Culling Ducks: Hands Off Method

[BelovedBirds]

Hi there. New here and have a question. Please email me [email protected]. I have 4 ducks whom I love. 2 drakes, 2 females. They were all given to us 1.5 years ago. 1 drake and female are very tiny (weight wise), the other two are bigger. They are all pure white. So, my question is this. The lighter weight drake is acting strange. Constantly in water, spreads his wings, doesn't eat much etc. I have been feeding him separately, more niacin. It is not helping. Has anyone had this issue? I do not want him to suffer and need help. He is attached to a female and, the other two.

Whats wrong with being in the water a lot? what do you mean by "spreads his wings"?
Firstly, you're out of ratio, 2 drakes will very easily overbreed two females, it is extremely risky. The correct ratio is 3-6 hens per drake.

Is it possible he is being bullied away from the food by the other drake?

 

[Finndandi]

Hi and thank you so much for your reply. No, he is good with both girls and boy. They interact perfectly. No fear. He is the only one going in the water but stays all day. When he comes out, he spreads his wings wide open and cannot walk like the other's. He takes breaks.

 

[BelovedBirds]

Hi and thank you so much for your reply. No, he is good with both girls and boy. They interact perfectly. No fear. He is the only one going in the water but stays all day. When he comes out, he spreads his wings wide open and cannot walk like the other's. He takes breaks.

Ahh, I see. has he always been a bit like this, or is this something that's happened pretty suddenly?
Have a look at the bottoms of his feet, for any lumps or wounds, and feel his legs for swelling or heat. He may benefit from some B complex (folks on the forum tend to use the durvet brand, 1ml daily over a treat). Doing this asap is a good idea. But meanwhile we should figure out if this is an injury, illness, or deficiency.
Does his poop look normal?

 

[Finndandi]

Yes. No bumble foot, give B vitamins, Niacin dropper daily. He just started this behavior 6 month ago. I see no signs of injury

 

[Miss Lydia]

Can you post a video of him? You'll have to put it on youtube Vimeo or something similar then copy and paste here.