First Aid
First Aid Kit
I keep a first aid kit hand for any accidents small wound or other non vet required situations that may arise. My kit consist of
Vitamin E liquid
Niacin/yeast flakes
Lice/worm treatment
Micronised Aluminium Spray
Manuka honey
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There are many more things you can add to your kit to suit and as you go along will more than like end up adding to this list but this is just my essential items.
For curled feet you can purchase chick splints they come in packs pf 3 sizes and can just be secured using vet wrap
Spraddle leg, or Splayed leg, can be caused by an issue during incubation or injury during hatching, but the most common cause is a slippery floor. If a duckling cannot get proper traction on the floor, their legs will slide to one side, preventing them from developing their leg muscles. I use the same method on ducklings as I do on chicks
There may be times where your ducklings or ducks develop a limp this can be caused by a few different reasons.
1.Young ducklings between the ages or 3 weeks -12 weeks can develop a limp due to not receiving enough nicain (b3) in their diet duck need a lot more b3 than chickens do this is the reason we supplement with b3 tablets dissolved in water supply. Tablets I use 2 different lots I add 2-3 of the 25mg b complex tablets to newborn water for the first few days in their small water dispenser then at a week old I start using one 500mg B3 in their drinking water every few days . At 3 weeks I start using the 1000mg b3 tablets I add 2-tablets to 10 litres of drinking once a week water I also do this every few weeks for the adult birds.
2. The other reason young ducklings tend to go lame is feeding foods to high in protein, most commercial starter feeds are designed for kill birds to fatten then up quickly and this is not ideal for bantam breeds it makes them to heavy to quickly and their legs and feet suffer.DO NOT feed your calls starter any longer than 3 weeks I dont every even move to finisher I go straight to a low protein feed at 3 weeks. High protein will also cause angel wing in duckling where the wing bone grows twisted causing the wing to stick out or droop.
3. Calluses on ducks feet are also another reason you may have a lame duck, they can get them from dry hard ground as well as standing on rough surfaces. As with any cuts or abrasions I use pink spray or aluminium spray and rest them on nice clean straw for a few days .
Limping ducks
Natural First Aid/Garden
• Comfrey - anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antibiotic
• Cinnamon - anti-inflammatory, anti-infectious, antibacterial and antioxidant
• Black Pepper - anti-inflammatory, antibacterial and antioxidant and flushes
toxins
• Cayenne Pepper - boosts egg production and natural dewormer
• Oregano - antibiotic properties
• Turmeric - antibiotic and anti-inflammatory
• Garlic - immune boost and natural parasite repel, vit C
• Parsley - vitamin C (and breath freshener If your ducks have been eating garlic
;)
• Salt - natural remedy for heat exhaustion (do not use iodised salt)
• Apple cider vinegar - Calcium booster, clears water of water-born
microorganisms
• Ginger - appetite loss, anti-inflammatory, anti-viral
• Chili - painkiller
• Molasses - flushes toxins
• Lavender - mosquito repellant
• Mustard greens - mosquito repellant
• Wormwood - mosquito repellant and good for digestion
• Clean cobwebs - wound clotting and accelerated healing
• Tea Bags (black) - Eye infections (apply cooled teabag as a compress)
• Coconut Oil – Mosquito Bites and cuts
• Molasses, Cenovis Multivitamin Gelcap, Liquid Charcoal – Poisoning
• Vitamin E Gelcap - Wry Neck
• Icing or Castor Sugar – Prolapse (hold handful on prolapse to reduce it), stop
bleeding
• Epsom’s Salts – Egg Bound
Hydration recipe
1 tablespoon salt (epsom, sea, rock)
1 teaspoon honey
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
1L water
Worming
There are a number of poultry wormers on the market, and most are quiet suitable for
ducks Avitrol Plus or Kilverm Poultry wormer are two most often used every three
months
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