angel wing?

[jaimetverde]

hi, i have raised many chickens but am new to ducks. i am worried that a couple of my cayugas might be showing signs of angle wing but just really don't know. they are growing their wing feathers right now and i can't tell if they are coming in properly. on 2 of the ducks the tips don't appear to be laying perfectly flat against the body. they are not sticking out at an angle, but just not completely flat. they are almost 5 weeks old and have been on beaver brand all purpose poultry/waterfowl mix (18% protein) the whole time. this is what the store recommended i give them and said i could give it to them their entire lives if i wanted. but after doing some reading, it seems that around the 3 week mark i should have started giving them a lower protein diet, like around 14%?

can anyone tell if these wings look healthy or not?

also, what should i be feeding them?

thanks for any help. its really appreciated.

 

[Amiga]

Can you (I know it is difficult) get a photo looking straight at the duck? I don't see anything odd with the wing feathers coming in from this photo. They can seem a little non-standard at first.

 

[jaimetverde]

Amiga, thanks for responding. here is the best i could do. this is happening to 2 of my ducks, and with one, it is only the left wing. the tips are pretty much sticking straight up, and slightly out away from the body.

 

[Amiga]

I would give it a couple more days - when wing feathers come in they can look weird.

Meanwhile, there is a thread somewhere in the archives on how to wrap angel wing. If you need to, please be careful, since if they are wrapped too tightly you can cut the blood circulation, a very serious problem.

 

[TamiC]

They seem fine to me. We have 5 ducklings also just shy of 5 weeks old and they look very similar.

If they're getting exercise (looks like they are) and you have them outside where they can forage (it looks like you do), I don't see that they would get it. At this age, we like to supplement their feed with bugs and worms, watermelon rinds, dandelions (our ducks LOVE dandelions dropped into their pool), clover, garden scraps like broccoli leaves, pea pods (chopped) and our old pea plants If you give them lots to supplement the commercial feed, the higher protein won't be a problem.

 

[jaimetverde]

thank you both for you responses! i will keep an eye on them and see how it goes. i have the supplies to wrap them if i need. i think/hope i am just being overly concerned as i have never raised ducks before.

yes i take them outside for most of the afternoon to about a 10 foot circle with some chicken wire around it in the grass, then back to a very large brooder at night. but by next week they should have all their feathers in and i will begin putting them into a divided coop with my chickens for a week or so so they can get to know each other without beating each other up. after that they will be able to run freely on about 20 acres including a pond. they should be some pretty happy ducks!

 

[Duckling13]

Hi I have a 5 ducks all at different ages and my oldest duck Jessie her wings look like the pictures you posted. I was wondering the same thing, but I took a closer look at her wings and I think it is just the primary feathers coming in......I think, just have to wait and see