Are some duck breeds smellier than others?

[WannaBeHillBilly]

Hi Friends,

i have a silly sounding question, see the title of this thread.
I am keeping ducks for over four years now and there is a distinct »duck smell« that is being emanated from the oils they use to preen themselves. If you ever had the chance to hold a duck, you know this smell, but...
I have raised a bunch of ducklings this year, Buff Orpingtons, White Layers, Black and Blue Swedish and as soon as they reached their teen age (i call them ducknagers then) i started to notice that smell.
Smell is polite for they stink…
For example: I was mowing grass for hay yesterday and the hedge trimmer i abuse as sickle-bar mower is very loud, so i could not have heart the ducknagers approach, but i suddenly smelled them. Turned around and there they were sifting through the grass, foraging for seeds and insects.
My prime suspects for emanating that smell are the Black Swedish ducks, in bright sunshine they look, hmm, oily? They are so waterproof, that after bathing they just hop out of the tub, shake their feathers and - dry!
I have heart about under-active oil-glands in ducks, causing "wet-feather", but is there something like an over-active oil-gland, causing "oily feathers"?
Ever heart about something like that?

 

[Miss Lydia]

Nope never even noticed much of a smell from my ducks.

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

Nope never even noticed much of a smell from my ducks.

First time i noticed that smell was when i had to soak Bazilla Duck's feet in a bucket before treating her bumble foot:

When i got her out of that bucket, that musky ducky smell was very intense.

 

[Canadian Wind]

If there is a smell, it's covered up by their poop smell over here...

Sorry, I haven't really noticed it either. With two hatchlings growing up in my trailer, I'll let you know, though, once they reach their ducknager age.

 

[ruthhope]

I have one stinky duck: a muscovy drake that has a phobia of going into the wading pool. I hose him down when he gets to ripe!! All the rest, muscovy and pekins just have a mild ducky smell. I love sitting up close and cuddling them.

I read that a side effect of covid in 10% of folks is long term hypersensitivity to smells and many normal smells being distorted into unpleasant smells. Might you have this problem to explain the situation?

 

[Plague]

Hi Friends,

i have a silly sounding question, see the title of this thread.
I am keeping ducks for over four years now and there is a distinct »duck smell« that is being emanated from the oils they use to preen themselves. If you ever had the chance to hold a duck, you know this smell, but...
I have raised a bunch of ducklings this year, Buff Orpingtons, White Layers, Black and Blue Swedish and as soon as they reached their teen age (i call them ducknagers then) i started to notice that smell.
Smell is polite for they stink…
For example: I was mowing grass for hay yesterday and the hedge trimmer i abuse as sickle-bar mower is very loud, so i could not have heart the ducknagers approach, but i suddenly smelled them. Turned around and there they were sifting through the grass, foraging for seeds and insects.
My prime suspects for emanating that smell are the Black Swedish ducks, in bright sunshine they look, hmm, oily? They are so waterproof, that after bathing they just hop out of the tub, shake their feathers and - dry!
I have heart about under-active oil-glands in ducks, causing "wet-feather", but is there something like an over-active oil-gland, causing "oily feathers"?
Ever heart about something like that?

So far with my experience mine really don’t smell. Atleast not the adults. I mean their poop is pretty disgusting smelling, but them haven’t really noticed it.

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

I have one stinky duck: a muscovy drake that has a phobia of going into the wading pool. I hose him down when he gets to ripe!! All the rest, muscovy and pekins just have a mild ducky smell. I love sitting up close and cuddling them.

I read that a side effect of covid in 10% of folks is long term hypersensitivity to smells and many normal smells being distorted into unpleasant smells. Might you have this problem to explain the situation?

That is an interesting thought! - I have been forced to get the "vaccination" in 2021 and have not paid attention to this topic anymore since then. On the other hand that would mean a selective smell hypersensitivity has happened to me. (?)

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

So far with my experience mine really don’t smell. Atleast not the adults. I mean their poop is pretty disgusting smelling, but them haven’t really noticed it.

I got used to the smell of the duck poop, except for the cases they have eaten too much protein, in which case their poop really stinks.

 

[ruthhope]

That is an interesting thought! - I have been forced to get the "vaccination" in 2021 and have not paid attention to this topic anymore since then. On the other hand that would mean a selective smell hypersensitivity has happened to me. (?)

Yes it might be. The one that most people complain about [not necesarily the most common selective smell distortion] is food smelling awful leading to loss of appetite. Probably there aren't that many folks who selectively smell distorted duck smells!! My husband -- don't tell him I told you -- now finds the smell of his own poo so awful, that he puts on a mask and a towel over his lap when he is sitting on the toilet.

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

Definitely the Black Swedish ducks!
They are definitely the "smellers"!
I was watering in the strawberry garden - believe it or not, temperatures are below 20° (67F) here but the air is so dry, it sucks the moisture out of the soil like a dehumidifier.
Anyways, i was watering the garden when the ducknagers came running: Quack! Quaaakack! Quax! - Translates to: We want a shower too!
So i watered the White Layers who tried to catch water drops out of the air.
Then i watered the Buff Orpingtons and the Blue Swedish ducks who flapped their wings in the shower.
Finally i started to water the Black Swedish ducks and almost puked. These three girls stink! They performed a happy dance under the garden hose, but when they get wet, it seems their oil gland erupts like a volcano. They are completely waterproof! I have not seen a duck as waterproof as these girls. Their feathers won't get wet a bit. They literally repel water. If they walk into the pond, the water will leave…

I will try to introduce the ducknagers to the pond this week, we were cutting hay around the pond this afternoon, to the enjoyment of the mallards who caught a lot of panicked insects that jumped right into the water…
And if the water leaves, i'll be able to pull that dead pine tree out.