Angel wing in ducks

[kimkan1]

My 5 wk old duckling has angel wing I have tried to bind it twice but can't get it to stay on. How will affect it if I leave it alone?

 

[Ravynscroft]

If it isn't corrected the entire tip of the wing stays twisted and will stick straight out for life... catching it on things could cause pain and also fhe duck will never fly, if it's not a heavy breed that doesn't already... did you use vet wrap? It's a bit difficult, but it has to be wrapped snug since they have so much floof it looks like it's squeezing them but it really doesn't...

 

[Cherib603]

Can someone tell me at what age the threat of Angel Wing has passed? I mean, if your duck makes it to X age of development and has not developed it, then they are not going to.

 

[Orca5094]

Can someone tell me at what age the threat of Angel Wing has passed? I mean, if your duck makes it to X age of development and has not developed it, then they are not going to.

When they are full grown it is no longer an issue. Angel wing is only able to develop while the duckling's wings are initially growing and developing. So, I'd say after they are around 2 months old (after their flight feathers have fully grown in for the first time) the risk is gone.

 

[Orca5094]

My 5 wk old duckling has angel wing I have tried to bind it twice but can't get it to stay on. How will affect it if I leave it alone?

What have you been wrapping the wing with? Vet wrap works great, but you have to wrap it around the wing properly for it to stay in place and not slip off so easily. I can't find the video that shows the best way to wrap for angel wing, but you basically get a strip of Vet Wrap and wrap it around the wing tip that is sticking out once, then pull the remaining length of vet wrap gently up behind the wing (so it is gently pulling the wing tip back into place), then wrap the strip around the front of the wing and back behind it again. I have also added a strip of bandaging tape on top of the Vet Wrap at this point with a bird who kept slipping their wrap off. You can have just a tiny bit of the edge of the tape touching the feathers so that it cannot be slipped off so easily. But not too much tape on feathers of course because then you can't get it off without ripping out feathers. This part is just a last resort if regular wrapping continues to get pulled off by the duck.

Man, wish I could find that video of the wrapping because it was great!

Did that all make sense?

 

[Cherib603]

Orca5094
When they are full grown it is no longer an issue. Angel wing is only able to develop while the duckling's wings are initially growing and developing. So, I'd say after they are around 2 months old (after their flight feathers have fully grown in for the first time) the risk is gone.

Thank you for the info!

 

[kimkan1]

I used vet wrap and wrapped both wings to the body, but I felt it was too tight and he couldn't even stand up. I have watched a few videos, the ducks in them are so calm I don't know how they get them to sit still. He is so freaked out and squirming around I can't get get it wrapped well. I am so frusterated! I am going to buy more vet wrap and try one more time and then just leave it alone. I hate stressing him out.

 

[Ravynscroft]

I used vet wrap and wrapped both wings to the body, but I felt it was too tight and he couldn't even stand up.  I have watched a few videos, the ducks in them are so calm I  don't know how they get them to sit still.  He is so freaked out and squirming around I can't get get it wrapped well. I am so frusterated! I am going to buy more vet wrap and try one more time and then just leave it alone.  I hate stressing him out.

He will freak out for a few minutes and might even flop around a bit and act like you're killing him but he'll adjust... it takes a few minutes though... once he adjusts he will be fine...

I had one that flopped around like a landed fish for about 5 or 10 mins... as soon as she stopped and sat still for a bit, she stood up and was fine... they will play on your sympathies but be strong, you are doing what is best... just make sure there's nothing he might injure himself on nearby when you finish....

 

[Orca5094]

I used vet wrap and wrapped both wings to the body, but I felt it was too tight and he couldn't even stand up. I have watched a few videos, the ducks in them are so calm I don't know how they get them to sit still. He is so freaked out and squirming around I can't get get it wrapped well. I am so frusterated! I am going to buy more vet wrap and try one more time and then just leave it alone. I hate stressing him out.

Do you have someone around that could help you by holding the duck for you while you wrap? That will make it SO much easier for an unruly, squirmy duck. You could also try covering their head with a towel while you try to wrap the wing, that typically calms them down when they can't see what's going on. Good luck!

 

[patolocoeggs]

I had a 5 week old Ancona duck that starting shows Angel Wing in his left wing. At the time he was living in a 8' x 10' fenced enclosure with 9 of his siblings. None of them showed any problems. I still had them eating Flock Raiser 20%. I immediately switched them all to 16% feed and I let them out of their enclosure during the daylight hours. I usually wait to let younger ducks out with the adults until they are 7-8 weeks old. I decided to let him exercise and swim all day along with eating the lower protein food for at least a week before attempting to wrap his wing. After a week I saw the wing improving. Now, after 2 weeks, his wing has grown by itself back to normal position. I figured I still had a few more weeks of him growing in case the wing didn't improve and I would have to wrap it. I attached pictures of his week at 5 wks old and then at 7 wks old. I hope this helps anyone that is not sure about wrapping the Angel Wing. You could try what I did, as long as the duck is young enough. Good luck!