Are her wings supposed to be doing this?? Image included

[chickensarefamily2me2]

My specialty is chickens, not ducks. So when a family friend finds a 2-3 day old duckling trying to cross the highway, she takes it to me. I love Gertrude, but I don't know much about her. Her wings are odd, and I'm getting worried. Is is Angel wing? My feed bag says to feed her this food for 18 weeks... It's Purina Flock Raiser, and I would feel HORRIBLE if my feed store told me wrong. They said it would be okay...
She is five to six weeks old. If you can Identify her, that would be awesome!!!

 

[mandelyn]

That's angel wing. I have two wrapped up now even after being paranoid on the feed, they're on a lower protein grower instead of starter as well.

You need to get some vet wrap (or the type for people at the drug store) and wrap the duck. She'll hate it. But it's the only way at fixing it as far as I can tell.

You'll need to separate her from the others. Set the wings how they are supposed to be, and start the wrap about in the middle of her body. Then go up twice, down twice, at an angle, so that it is farther down her back than over her thighs, so that walking isn't too hard. Like if you're looking at her from the side, the wrap would appear to be on her at a 45 degree angle, more of her back covered than her belly.

It's hard to get it right, too tight will constrict the breathing so you need to watch for that, too loose and she'll be out of it in no time. I had to rewrap mine 4 times until I got it on tight enough but still loose enough not to inhibit them in breathing or walking around.

They're on day 3 of treatment. Last time they escaped the wrap I did see some improvement in how they were holding their wings. So hopefully this works.

Keep them out of water, an additional reason for the separation. Mine were very upset, I had to go get "their" chicken and put her with them, all 3 were upset about it. But they have settled down into the routine now. I just feel bad for them.

I'm unsure of how long they were the wrap. I was going to take it off and re-do it on the 7th day and see what it looks like and go from there.

Be sure to leave the wrap off the front of the belly, but at an angle so as to get the "shoulder" of the wing, otherwise they can pull the wing out. I wasn't sure about how the wrap would affect food digestion, so it's behind their bellies. My ducks showed me every which way they can escape over the last 5 days. The wrap only stayed on consistently for the last 3 days, but I've been trying for 5.

 

[Boggy Bottom Bantams]

yes, get her off that feed and on a lower protein food. That is angel wing for sure.
Hi protein and hi carb feeds put too much on them during this development period (while the wings are growing an feathering) the result is too much weight and not enough muscle to support it, ( a short and skinny version of what angel wing is)

also feeds low in calcium and magnesium (meant for bone growth) are problems.
90% it too high of protein, so cut that back 5% or so. 15% tops...those 18%-20% or higher feeds will do it every time.
For now , you many be able to still fix it, doesnt look too far along.
You'll need to get some wrappings and bandage it up tight in a normal folded wing position. Will take a couple weeks to correct. Keep the bandages on and tight and it should straighten back out.

Worst case, you cant fix it...it doesnt harm the bird, they will just look funky with their wings sticking up in the air.

After all is done growing, angel wing really isnt a problem, it's just during this 2-18 week growth period that you have to really watch it.

as far as ID ing her, if you meant species, well need a full pic for that, but 99.9% sure it's a mallard

 

[chickensarefamily2me2]

She won't sit still!!! And how are they supposed to face???? Going back to my hometown in three days, and then her original finders get to see her. Oh gawd... And I'm going ape over my feed store! I will kick each and every one of them!

I won't get to keep her either! She has to go, according to my Dad. He says Ducks are too messy. I don't mind the extra work. But Dad minds the money spent.......

 

[Boggy Bottom Bantams]

hate to hear all that, not one to get inbetween a person and their dad, but 1 duck isnt messy , 50 ducks yes Lord that' messy.
as for the wings, kinda hard to explain, if you have any other birds, just catch one and look at them, they are all pretty much the same.
Basically consider your arm a wing, now fold it up, wrist towards your shoulder, hand pointing down toward your elbow....pretty much like that.
basically you need to flatten that curling up tip section out.
Catch her up, work the wing in and out a little, you'll see how it folds up.
Once you wrap the wing, you need to pay special attention to the tip (her hand joint) wrap it to the " arm" bone section of the wing and make sure it lays flat.
This is the only way to correct it once it's started, and if the bones are starting to harden already, it may just be too late.
Good luck. If you have any more questions feel free to ask, will try my best to help you out.

 

[jojo@rolling acres farm]

Plain old first aid tape works the best for me. It seems easier to work with on smaller duck bodies. You can also get a water resistant type medical tape which seems to work well. Right now, I have two Call Ducks wrapped and we're making really good progress.

Good Luck & I hope your Dad will reconsider.

Joni

 

[chickensarefamily2me2]

I went online to look at other wrapping photos for angel wing, and I tried this one:

Is it wrong? Too tight? What happens of the bones harden that way? Me too, Joni, me too. If her wings don't fix, then I'll probably have to beg Dad to let me keep her....

 

[Denninmi]

It looks like a very good wrapping job and should work. I just removed the tape from my young gander. After almost 2 weeks of taping him up, he looks like he's past angel wing. I'll see how the wings look tomorrow, but tonight there was no droop or twist.

I had an awful time keeping any kind of medical tape on. The first week, he spent more time with the wrapping off than on. I finally gave up and used duct tape. Worked great, and it wasn't nearly as hard to remove as I feared it would be -- I had to snip the ends off a few smaller feathers. Feathers grow back in a few months, angel wing would be permanent.

 

[Boggy Bottom Bantams]

yep looks good, just keep those tip joints folded back like they are supposed to be, tight against the body, not curling or drooping.
If they harden that way once they are dont growing (right now they are mainly cartilage) then what happens is they just have a permanent curl to their wings, no cure of fix for it then. The duck will be fine from it, nothing deadly or anything, just looks funky

 

[mandelyn]

Yeah it's hard to get them wrapped, but I can do it by myself now. The first time I needed husband to wrap while I held the duck, but both boys have settled into the routine and don't fight me much on it now. I wonder if my feed is too low in calcium and that's what caused it.

You may need to move the wrap farther down her body if she escapes that one. Or add more wrap, I found myself using more and more each time they escaped until they stopped getting out of it. I also started adding a piece of duct tape on the end since Coco was able to find the end and start peeling it off. Smart ducks!

I think these boys will be super tame by the time this is done. They're adjusting well. Their chicken, she's with them too for moral support, she flies up onto the top of the cage and walks over to sit and watch me wrap them. She's such a silly bird!

That's upsetting you can't keep her, just be sure that where she goes next continues to keep her wrapped up. Last night I redid one of them because the wrap had shifted, and there was great improvement.