not work, take one egg out at time every day until there is none left and this should make that your hen, will sit less and less and just give up sitting.
3- You can take all of the eggs out and see if your hen is not too upset. Some will actually be relief to not have to sit anymore and will just go on with their routine.
4- If you don’t have dummy eggs, I suggest using chicken eggs and just swap them with the ducks eggs. Yes it works 🙂 they won’t hatch and produce duckling.
If you don’t want duckling and prevent broodiness, make sure to check your duck night time shelter for any eggs she might have laid. They will lay a clutch really quick and eventually, when there is enough, will start sitting on them. Some breeds are more susceptible to broodiness than others. In reality though, any bird can become broody. You need to be vigilant when dealing with broody females if egg generation is important to you. Broody ducks mean less egg production and possible ducklings on the way!
Food toxic to ducks
Some items are just not good for your ducks to ingest. Ducks should avoid the following foods for the sake of their health.
ONIONS
Onions are toxic to ducks due to the presence of an inorganic compound called thiosulfate which is difficult for ducks to digest, and which can lead to several health issues when overfed to waterfowl. Thiosulfate can destroy the red blood cells in birds and cause them to become anemic.
GARLIC
Like onions, Garlic also contains thiosulfate and therefore is equally unsafe for ducks.
CAFFEINE
Anything containing caffeine is not recommended for waterfowl. This includes coffee, tea, matcha, and coffee grounds. Caffeine has been shown to cause lung and heart-related deaths in ducks.
CHOCOLATE
Just like your dog should not eat chocolate, neither should your duck. Chocolate also contains caffeine as well as a chemical called theobromine. Severe cases result in seizures.
SALTY JUNK FOOD
Junk food is never a good idea for waterfowl. Junk food for people is bad and it is likewise bad for ducks. Crackers and other salty, sugar-laden fatty foods cause ducks to gain weight too quickly. This rapid accumulation of weight will cause a duck to develop leg problems because too much added strain is placed on their legs.
AVOCADOS
Avocados contain a toxin called pepsin which can be fatal to ducks. The ingestion of pepsin can cause weakness, heart problems, respiratory difficulties, and sudden death in ducks.
CITRUS FRUIT
Citrus fruits like grapefruit, limes, oranges, and lemons will interfere with calcium absorption in ducks and this can lead to brittle bones and subsequent poor health conditions later in life. Additionally, if ducks do not have proper calcium absorption, their eggshells become thin resulting in poor hatchability and a low quality eggs for eating.
SPINACH & NIGHTSHADE VEGETABLES (EGGPLANT, GREEN TOMATOES, RHUBARB & POTATOES)
Spinach is another food like citrus that can block calcium absorption in ducks thus resulting in a sick bird and an eggshell that is thin and undesirable.
Nightshade is a family of plants that include green tomatoes, potatoes, rhubarb, and eggplants. Generally speaking, ducks should avoid eating Nightshade vegetables because all parts of these plants (stock, leaves, stems and fruit) are toxic to ducks. For example, tomatoes that are not fully ripe contain solanine which is lethal to waterfowl if ingested in large amounts.
DAIRY PRODUCTS
Ducks are lactose intolerant. They do not have the necessary enzymes to break down the lactose in milk, so they are ill equipped to digest dairy products properly. The ingestion of large amounts of dairy can lead to painful and uncomfortable digestion problems in waterfowl.
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