Pekin Duck Bill

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sdellin

sdellin

Hatching
8 Years
Oct 30, 2011
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I am new to the forum. I've been reading, but not posting for a while now. Anyway, I have two pekin ducks, male and female.
The female has a much lighter colored bill. The male's bill is bright orange. Could this indicate a problem with my female duck?
 
The bill colour can be effected by hormone levels, as well as feed. Often when I duck is laying the colour of the bill can fade slightly. Has it always been that way? it could just be breeding as well. How old are the ducks?
 
I have two pekin ducks...I have had them since they were a day old. One duckling had a bill that was pink almost purple in colour (hence my daughters calling her "Purple beak")
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and the other was the normal bright orange. "Purple beak's" bill is still pale and pinkish and my only experience with her is that she is the one most likely to have a soft shell egg and she seems to require more oyster shell then the other. If she gets depleted, she is lethargic and begins to have difficulty walking. Otherwise, she is normal, healthy and always friendly. She is the first one to come and see me and is ALWAYS willing to eat out of my hand. She's also my favorite
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I don't know if the color of her bill means that she was lacking something or if her soft egg shells are even related...
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...
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Thanks for the advice. The female is about 7 months old. I don't remember her bill being lighter in color early on. She is laying. I was told when I bought these guys that if I don't want them for egg production that I can feed them layer feed. I give them the layer pellets. Obviously she needs something better if she's laying even if I want her as a pet, not a layer, because...well... she's gonna lay anyway. Duh! I didn't think of that.

So then, what should I be feeding her? Can I just give her a supplement or should I change the feed? I have also a male pekin and a female crested duck, so two female and one male. If I'm changing the feed for the girls, will it be okay to feed the boy the same?
 
I would certainly offer oyster shell to them free choice...the drake won't eat it but the ducks will as they want/need it. As for the layer pellets, the drake doesn't need the extra calcium... but I think that some here at BYC say that the drakes eat it along with the ducks. Not sure where you are from, but mine are starting to slow down with the egg laying as Winter is setting in...joy of joys
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I have been feeding mine duck/goose grower, some scratch, a bit of BOSS (black oil sunflower) as a treat, and they free range. There aren't too many goodies to be gotten in free range as we've had nights down to -3* Celsius or 26.6 Fahrenheit here. I have five ducks and a drake and everyone seems happy...
 
I noticed my female ducks bills always got lighter in the winter so I added a vitamin/mineral min I found at tractor supply made for water fowl and show birds and it definatly made a difference.
 
I have 3 pekin females. Two are light yellow and the other is dark orange. They have always been like that and I have had them since day olds
 

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