Accidentally kicked my duckling, now he’s scared/hurt?

ForestAlice

Songster
6 Years
Mar 10, 2016
120
90
161
US
We were changing our duckling’s brooder our before bed when my partner accidentally bumped the duckling with their foot when I wasn’t looking. He scrambles across the floor, he’s scared, we both panic.



We try and hold him, but he was clearly scared and running away from us. I tried for several minutes to hold him and calm him, but even after resting and nestling into me, he is still extremely alarmed when one of us stands up. I checked all of his toes, his legs, his wings, his neck and his hips- and I didn’t find anything out of place and he didn’t respond to any touches as if they were painful. I don’t think he’s hurt from the kick but I can’t be sure. What are signs of pain in ducklings? And what can we do if he is in pain?



He accepted a bit of food and water when we offered it but he’s panting a bit when he’s not preening at our clothes. He’s only comfortable around us when he’s hiding in one of our shirts. If we try to take him out he will run out of our laps and run from us, and we’ll have to chase him around the bathroom. He’ll be completely calm in our arms one moment, and then seemingly terrified the next. He will gape his mouth and pant, and he’ll tremble a little until he settles down into our arms, but just the moment before he would have been preening or cuddling.

I don’t know what to do.



So again, what are the signs of pain in a duck? What can we do to calm him? And is there anything we can give him if he’s in pain?
 
Signs of pain would be very noisy, not interested in eating/drinking/preening (seeming focused on the pain), and acting off or sluggish. I don't think he's hurt bc you never mentioned him limping or quacking excessively. I give my birds half a baby aspirin tablet crushed in their food or treats for pain. We recently had a sick goat kid who'd get shots from us multiple times a day. He acted the same way around us for a while. Panting, scared, running, very upset when we would come close. what I ended up doing was treating him like a cat. Calmly, slowly sitting down at the far end of his pen and letting him come to me in his own time. Not forcing him or lunging at him. It really worked.
 

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