[Lavinia]

Hi everyone

We have had a really bad couple of days, we have 10 ducklings who are just over 7 weeks old. They have been in a stable at night due to the harsh weather. On Monday morning we went out to discover that a water pipe that goes through the stables to the back paddocks, had burst. There is for some reason a step down into the stable so the ducklings where in about 8 inches of water. We also had 2 pet rabbits in the same stable, as they had all being getting along together the there two tiered hutch had been left open, so the ducklings and rabbits had all managed to get to the top level... All safe and sound to our relief a lot of water and tiding up, the stable is now drying out. 

But the problem seems that one of the ducklings seems to be struggling to walk or stand on one of its legs. Anyone got any ideas?

Lavinia 

[lilac-unicorn]

hi
 i would have it put to sleep cause it will only get worse the bigger it grows.

[Lavinia]

Hi Everyone

Taken the duckling to the vet this afternoon and he reckons that it has sprained its knee joint but in a couple of days that it should be better... we will just have to wait and see what happens....

Lavinia

[doganjo]

Why does everybody want to kill chooks and ducks whenever they have even the tiniest thing wrong with them? This wee thing has probably just been pushed or stood on by one of its bruvs.  More than likely it's a sprain and it'll get better.  I could have told you that and I'm an accountant not a vet 

[Hermit]

If it was a deformity I would agree with lilac- unicorn, but I am presuming it was caused during the flood,which was not actually specified in the original post.If this is the case time will heal I am sure. Hermit

[lilac-unicorn]

i have had 2 ducklings put to sleep through injury to legs at a few weeks old saw 2 different vets who both told me that leg injurys seldom heal so kindest thing is to put to sleep. 1 other vet even said that my runner ducks are freaks of nature and the one whose legs where bent was trying to revert to "normal" duck shape.

[northfifeduckling]

I had limping ducks before. Both had injuries in their webs I found out by chance after a few days, so nothing serious but how was I suposed to know at the start as I can't easily catch them? I'm glad I didn't think of doing anything hasty as they both recovered well within a couple of weeks. We don't get put down when we sprain our ankle or have a fall, worth waiting a few days, lol 

[doganjo]

Vets vote with their wallets open   I know of one vet who operated on a 5 month old pup I bred - said it had slipping patella, so did a supposed repair on both knees - an insurance job I didn't find out until afterwards, so didn't get the chance to explain that it is a hereditary condition and couldn't possibly be in those lines.  The pup had been limping for three days!!!  That's all! He said it had to be done as it was a working dog. Lots of pups bang themselves from time to time especially my breed - they take life at the gallop!  But they don't need operations usually!  I was so mad, that poor little thing went through a huge op for nothing.  My own vet would never do that.

[Lavinia]

Hi
Good news, the duckling seems to be doing better today, walking on it but sitting often to take a rest, i am really glad i waited a few days... I think putting it down is a bit extreme. Wouldn't like to be telling Joe to put it down, he spends more time on the ducklings than any one else.

Lavinia

[Lavinia]

Really good news, you can't tell which of the ducklings was limping now full recovery............. thank goodness really wanted them to do well.. they are 10 weeks this Wednesday and they have turned out to be females. Can't beleive that we had thought on first checking that we had 3 males.  But what a learning curve this has been, another 11 due to hatch next week, these are from our own stock so really excited.... got the BUG......

[northfifeduckling]

well done, Lavinia! I always ended up 50/50 - if you have a magic trick how you did it to get only girls, let us all know