Problem with Rouen ducks bill, looks like it's shedding too much, or worse

[apix]

I've raised this Rouen duck since it was chick and I've had it for over 7 months and for the last few months the bill has been looking worse and worse.

I'm afraid it has something to do with him jumping in the pool with us all the time.

I've attached some photos and would love any suggestions or help. Thanks

 

[JadeComputerGal]

Hi, Apix, and welcome to BYC!

First of all, you should take a look at this thread-->https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/742668/pekin-duck-club/6950 starting on page 696 and post #6952 by @jannakaye . You would want to read her post and the responses to it, though there are unrelated things mixed in that you can skip over.

While you don't have the same issue that jannakaye had, the suggestions I gave her about nutrition in post #6966 apply in your situation as well, but for a different reason. The issue with your drake's bill doesn't look nutritional, or at least not strictly nutritional. It is almost certainly environmental, and I suspect it's caused by swimming in a pool intended for humans. I say that because of the distribution of the severe dryness and peeling from the base of the bill and pretty evenly distributed around the nares (nostrils). That means the drake is sucking in something and blowing it back out, and that is causing the irritation. That something is probably human pool water that has chlorine and other chemicals in it. Pool chemicals will dry even human skin.

While the dryness itself isn't life-threatening, the severity of that peeling could lead to infection. Similar to what I put in that post for jannakaye, I would wash his bill off with a soft cloth and some wound wash like Vetericyn Wound and Skin Care, then put a thin film of Neosporin without pain reliever on it. It would be best to apply the Neosporin with a qtip so you can kind of paint it over the whole bill and still avoid getting it in his nares. I would do this twice a day if he'll tolerate it, at least once if not. I would not under any circumstances let him back in that pool. If you want to let him in for a few minutes as a once per week treat later on, I doubt that would do any harm, but not until his bill is completely healed.

Are you able to provide him some clean, fresh swimming water other than your pool, maybe by picking up a kiddie pool he can splash around in?

 

[JadeComputerGal]

Can you let us know if your drake is any better? I'm really very concerned about it.

Thanks so much,
Jade

 

[apix]

sorry for the delay in response. I saw your post immediately when you posted it and ran out and got a fresh tube of Neosporin and Vetericyn Wound Care. I put the Neosporin on immediately and did it a few more times throughout the first day. The second day she looks much better! I've been using it with the Vetericyn multiple times a day and I can already see a noticeable difference. He doesn't struggle much if any when I apply it so I think he likes how it feels!


We put the cover on the pool so he can only walk on it and get a tiny bit of pool water from the edges, besides that there isn't much we can do about keeping her off the pool cover, he sleeps on the rafts sometimes.

I did setup a 50gallon tub outside for him with fresh water which I change often since he is picky about clean water. And I've been leaving full buckets of water outside so whenever he feels like it he can dunk his head and clean his nostrils.

I love my duck and I'm applying the 2 gels as much as possible and it seems like it's helping a lot! Il post update pictures and il do my best to keep Lucy out of the pool!

 

[apix]

Forgot to say, Thanks a lot! I really appreciate the help! Il get update pics soon

 

[JadeComputerGal]

Forgot to say, Thanks a lot! I really appreciate the help! Il get update pics soon

You're very welcome, and I'm thrilled to hear he's better! Please let us know how things go since this might help someone in the future.

 

[apix]

Here's a picture from this morning. It still doesn't look perfect but you can tell it's helping flake off the dead dried part and is revealing fresh new bill. I'm continuing with at least 2 applications of Neosporin and occasionally the vetracyn. He doesn't mind the gel, I think he likes it

Il keep posting photos until the bill is back in perfect shape to keep anyone updated!

 

[JadeComputerGal]

Here's a picture from this morning. It still doesn't look perfect but you can tell it's helping flake off the dead dried part and is revealing fresh new bill. I'm continuing with at least 2 applications of Neosporin and occasionally the vetracyn. He doesn't mind the gel, I think he likes it

Il keep posting photos until the bill is back in perfect shape to keep anyone updated!

That's a very dramatic change in only 3 days. Great job!!!

 

[Amykins]

Jade, you da bes! <3

This is thread piqued my interest because Wobbles' bill has always been flaky. I'm not sure what the cause could be, since it's been like that since he hit puberty. Part of me wonders if it's genetic, since both his nail and his lamellae have always grown more or less constantly and I feel his bill might just be constantly in a state of renewal. Maybe it's a side effect of show bird inbreeding, I don't know. Still, should I try dechlorinating the tap water he and Bean drink from and putting neosporin on his bill as well?

 

[JadeComputerGal]

Jade, you da bes! <3

This is thread piqued my interest because Wobbles' bill has always been flaky. I'm not sure what the cause could be, since it's been like that since he hit puberty. Part of me wonders if it's genetic, since both his nail and his lamellae have always grown more or less constantly and I feel his bill might just be constantly in a state of renewal. Maybe it's a side effect of show bird inbreeding, I don't know. Still, should I try dechlorinating the tap water he and Bean drink from and putting neosporin on his bill as well?

I've never noticed anything about Wobbles bill, so it must not be that bad. Some amount of bill shedding is completely normal since it's a cell renewal process, but his sounds maybe a little more than what you'd expect with that?

I would try switching the water for a while to see if that helps. City water for drinking doesn't have the amount of chlorine that human swimming pool water typically would, but chlorine is very drying. It can also cause discoloration of the plumage and changes in feather quality. I don't think you need to start buying bottled water, though. You could buy one of those filtration pitchers to use with your city water. You could also try a little Neosporin for 2-3 days, but I don't think it's warranted long-term. The reason I recommended it to the OP is that her drake had very severe peeling. With Wobbles/Bean, I'd try the Vetericyn wound wash gel. The gel will last longer and provide more protection than the liquid formula, but you'd still have to apply that several times a day since ducks so often have their noses stuck in water.

Let us know how it goes! I'll be curious to learn whether you see improvement after switching the water for a week or so!