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.

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