Hello everyone!
My name is Shannon and I've accidentally started rescuing ducks that people leave at the pond on my road or literally in a ditch by our farm. We are building a duck house this weekend with some help from our community and I'm so excited about it!
We started out with 5 Khaki Campbell ducks that we purchased so we could have some egg layers and a less buggy backyard. So far we've saved two Pekin drakes (one who had a terrible predator wound that is all healed and one who is getting over bumblefoot). Both were incredibly malnourished because they were abandoned at a pond near our house. Yesterday, someone abandoned two ducks and two chickens in front of the house. They were wet, cold, malnourished, and could barely walk. They left a pile of dry corn for them.
We're currently nursing the two Pekin ducks that were dropped off yesterday back to health. We're giving them supplements, lots of good food, and indoor water play time to get their waterproofing started. They're lame... I'm not sure if balancing their Niacin will help (I hope it does!) because I don't know when their lameness started. But, of course, I'm doing that! They're getting their Niacin and tuna and all kinds of good stuff.
When I first put them in water their wet feather was so bad they couldn't float and they were soaked to the bone. Today, they have some beading on their feathers which is amazing.
I have one question:
Their beaks look drained of color. Not light yellow--our drakes have one pale yellow and one orange beak--but almost pink. Any thoughts on how to best help them with this?
I'm thinking it's a nutrition issue, like a mineral deficiency, and am hoping that over time with the right nutrition it will improve. Any advice for helping ducks recover from malnutrition is greatly appreciated! So excited to be part of the community.
My name is Shannon and I've accidentally started rescuing ducks that people leave at the pond on my road or literally in a ditch by our farm. We are building a duck house this weekend with some help from our community and I'm so excited about it!
We started out with 5 Khaki Campbell ducks that we purchased so we could have some egg layers and a less buggy backyard. So far we've saved two Pekin drakes (one who had a terrible predator wound that is all healed and one who is getting over bumblefoot). Both were incredibly malnourished because they were abandoned at a pond near our house. Yesterday, someone abandoned two ducks and two chickens in front of the house. They were wet, cold, malnourished, and could barely walk. They left a pile of dry corn for them.
We're currently nursing the two Pekin ducks that were dropped off yesterday back to health. We're giving them supplements, lots of good food, and indoor water play time to get their waterproofing started. They're lame... I'm not sure if balancing their Niacin will help (I hope it does!) because I don't know when their lameness started. But, of course, I'm doing that! They're getting their Niacin and tuna and all kinds of good stuff.
When I first put them in water their wet feather was so bad they couldn't float and they were soaked to the bone. Today, they have some beading on their feathers which is amazing.
I have one question:
Their beaks look drained of color. Not light yellow--our drakes have one pale yellow and one orange beak--but almost pink. Any thoughts on how to best help them with this?
I'm thinking it's a nutrition issue, like a mineral deficiency, and am hoping that over time with the right nutrition it will improve. Any advice for helping ducks recover from malnutrition is greatly appreciated! So excited to be part of the community.
Glad you joined.
They'll keep getting the premium diet, supplements, and b vitamins and we'll see how they heal!
Hello Shannon and welcome to BYC. You found an Amazing Poultry Community to be a part of with many knowledgeable members who are willing to help you along your journey with any questions you may have. Enjoy 
