1 week duckling - poopy butt, swollen vent?

[MerrilyKate23]

Backstory - we have hens for a long time but started with a couple ducklings this past Spring. We hatched one of their eggs with a broody hen 1 week ago. Baby has been energetic and eats well, doesn’t seem to want to swim yet, but happy with her silkie “momma”.

Today I noticed she has a bit of a poopy backside. I soaked and cleaned her up, but noticed her vent area is a little swollen..maybe? I never inspected our other ducklings but they never seemed to have anything going on. After looking up some other threads I soaked her briefly before bed tonight and put a little coconut oil on her backside.

She does poop, I think it looks ok, not hard or small. Not super runny. When she starts playing in water I’m sure that will help, too.

Is there something I’m missing? Could she be constipated? We water her duckling/gosling pellets so they are softer and she always has fresh water.

Am I worried about nothing?

We are all a little overprotective of this baby, we sold our drake and beloved jumbo pekin “Mustard” in August and we kept Georgie (khaki Campbell), slipped one of her eggs under a broody hen and ..so much anticipation…since we don’t have Mustard anymore, we are all attached to this little one. Especially our son J, he’s the duck dad for sure (pictured). We don’t know what this baby will look like, but we want to have her around long enough to find out

 

[ruthhope]

Backstory - we have hens for a long time but started with a couple ducklings this past Spring. We hatched one of their eggs with a broody hen 1 week ago. Baby has been energetic and eats well, doesn’t seem to want to swim yet, but happy with her silkie “momma”.

Today I noticed she has a bit of a poopy backside. I soaked and cleaned her up, but noticed her vent area is a little swollen..maybe? I never inspected our other ducklings but they never seemed to have anything going on. After looking up some other threads I soaked her briefly before bed tonight and put a little coconut oil on her backside.

She does poop, I think it looks ok, not hard or small. Not super runny. When she starts playing in water I’m sure that will help, too.

Is there something I’m missing? Could she be constipated? We water her duckling/gosling pellets so they are softer and she always has fresh water.

Am I worried about nothing?

We are all a little overprotective of this baby, we sold our drake and beloved jumbo pekin “Mustard” in August and we kept Georgie (khaki Campbell), slipped one of her eggs under a broody hen and ..so much anticipation…since we don’t have Mustard anymore, we are all attached to this little one. Especially our son J, he’s the duck dad for sure (pictured). We don’t know what this baby will look like, but we want to have her around long enough to find out

I suspect that you have nothing to worry about. This little duckling needs to be able to swim in water, under supervision, every day. ANd bath in water too. I use a painters tray -- the sort you get from a box store, as a swimming tray at this young age so that it can easily get in and out up the "ramp".

Once the duckling is too big for a painter's tray, it will have to have supervised swimming until its got its juvenile feathers, that are waterproof

I think with adequate and safe access to water, the poopy but situation will resolve

 

[MerrilyKate23]

I suspect that you have nothing to worry about. This little duckling needs to be able to swim in water, under supervision, every day. ANd bath in water too. I use a painters tray -- the sort you get from a box store, as a swimming tray at this young age so that it can easily get in and out up the "ramp".

Once the duckling is too big for a painter's tray, it will have to have supervised swimming until its got its juvenile feathers, that are waterproof

I think with adequate and safe access to water, the poopy but situation will resolve

Thanks Ruth our previous ducklings loved water and were in it allll the time by this age, she isnt all about it. Do you think it’s because she’s being raised by a hen? I feel like it should be ok to keep them together (our silkie really loves her “baby”), but I also wonder if this is why she doesn’t swim yet or just a coincidence? Thoughts?

 

[ruthhope]

Thanks Ruth our previous ducklings loved water and were in it allll the time by this age, she isnt all about it. Do you think it’s because she’s being raised by a hen? I feel like it should be ok to keep them together (our silkie really loves her “baby”), but I also wonder if this is why she doesn’t swim yet or just a coincidence? Thoughts?

Likely!!

 

[Yardmom]

I have had silkies raise ducklings and those ducklings don't really seem that interested in swimming. I suspect that a duck's love for water has a bit of nurture and a bit of nature.

Please be aware that if the duckling is a drake it will need to be physically separated from the chickens. I have caught my drakes that were raised by Silkies trying to mate the chickens.

Also note my grown duck hen who free ranges still sleeps in the Silkie Coop. Different ducks/drakes have decided to move in with her, but when they go back to the duck pen or go to swim in the pond she stays with the Silkies.

 

[MerrilyKate23]

I have had silkies raise ducklings and those ducklings don't really seem that interested in swimming. I suspect that a duck's love for water has a bit of nurture and a bit of nature.

Please be aware that if the duckling is a drake it will need to be physically separated from the chickens. I have caught my drakes that were raised by Silkies trying to mate the chickens.

Also note my grown duck hen who free ranges still sleeps in the Silkie Coop. Different ducks/drakes have decided to move in with her, but when they go back to the duck pen or go to swim in the pond she stays with the Silkies.

Thanks so much! I have started taking the silkie away and putting her outside with the flock during the day and giving our duckling a heat lamp during the day…then bringing mama back at night/evening. Baby sits and seems lonely when I do that…but I feel like it gives her time to explore her water and stuff without mama hen perhaps telling her to come back and snuggle

It feels so sad to raise her on her own, but we have no other ducklings. There is an animal swap coming up in about a week near us, in your opinion would it be better to find her a young duckling friend and raise them together vs keeping her with our silkie?

 

[ruthhope]

Thanks so much! I have started taking the silkie away and putting her outside with the flock during the day and giving our duckling a heat lamp during the day…then bringing mama back at night/evening. Baby sits and seems lonely when I do that…but I feel like it gives her time to explore her water and stuff without mama hen perhaps telling her to come back and snuggle

It feels so sad to raise her on her own, but we have no other ducklings. There is an animal swap coming up in about a week near us, in your opinion would it be better to find her a young duckling friend and raise them together vs keeping her with our silkie?

Yes. Young ducklings company would be ideal at this stage