Angel wing must be genetic . Right??

[Going Quackers]

There is a calculator on Metzers website...

http://www.metzerfarms.com/FeedConversion.cfm?CustID=1092281

 

[new2ducks]

well my one duck has angel wing and (she???) is just beautiful! I didn't wrap it because of our excessive heat we had here and she was really traumatized when we first did, I didn't want to see her so stressed out! She's family and we just love her and when I found out that there is no pain with the angel wing I'm ok with it. I gave my ducklings the protein amount I was told and then they also have their free range and fresh water and "messy" pool water so it could really be a number of things. I'm not going to drive myself crazy over it...I tend to overthink things so I guess this is one of my lessons in not overthinking...lol

 

[Oregon Blues]

I suspect it is some sort of genetic problem Either poor attachment of the wing tip, or weak ligaments.

A few individual cases are not proof of anything, but this is my experience with angel wing.

I hatched shipped eggs and got two goslings. They have received normal care, the same as all the rest of my waterfowl (and I take very good care of my birds). One of the goslings had a wing tip that was quite floppy. It twisted out of position even before there were any feather stubs appearing. The wing tip is actually rotated so that it is on the wing upside down. It just flops loose like there is no attachment to the rest of the wing.

The other gosling has a hunched wing. The wing is carried too high over the back. It is on the same side as the angel wing on her brother.

Both of those guys are going into the freezer. Whatever their issue is with their wings, I don't want it added to my breeding stock.

My other experience with angel wing is this: I am raising a turkey and the turkey has a pet duck to keep him company. Turkeys must have 28% feed when they are little poults. There is no way to separate feed. So the duckling gets 28% feed.

I assumed that 28% feed would ruin the wings of the duckling and the duckling would be sacrificed to the freezer for her good deed of raising my turkey for me.

I was wrong. The duckling has perfect wings. Other than being a bit too pudgy with better food than she should be eating, she glows with good health. She is hatched out of my own flock of Appleyards, where I pay close attention to the quality of the wings, among lots of other things, and nobody makes it into the breeding flock if they have any sort of health or temperament issue.

I still raise my ducks and geese carefully, and still reduce protein while they are growing their wing feathers, but I suspect that a bird with good genetics is going to have good wings. A bird with the wrong genetics can have weak wings that are subject to injury.

 

[jamband]

Not sure about the percentage cut but many people add rolled oats to cut down on protein.

There is a calculator on Metzers website...

http://www.metzerfarms.com/FeedConversion.cfm?CustID=1092281

to gets oats to drop protein to 15% is a 50 50 mix.......that has to throw off nutrient levels too.

 

[jamband]

I suspect it is some sort of genetic problem Either poor attachment of the wing tip, or weak ligaments.

A few individual cases are not proof of anything, but this is my experience with angel wing.

I hatched shipped eggs and got two goslings. They have received normal care, the same as all the rest of my waterfowl (and I take very good care of my birds). One of the goslings had a wing tip that was quite floppy. It twisted out of position even before there were any feather stubs appearing. The wing tip is actually rotated so that it is on the wing upside down. It just flops loose like there is no attachment to the rest of the wing.

The other gosling has a hunched wing. The wing is carried too high over the back. It is on the same side as the angel wing on her brother.

Both of those guys are going into the freezer. Whatever their issue is with their wings, I don't want it added to my breeding stock.

My other experience with angel wing is this: I am raising a turkey and the turkey has a pet duck to keep him company. Turkeys must have 28% feed when they are little poults. There is no way to separate feed. So the duckling gets 28% feed.

I assumed that 28% feed would ruin the wings of the duckling and the duckling would be sacrificed to the freezer for her good deed of raising my turkey for me.

I was wrong. The duckling has perfect wings. Other than being a bit too pudgy with better food than she should be eating, she glows with good health. She is hatched out of my own flock of Appleyards, where I pay close attention to the quality of the wings, among lots of other things, and nobody makes it into the breeding flock if they have any sort of health or temperament issue.

I still raise my ducks and geese carefully, and still reduce protein while they are growing their wing feathers, but I suspect that a bird with good genetics is going to have good wings. A bird with the wrong genetics can have weak wings that are subject to injury.

Thas kind of where I am at now. Send them to the freezer take there genetic out

 

[keeperofthehearth]

I suspect it is some sort of genetic problem Either poor attachment of the wing tip, or weak ligaments.

A few individual cases are not proof of anything, but this is my experience with angel wing.

I hatched shipped eggs and got two goslings. They have received normal care, the same as all the rest of my waterfowl (and I take very good care of my birds). One of the goslings had a wing tip that was quite floppy. It twisted out of position even before there were any feather stubs appearing. The wing tip is actually rotated so that it is on the wing upside down. It just flops loose like there is no attachment to the rest of the wing.

The other gosling has a hunched wing. The wing is carried too high over the back. It is on the same side as the angel wing on her brother.

Both of those guys are going into the freezer. Whatever their issue is with their wings, I don't want it added to my breeding stock.

My other experience with angel wing is this: I am raising a turkey and the turkey has a pet duck to keep him company. Turkeys must have 28% feed when they are little poults. There is no way to separate feed. So the duckling gets 28% feed.

I assumed that 28% feed would ruin the wings of the duckling and the duckling would be sacrificed to the freezer for her good deed of raising my turkey for me.

I was wrong. The duckling has perfect wings. Other than being a bit too pudgy with better food than she should be eating, she glows with good health. She is hatched out of my own flock of Appleyards, where I pay close attention to the quality of the wings, among lots of other things, and nobody makes it into the breeding flock if they have any sort of health or temperament issue.

I still raise my ducks and geese carefully, and still reduce protein while they are growing their wing feathers, but I suspect that a bird with good genetics is going to have good wings. A bird with the wrong genetics can have weak wings that are subject to injury.

I'm beginning to agree w/this premise. I have a young Scovy hen that began displaying angle wing about 1 month ago. BOTH wing tips began sticking OUT away fm her body. She was the only one showing signs of angle wing. I watched it to be sure it wasn't just droop fm her flight feathers but it was def. sticking out not flopping down. I caught her and tried the wrap business....

spent a good part of the morning with that and after much trauma on both our parts..... gave up and decided to just clip her flight feathers back once they were all the way in so that they wouldn't stick out so far and cause trouble. I don't know exactly how or what happened but once I got the stocking off her ...

...and she'd toddled off w/the flock, I noticed one wing began laying flatter across her body. I watched it over the next day or so and sure enough it "stayed in place". Sooo one wing to go. She started exercising her wings flapping around w/the other girls her age and low and behold it is now all better. Back in place where it belongs and beautiful!

 

[Going Quackers]

I suspect it is some sort of genetic problem Either poor attachment of the wing tip, or weak ligaments.

A few individual cases are not proof of anything, but this is my experience with angel wing.

I hatched shipped eggs and got two goslings. They have received normal care, the same as all the rest of my waterfowl (and I take very good care of my birds). One of the goslings had a wing tip that was quite floppy. It twisted out of position even before there were any feather stubs appearing. The wing tip is actually rotated so that it is on the wing upside down. It just flops loose like there is no attachment to the rest of the wing.

The other gosling has a hunched wing. The wing is carried too high over the back. It is on the same side as the angel wing on her brother.

Both of those guys are going into the freezer. Whatever their issue is with their wings, I don't want it added to my breeding stock.

My other experience with angel wing is this: I am raising a turkey and the turkey has a pet duck to keep him company. Turkeys must have 28% feed when they are little poults. There is no way to separate feed. So the duckling gets 28% feed.

I assumed that 28% feed would ruin the wings of the duckling and the duckling would be sacrificed to the freezer for her good deed of raising my turkey for me.

I was wrong. The duckling has perfect wings. Other than being a bit too pudgy with better food than she should be eating, she glows with good health. She is hatched out of my own flock of Appleyards, where I pay close attention to the quality of the wings, among lots of other things, and nobody makes it into the breeding flock if they have any sort of health or temperament issue.

I still raise my ducks and geese carefully, and still reduce protein while they are growing their wing feathers, but I suspect that a bird with good genetics is going to have good wings. A bird with the wrong genetics can have weak wings that are subject to injury.

This is an interesting occurrence to read about, I do feel it has to go beyond feeds because of it happening with birds that are raised the same as others who don't exhibit any signs, it's a difficult one clearly a definite grey area issue.

 

[Going Quackers]

to gets oats to drop protein to 15% is a 50 50 mix.......that has to throw off nutrient levels too.

I think it would depend on what your starting with.. if i do the calculation based on their oats being 11% a 50lb bag mixing it with my 18% flock raiser to gain a 16% protein this is what it tells me

"You will need to mix 20 pounds of 11% feed with your 50 pounds of 18% feed to get 16% Feed." . Storeys guide to ducks says between 5-25% for adding oats, quite a range true but gives an idea anyways.

 

[destinduck]

My opinion is that the main factor is too much protien. Other factors are exercise (like being kept in too small of a pen when the wings are developing. And yes I also think some birds have a predisposed genetic thing going for them that makes them more apt to get it than others. Thats why unless its a rare species I am definitely not going to use the bird for breeding and so most the time just put them down.

 

[jamband]

I think it would depend on what your starting with.. if i do the calculation based on their oats being 11% a 50lb bag mixing it with my 18% flock raiser to gain a 16% protein this is what it tells me

"You will need to mix 20 pounds of 11% feed with your 50 pounds of 18% feed to get 16% Feed." . Storeys guide to ducks says between 5-25% for adding oats, quite a range true but gives an idea anyways.

that was starting with 19% starter and dropping to 15% ......the calc. says add 50lbs oats to 50 lbs of feed......I am not comfortable with that diet at all