Baby Blue's gigantic crop

[desertdarlene]

There's a duck at Lake Murray whom I call "Baby Blue" because he was dumped there as a baby. I couldn't catch him, though, and he's managed to survive on his own and is now a very big duck at about 5 months old. Lately, I've been seeing him with a very large crop. It happened all of a sudden. He went from this at a time when I was feeding him some healthy food that I had left over for a dying goose:



To this two days later:



And, it stayed about that way for a while until he got to this today, about ten days later:



I'm hoping he's just going somewhere and pigging on out bread and water. He doesn't seem hungry and the crop seems soft and pliable. We've had ducks get impacted crops and they don't live very long when they get that. He doesn't seem as hungry as usual and he's not acting weird except being a little lethargic. So, I'm hoping he's just being a piggy.

Just wondering what you think.

 

[kswaterfowl]

looks fine to me, our ducks look very "busty" after they eat, it helps me monitor who's low on the totem-pole so I can add feeders or pull out birds from the flock.

 

[desertdarlene]

Good, thanks. I was worried because I've seen ducks suffer with crop impaction and it's not pretty.

It's possible that he's able to eat more than before because he's got a better ranking than when he was younger. I've seen him win some wrestling matches with other ducks his own age. He was actually a bit on the thin side for a long time.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Good, thanks. I was worried because I've seen ducks suffer with crop impaction and it's not pretty.

It's possible that he's able to eat more than before because he's got a better ranking than when he was younger. I've seen him win some wrestling matches with other ducks his own age. He was actually a bit on the thin side for a long time.

He's very pretty DD and so blessed to have you watching out for him.

 

[desertdarlene]

Thanks Miss Lydia. I can't do much for him, unfortunately, if he gets sick. I try to educate people about not feeding them bread because it can impact their crop as well as it not being nutritious.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Thanks Miss Lydia. I can't do much for him, unfortunately, if he gets sick. I try to educate people about not feeding them bread because it can impact their crop as well as it not being nutritious.

It's too bad you can't get something going like Kalsti has done at the lake she goes too, formed a group of concerned citizens working with the elected officials to educate the public and protect the waterfowl, I'm sure she'd love to share with you how they got started. Too bad more places don't do this.

 

[desertdarlene]

I didn't see him at all today. The lady was a little late with her feeding, so he might be OK. I found every single domestic duck on the lake except him this morning. It makes me nervous when ducks go missing around Thanksgiving and Christmas, but Baby Blue is the most skiddish and hardest to catch of all of them and there's plenty of friendly Pekins around that are easy to fatten up. We've had a couple of geese and at least one duck go missing around the holidays in the past.

Baby Blue is hard to see at a distance because of his color, so I hope he's just laying around sleeping.

 

[Miss Lydia]

I didn't see him at all today. The lady was a little late with her feeding, so he might be OK. I found every single domestic duck on the lake except him this morning. It makes me nervous when ducks go missing around Thanksgiving and Christmas, but Baby Blue is the most skiddish and hardest to catch of all of them and there's plenty of friendly Pekins around that are easy to fatten up. We've had a couple of geese and at least one duck go missing around the holidays in the past.

Baby Blue is hard to see at a distance because of his color, so I hope he's just laying around sleeping.

I hope so too dd they can really get to our hearts can't they.

 

[desertdarlene]

Yes. At this lake, they often stay alive just long enough for you to love them and then they die. A few other older ducks were missing, so maybe he's with them. I think our local duck rehabber dropped off another patient with an amputated leg and wonder if they picked him up. Many of them have ducks of their own and can take in another duck.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Yes. At this lake, they often stay alive just long enough for you to love them and then they die. A few other older ducks were missing, so maybe he's with them. I think our local duck rehabber dropped off another patient with an amputated leg and wonder if they picked him up. Many of them have ducks of their own and can take in another duck.

I hope you see him today, and why would they leave a duck with only one leg at the lake seems it wouldn't stand a chance of getting away from preds winged, 2 legged or 4 legged.