Rescued Muscovy female losing feathers

[LadyOfDuckness]

Hi all!

I accidentally became an adoptive parent to two Muscovies, same clutch but I got them at different times. Someone dumped a Muscovy family with ~5-6 week old ducklings at a local pond back in August; one duckling had leg problems and couldn't walk, just sat waterlogged on the shore. I knew just enough about ducks to know that niacin may well fix the issue, so I picked up the waterlogged one (Duck One) and took it home. Long story short, he is doing super well now (he's about 13-14 weeks old now). In the meantime, animal control people apparently picked up the other Muscovy family members, but one girl somehow escaped and remained living at the pond with the wild ducks, geese, and a random Pekin drake. Tonight, we finally managed to pull off a duck heist and captured the girl (Duck Two).

Here's the thing - her feathers are in a horrible condition and the ones she has, she is dropping at every opportunity - and I mean, proper 5-inch long feathers, not just the baby ones. She too would be 13-14 weeks old now and has spent the last two months at the pond, probably being fed bread. I will try to get some photos tomorrow in daylight. But literally you look at her, and several feathers have fallen off her. I gave her a bath in just lukewarm water in the bathtub tonight and then picked out maybe 8 big feathers out of the bath. She is a lovely sweet tempered little thing and is actually much easier to handle than Duck One who's enjoyed daily cuddles since I picked him up.

So what is it with the feather loss and what can I do about it? Is it a protein deficiency? I feed Duck One a commercial feed called "Organic Duck Crumbles" from TSC, together with dried mealworms and even some live worms from the fishing section at Walmart. Will this be good for Duck Two? Is it just the physical trauma of being harrassed at the pond? Is Duck Two destined to look like a bedraggled mess until she molts? Please give me all your feather-loss-prevention tips!

Both ducks are indoor-only and currently separated because Duck One was being overly enthusiastic after being without duck company for two months. Photo of Duck One is attached just because (The pink harness was acquired before we realized that Duck One was a drake.)

 

[ruthhope]

Thank you for rescuing these two ducks. So sad that animal control took the others.

Your girl will likely be molting her juvenile feathers. It may be made worse by poor diet. Your feeding regime is good. You might want to add some chopped fresh fruit and veggies. Can you get Nutridrench at your TSC? If not try Rooster Booster poultrycel and add it to their water.

Is there any chance you might rescue that pekin? Pekins are less able to survive in the wild than muscovy as they cannot fly.

 

[LadyOfDuckness]

Hi Ruth, I think you are right about the molting. I had a good look at her this morning and she has a face mask on, so she can't be the same age as Duck One so I think I rescued the Mamaduck and not the Sisterduck. And as she is a mature lady, I guess she's going through the molt.


This explains why she is so placid and easy to handle - she was used to it, before she got dumped. I'll have a look for those supplements you mentioned.

About the Pekin - no, I don't think I'll be able to get him, he won't come anywhere close to me and goes into the water if approached, even with tasty food and mealworms. The Muscovy girl came running whenever she saw someone approach with food so she was easier. Where the pond is located it's a wide open space so the usual advice of cornering a duck to catch it just doesn't apply. Sadly. Even the last night's duck heist success was kinda a fluke and involved me throwing myself at the duck, under the cover of darkness and (!!!) snowfall! Because Indiana decided that mid-October is the perfect time for snow.

 

[LadyOfDuckness]

Her wings are a really sad sight.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Please also get the Pekin even if you can't keep it you may be able to rehome. There is state forums here too which can help rehome.

My female Muscovy are going through molt right now and looks just like yours so molt is what you are seeing.
Bless you for caring about them and taking them in.

 

[LadyOfDuckness]

I just got a good look at her feet and seems she bumblefoot in both. Ugh. Good thing we're seeing an exotics vet tomorrow morning.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Let us know how the vet visit goes.

 

[LadyOfDuckness]

I have another question about the new duck's behavior... I can't find an answer online and maybe I'm not searching for the right terms. She stands, lifts her head up towards the ceiling and rapidly opens and closes her bill, making a soft snapping sound. At the same time, she is making a soft trilling noise and doesn't appear to be distressed. If I come close to look at her, she stops doing it. So far she's done it twice today after having food (and water).

I've offered her clean water in case this was due to food particles in her nostrils but she's refused the water. Now she's preening herself I'm front of a mirror.

I'm stumped.

Edited to add: I think I've found the answer here! https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...-soft-clicking-noises-is-this-normal.1421191/

Apparently "biting at air" was the correct search term!

 

[ruthhope]

Her wings are a really sad sight.

One of my muscovy drakes is mid flight feather molt --- it looks awful but in a few weeks he will be a handsome boy again. Your girl will be too. Mine has already molted his head, neck and chest feathers and looks really good there. But when he only has whispy feathers for a crest, he lost his commanding profile!!!

 

[Miss Lydia]

They do look pretty funny when they raise up that mohawk and there are only a few feathers standing up lol