Dark Cambell not well - advise please

[Anonymous]

I have 2 Campbells that are about 9 weeks old. One (Phylis) is dark brown, and the other (Theresa) is white. They both now have all their adult feathers and until recently have both been growing at a healthy rate. They have free range of my back garden in the day times and are securely housed at night. They have access to a butler sink for swimming, and are fed on duck grower pellets.

A week ago today Phylis came out of her house limping. I examined her leg and it showed no sign of a break or injury, and their were no signs of bumble foot. I decide to monitor it for a few days. In that time she has begun to put more weight on it and is a lot more mobile than she was. I would have put this down to a knock that she is now getting over, but i think that she is also losing weight and she i malting quite heavily. All the adult feathers on her breast have fallen out, only leaving the downy stuff. Actually they have both been shedding a lot of feathers recently, but not to the extent that Phylis has.

I have read about potential illness' that she might have, and the symptoms suggest it might be a Niacin deficiency. Although, i have also read that if your ducks are free ranging then this shouldn't happen.

Is this something that i should be worried about? Or will it sort itself out? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Martin

 

[Anonymous]

Hi, I personally wouldn't worry too much. Ducks will moult regularly, just keep a close eye, like you said your birds are free ranging so the chances of it being Niacin deficiency is probably slim. I've had a quick look around the internet to see what more I can find out about Niacin deficiency and it seems that you can buy 'Brewers yeast flakes' which are recommended to get from a local health shop, and these are high in Niacin, I suppose if you do get worried it will be worth a try adding this to their diet. Good luck!