Any help for bad wet feather (Muscovy)?

[Scovyfive]

So I'm relatively new to ducks and still learning. I have 7 muscovies. Four since they were ducklings and 3 I got at 3 months old. They are all 7 months old now. My 3 girls from a separate flock are all doing great. My 4 originals are all developing wet feather. This is my drake Jack, he is by far the worst.
I have read quite a bit about what can cause it and how to treat it.
All of my birds bathe at least every other day. So far none of them are water shy. They do preen, but I do notice that they don't rub their oil gland as much as maybe they should.
They are free range and have good nutrition.
Today I brought in both of my girls and bathed them and blow dried them. They did not get dry even remotely after 15mn. Their feathers just remained wet stuck together. I fluffed them and dried them as best I could and locked them up in the coop to preen.
I checked both of their oil glands. They were not swollen or red at all. The one had very yellow feathers around the gland, the other did not have very yellow feathers. They both did not appear to be producing much oil, but I did get oil on my fingers while doing the exam.

My question is, has anyone successful treated wet feather when it has gotten as bad as the duck in the photo?

I hesitate to bring this guy in and drown er bathe him. My girls did ok, much to my surprise. But they made a huge wet mess in the bathroom. This guy, I can't even imagine....
I'm willing to try, but I really want to know if anyone has been able to reverse or even help a case this severe. Or any case at all. It is wet and muddy season here. I can't keep these birds contained all day they might kill each other. But it makes me so sad to see them slipping into this condition.
Any helpful advice is appreciated.

 

[Isaac 0]

Here some information on treating wet feather:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/i-adopted-a-handicap-duck.1441153/post-23899872

Compared to other breeds Muscovies tend to be not as enthusiastic to get in the water, subsequently, they are more predisposed to developing feather problems associated with lack of water. Having a bird with an existing problem that discourages regular bathing can make matters much worse, so oftentimes it comes down to the owner's will to keep up hygiene practices.

In a normal situation, the feathers on the surrounding the duck would be well oiled with the oils that come from their preening gland (uropygial), located pygostyle on the duck - posterior to the ducks back. Almost all stimulation to distribute the oils across the feathers comes when the bird in water; when not in water very rarely do you see a duck distributing oils across its feathers. It's likely your bird has not been distributing the oils across its feathers so the microscopic interlocking barbules are not anymore interlocking which allows moisture penetration into the down.

Regaining oil distribution over the feathers consists of steadily introducing water back into the duck's daily life. During cold weather, letting the duck bathe in water can create hypothermic conditions; so instead, you may mist the duck's feather gently with a mister. During periods of warm days, letting the duck swim in water supervised would be good. A quick look at the bird's oil gland to ensure it's not clogged or infected may be a good idea. A warm compress to the oil glad can often be beneficial in getting it back up and "running".

Nutrition plays a key role in overall health, and feather development. For a bird her age, feeding an all flock feed, flock raiser, or Mazuri Waterfowl feed would be good. Access to greens, sunlight will also prove their usefulness in the long run. Whenever there is some sort of leg problem on one leg that creates more pressure on the opposing leg which increases the chance of conditions such as pododermatitis developing; you'll want to check the bottom of her foot pads every month or two to ensure there are no sores of any kind devloping.

It is unlikely you will be able to regain full feather quality until the birds preform a full molt.

 

[Scovyfive]

Thank you for the link! I had not run across it in my research. Very helpful!