Ducking has something wrong with beak

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Jcartmell

Jcartmell

In the Brooder
Apr 21, 2017
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I bought a duckling and he has something wrong with his beak. Any ideas? It has little holes in the tip of it.
 
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I think he's drinking fine but I've only had them for a few hours. I was letting them get a little settled in before messing with them. I know one of them is pooping also. Not sure if it is him or not. I have 2.
 
Great job with the additional pictures!

Please keep a close eye on him. It looks like he could possibly have some trouble with eating/drinking. Are you adding electrolytes or anything to their drinking water? Do you have a water bowl deep enough so they can dunk their entire bill and eyes into?

I'm certainly no expert, but I can tell you that I've seen many duck bill injuries heal just fine.

I'm going to tag more members with a lot more experience. When you tag members, depending on their settings, they typically get notified that they've been tagged. Tagging is just putting this @ in front of a member's user name and then selecting that name from a pop up list. If the letters turn blue, you've correctly tagged them.

@Miss Lydia
@Amiga
@casportpony
@WVduckchick
@Pyxis
 
Jcartmell said:
Click to expand...
@Jcartmell what does it feel like is it soft like maybe the top part got broken off or didn't form right and this is what could be under where the bill should be. If it's hard enough it maybe able to eat with out trouble.

Lets see if @casportpony has ever seen anything like this.
 
That's actually exposed bone :( Somehow the outer part of his beak has been injured and removed from the bone underneath in that place. It will likely grow back if taken care of correctly.

You will want to put something on that to keep it mostly waterproof and protect it. Check this page out to see what wildlife rehabbers commonly do in cases such as these: http://www.worldwidewounds.com/2003/november/Cousquer/Avian-Wound-Management-Part-2.html#

You may also want to take him to a vet because while the bone is exposed like that he should be on a broad spectrum antibiotic to prevent infections. Plus they will likely be able to give you the things mentioned in the above article to protect and treat this, or something similar that will do the same job.
 
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Looks like the entire outer sheath of the bean never formed and the holes from a deficiency of nutrients in the parents... similar to calcium deficiency in bones... or could be caused by a genetic disease(not cpntagious) similar to leukemia, maybe?

Sondering what could be used, but a coating of something semi or completely permanent over the porous part might be best, those holes will most likely get food and gunk stuck in them and can mold or lead to infection or other issues...

Definitely need to observe and makes sure it is eating, drinking and pooping properly... if you have a kitchen scale, get the ducklings weight now and check it regularly will help keep an eye on if it's on track or not...

Never seen anything like it, that's all I got right now... :(
 
I agree with the others, but I'd like to add that during one of my hatches, I had a duckling with only his bill sticking out of the pip hole. The other hatchlings pecked it so badly, they made a hole in the upper side of his bill. Water actually squirted out thru it when he drank. I was amazed that it closed up within a few days, and within a couple of weeks was unnoticeable. Granted, it was not the nail/bean of his bill, but I want to think that this duckling will grow it back.

I would watch it closely for a day or two before doing too much. I'd take a picture every few hours to monitor its progress, and see what happens.

Best of luck! Please keep us posted! :fl
 

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