Another Duck with a Hurt Foot Question:

[Darkjeweler]

Ok, so this morning I was out in the run and one of the drakes was standing on one foot and when he walked looked like he was favoring it. I picked him up and turned him over and looked at his foot. The entire inside toe is swollen. There appear to be no breaks in the skin and no indications of bumble foot.. He did not complain too much while I was checking him over.

The drakes have been chasing each other around pretty hard lately, all I can figure is that perhaps he whacked it real hard against something while he was trying to get away from another drake and maybe broke something.

What is my best course of action? Leave it alone? Bring him in for a warm bath? Try to see if the local feed store has some antibiotics to toss in the communal water?

 

[70%cocoa]

Sorry that your drake is hurt. It is possible that he has broken the toe.

I'd wash his foot (just give him a bath in clean water) and check for any breaks in the skin.

If there are breaks in the skin then apply an antibacterial like Blue-Kote or Betadine. If it does get infected then he will need antibiotics from a vet - but just keep an eye on it at first and keep it as clean as you can. Don't give general antibiotics to the whole flock. The antibiotics from a feed store are usually pretty ineffective in foot injuries - foot injuries need heavy duty stuff.

Regardless of whether the skin is broken, try to keep him on a clean level surface within sight of his buddies but penned alone without other ducks to harrass him or make him run. Broken bones usually take only a few weeks to heal in birds.

If you took him to a vet then I'd also be asking for some anti-inflammatories to help with the pain and reduce inflammation - Metacam is one that is used for birds.

Let us know how he goes!

 

[cskotek]

That had happend to the smaller runner duck that i had, favoring the one foot the middle toe was all swollen and obviously enlarged compared to the other foot. Looked online and thought the culprit was bumble foot, gave it a bath in salt water and got really nervous that it wasnt going away fast... Took it to a vet about an hour away, he didnt think it was bumble foot, so with that i got her an x-ray... 86 dollers and an hour drive one way to find it was a already healing broken toe and that the vet couldnt do anything for her... I felt better knowing for shure what it was but still felt like that was alot of money used for a already healing toe. -.- So id sit on it for about 3 weeks and see if the sweeling goes down, but if signs of infection like cracking and ooze id get him some antibotics and go from there.

 

[Darkjeweler]

Well, I do have some Doxycyclene that I have left over from something. Yesterday, I confined the drake, and a girl that has been getting overly picked on during mating, in the pen while everyone else was left to freerange. I broke open a Doxy cap and mixed the contents with water in a shallow bowl and tossed in some spinach leaves.. The two ducks thought it was treat time and downed a bunch of the water and greens. I will probably do it again for the next few nights.

I feel sorry for a couple of the girls, the boys have just been relentless.. They keep pecking around the eyes during mating and one girl has scabs around her eyes and it is all swollen and the eye is foaming. I just hope she does not go blind from the abuse... Two of the worst offenders have been confined in the Guinea coop for the day. Too much fighting between drakes.. I see freezer camp in a couple of their short term futures..

 

[Darkjeweler]

Though I do like my ducks a lot, I can not see spending $86 or more to fix a $4 duck. If he does not get better, I will just have to see how he tastes.

 

[70%cocoa]

It's good that you have separated those ducks. It sounds like you really need to protect your girls from the attention of the boys. Keep the girls and boys totally separate until your girls heal, and then, once they are better, keep most of the boys in a 'bachelor pen' with only one drake in with the girls.

Or get rid of your excess drakes.

If your drakes are harming your girls then you need to be 'top drake' and take action to ensure that the girls are not getting hurt