Advice for keeping a blind duck?

[mlward]

I have a juvenile spotted australian duck that has always been a bit different. I thought at first that she might suffer from a mild form of retardation, the way that she behaved and moved. But, after spending more time watching her interact with the larger flock, it has become apparent that she is blind. Anyone else ever raised a blind duck?

 

[whitt910]

I have not, but I do have a friend that has. If the duck gets along well with it's flock mates then leave her where she is. I'm sure she's got another duck that is helping her around. I wouldn't change things around too much in the enclosure due to the fact that she is blind she knows where the food and water is currently. If she starts getting picked on maybe you could move her and another duck that is either helping her or gets along with her to another smaller enclosure where it is just them. She will need extra care just to make sure she's doing okay and not losing weight, but I would think that she's made it this long in your flock and should do just fine. Good luck!

 

[mlward]

That is what I will have to do. I had kept the juveniles in their own area of the 400 sq ft pen and had always put the food and water in the same place. But, a couple days ago, I banded the juveniles and opened that area up, allowing them to join the flock. Well, it had only been an hour or so when I heard a ruckus in the pen. I have 4 juvenile buff american geese and one of them had cornered the little blind girl in one of the dog crates that they sleep and lay in. She couldn't seem to figure out how to run around the legs of the goose and get away. That's when I realized she was blind. So, I enclose the area she was familiar with again and put in another of her siblings for company. I'll probably just give her and a sibling their own area. She's a pretty girl!

 

[whitt910]

Sounds like you are on the right track. My friend kept chickens and ducks together and the reason her poor duck is blind is cause the chicken pecked it's eyes out. If you have room to give her her own area would be awesome. Good luck I hope that is all works out well.

 

[mlward]

Awww! Poor duck! I do have a few bantam chickens in with the ducks, but they don't bother them. Just the geese for some reason want to go after just the blind one. Even when I put her back in her own enclosure, the geese went over to her fence and honked and chattered at her. Odd, because they don't pay any attention to the other ducks. They seem to know she is different.

 

[whitt910]

Aww poor girl. I'm sure they do know she's different. I mean mothers know when something is wrong with their babies when they're born and will kick them out so I wouldn't see why the geese wouldn't know that she's different. It's nice of you to keep her and not euthanize her or give her away. She's lucky to have you as a parent.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Aww poor girl. I'm sure they do know she's different. I mean mothers know when something is wrong with their babies when they're born and will kick them out so I wouldn't see why the geese wouldn't know that she's different. It's nice of you to keep her and not euthanize her or give her away. She's lucky to have you as a parent.

X2

 

[mrmirk]

X2

That is what I will have to do. I had kept the juveniles in their own area of the 400 sq ft pen and had always put the food and water in the same place. But, a couple days ago, I banded the juveniles and opened that area up, allowing them to join the flock. Well, it had only been an hour or so when I heard a ruckus in the pen. I have 4 juvenile buff american geese and one of them had cornered the little blind girl in one of the dog crates that they sleep and lay in. She couldn't seem to figure out how to run around the legs of the goose and get away. That's when I realized she was blind. So, I enclose the area she was familiar with again and put in another of her siblings for company. I'll probably just give her and a sibling their own area. She's a pretty girl!

I recently was sold a black Swedish that was supposed to be a female, turns out it’s a boy lol anyway he was quiet to start as I expected also didn’t really move around a lot but two days later he had a runny nostril and since I fit him his one eye was blurry so I started to give him vitamins and minerals etc. his nose and eye cleared up but I noticed he was still off. I thought he was sick, just sat around and when he did move he just constantly walks with his beak scouring the ground but not really picking anything up. From the start I could and still can’t get him to eat any hard food at all. I have to make it in to soup and put his beak in it then he starts savagely picking at it and eventually through the day eats most of it but only if I give it to him. The woman I hit him from said he ate pellets but there’s no way I can get him to. His eyes both look fine no bliss or sheen or puss it anything but I think he might be blind. He doesn’t blink or budge when you come up to him wave your hands at him nothing. So I’ve been keeping in the pen instead of letting him free range with anyone else. If I do let him free range he just wanders around aimlessly all day long with his head to the ground scouring. He also doesn’t really seem to know to preen. It gets cold where o am in the winter and I’m worried he’s not going to make it because none of my other ducks help him out and he really doesn’t seem to even know they are there . He doesn’t go in to the coop when it’s cold or raining so you find him disking wet laying outside. I don’t really know what to do.

 

[Miss Lydia]

He will need to always be kept where he can find food and water so make sure you keep it in the same place always. Teach him where his food is some use a clicker I have an old mini dachshund who is blind and I have taught him where his food is by whistling. He should never be left to wander around unsupervised. A small enclosed pen and some type of shelter so he can easily get in an out of. It takes a bit of work to keep an animal that's handicapped but it can be done. A lean to with 3 sides and a sloped roof would work with bedding inside could keep him dry and out of the cold.