Ducks and their ability to recover

Ducks have an amazing ability to recover. Though many of us have lost ducks in various ways many of us have had ducks recover from what we were sure life ending situations. I want to talk about my little Buffy here. She is a 3 1/2 year old Khaki Campbell who suffered a broken wing (trying to fly out of the coop) and what I am sure was a stroke 2 years ago in June. She has been through many ups and downs healthwise and has always resented being handled and given medicine when necessary. She has had trouble keeping her weight and is much smaller than her sister Khakis. She has not laid an egg since last fall. A significant time during the past two years she has spent resting alone in a handful of favorite spots of hers. Limping along on the side of her broken wing, which she cannot extend to this day, sometimes barely able to make from one point to another and seemingly in pain much of the time. We were surprised she made it through last winter, which was particularly cold and snowy. But she did though has had a pretty tough time most of this year resting alone most of the time (which did allow me to feed her separately with Nutri-Drench amended food).

On August 27th she was nowhere to be found when it came time for the afternoon feeding and securing the flock inside their fenced enclosure. We looked, and looked, and looked. We were convinced she crawled off to die alone and we were heartbroken over this. Very early he next morning I looked in a different spot and found her. For whatever reason she had wandered down the spring run onto the neighbors property and spent the night in some thick brush and weeds. She was weak enough that I don't think she could have walked back upstream even if she had wanted.

Through a few days of isolation, TLC, and much perseverance with Nutri-Drench doses and vitamins in her food she slowing mended. She has actually been molting really well and seems to have gained a little weight back although with the winter feathers it is hard to tell. For the last two weeks she has been more active than she ever was and the past week she has resumed normal duck activities with the others albeit she will always have her droopy right wing and limp. But we are just so happy for this recovery as we were convinced she would not be in good enough shape to endure another winter. Call it a will to live and I think a little bit of God's Grace, our little Buffy is alive and well.

Although our ducks are not always going to survive all attacks, injuries, or illnesses, I urge you to keep the faith, seek help from the more experienced folks here at BYC, and persevere in treating your beloved birds when they are in need. Some amazing healing can happen which many others have also shared here on the duck forum.


Buffy before her broken wing and stroke


Buffy last summer during an isolation and nursing period (much smaller)


Buffy in August two days after she went missing (still small and weak)


Buffy this morning out foraging with the others (she is darker now)

That's a heartwarming story. I wish Buffy many many years of foraging. What a pretty duck

Thank you. She is very dear to us.

And Welcome to BYC!

@Carcajou you have given us an excellent reminder, to which I say amen and amen. Buffy

What a heart warming story, Thank you so much for sharing it with us. Just goes to show us that given a chance and lots of TLC, Ducks can come back from adverse circumstances and thrive. What a transformation Buffy has made.

Buffy is a beloved duck and we are so glad she has regained her health and is still with us. Only wish she would let me cuddle her. I did have a dream the other night she let me do just that - so maybe sometime?

Carcajou said:

Buffy is a beloved duck and we are so glad she has regained her health and is still with us. Only wish she would let me cuddle her. I did have a dream the other night she let me do just that - so maybe sometime?

Click to expand...

Or only in your dreams. lol...

Miss Lydia said:

Or only in your dreams. lol...

Click to expand...

You are sooo right!

I'm so glad you shared your story on here. We have a young Muscovy that is now called Houdini. The poor little guy had the top of his head completely split open so much you could see his entire scalp. We tried a few things at home and I was close to writing off the poor little fella, but instead took him to a vet who agreed to see him although they typically don't treat non-domesticated animals. What she said and her course of treatment I never thought would work. According to her, a duckling's skin is so thin that it could be sutured, but more than likely they would pull out and never hold long enough to begin to heal. Instead she told me to keep it clean, and provided some blue solution (don't remember the name right now) and also a very small dosage of amoxicillin to give him until it ran out. We were told to keep him separated but allow him to do the things other other ducklings were doing. We kept him inside in a large plastic tote and provided as much "natural" surrounding as possible. I felt like a cruel warden, taking him outside to the yard so he could get his hour of exercise each day. I made the mistake of letting him see his old buds once; once. Almost impossible to get him back inside after that. Within 6 weeks his head actually healed up pretty well, he still has one heck of a divet that crosses the top of his head, and other than a little more timid than the rest, he's a healthy young drake, we think just might make it afterall. And he bacame the first of six with a name - Houdini. I'll try to get a better photo of him than I have right now and post it later.

Troy & Tina

tmorgan46 said:

I'm so glad you shared your story on here. We have a young Muscovy that is now called Houdini. The poor little guy had the top of his head completely split open so much you could see his entire scalp. We tried a few things at home and I was close to writing off the poor little fella, but instead took him to a vet who agreed to see him although they typically don't treat non-domesticated animals. What she said and her course of treatment I never thought would work. According to her, a duckling's skin is so thin that it could be sutured, but more than likely they would pull out and never hold long enough to begin to heal. Instead she told me to keep it clean, and provided some blue solution (don't remember the name right now) and also a very small dosage of amoxicillin to give him until it ran out. We were told to keep him separated but allow him to do the things other other ducklings were doing. We kept him inside in a large plastic tote and provided as much "natural" surrounding as possible. I felt like a cruel warden, taking him outside to the yard so he could get his hour of exercise each day. I made the mistake of letting him see his old buds once; once. Almost impossible to get him back inside after that. Within 6 weeks his head actually healed up pretty well, he still has one heck of a divet that crosses the top of his head, and other than a little more timid than the rest, he's a healthy young drake, we think just might make it afterall. And he bacame the first of six with a name - Houdini. I'll try to get a better photo of him than I have right now and post it later.

Troy & Tina

Click to expand...

Thank you for sharing. Keep up the TLC and keep close watch of the healing of his wound and treat it the minute anything happens to it. I struggled with my Buffy as trying to catch her sometimes just added more stress to her. But she made it finally and sounds like your Houdini will also. It is hard to keep them separate because they so much want to be with the others. And yes, please post a photo.