Beginning of Angel Wing?

[Plutopilot]

My ducklings are about 3 weeks old and they are starting to grow feathers in a weird pattern. Does this look like normal feather growth? First time duck dad here.

 

[HeatherKellyB]

. What is that blue duckling? They're so adorable I don't know what's more cute than a duckling

*I* don't see the start of AW yet. Of course you'll want to keep a close eye on them, which I'm sure you already do that anyway.
Other things you can do is make sure they're getting a complete feed and lots of room to exercise and use up all of that energy they have. It's a good idea to use nutritional yeast on the duck feed. Some folks use brewers yeast which is another option.

 

[Pheonix_in_wonderland]

Looks pretty normal to me, I have a duck with angel wing and it wasnt apparent at this age, granted I wasn’t watching for it. only when she had her wing feathers. if one of your ducks does get angel wing tho don’t worry about it. Its a purely cosmetic condition. our girl soul is the one who has it, only one out of 10 ducklings from the same hatchery eating the same food. angel wing is only a problem in wild ducks as it impacts their ability to fly. Soul is totally healthy and I think her angel wing actually helps her in regards to dealing with our overzealous drake. their is a theory that high protien diets are to blame for the condition so if you are worried about it just limit treats and make sure what your feeding them is appropriate for their nutritional needs.

soul isn’t in any pain and isn’t limited whatsoever by her condition- it’s purely cosmetic. their is a treatment for angel wing if it begins developing but for us it was more hassle than it was worth and just frustrated soul.

 

[HeatherKellyB]

While I agree for the most part with everything Phoenix has stated, I feel differently about AW being a problem in domestic ducks. One of my Call Duck hens has AW and while she doesn't really care, I feel like she's at risk of having her wing broken more so since she has AW. I haven't integrated a drake with her flock yet because I worry he could easily break her wing while trying to mount her. I also worry her flockmates could get into a hurry and break her wing on accident. I admit that I could be wrong and honestly I hope I am because I definitely wouldn't want my little sweetie to have to suffer through a broken wing. Also, there is another theory where ducklings aren't able to exert the amount of excessive energy, which in turn could cause AW. @WVduckchick explained this to me a while back and it makes sense. The ducklings that lay at the feed bowl to eat seem to be a little more at risk.

Angel Wing is easily corrected for the most part. Obviously some ducks end up with it for their entire lives. My duck, Maggie, HATED to be wrapped and could escape any and everything. It was suggested that I use tape and I finally did but it was too late whenever I finally tried it. I'm going to attempt to fix it again next time she molts

 

[Canadian Wind]

What pretty little ducklings!

I noticed though you're using a waterer. Is this their only source of water? If so, that needs to be changed out as ducks need to be able to fully submerge their heads in order to clear up their nasal passages.

They look like normal wings to me, I don't think AW starts developing until the flight feathers come in, but I may be wrong.

 

[Aunt Angus]

I don't see AW yet, either. It is pretty obvious when it happens. The end of the wing turns outward at about a 90° angle from it's body.

 

[HeatherKellyB]

I've read AW being compared to a hitchhikers thumb, which is a good way to describe it

 

[Plutopilot]

. What is that blue duckling? They're so adorable I don't know what's more cute than a duckling

*I* don't see the start of AW yet. Of course you'll want to keep a close eye on them, which I'm sure you already do that anyway.
Other things you can do is make sure they're getting a complete feed and lots of room to exercise and use up all of that energy they have. It's a good idea to use nutritional yeast on the duck feed. Some folks use brewers yeast which is another option

Ok thank you for the tips! I bought a duck starter with 22% protein and niacin. And they're all runner ducks! I'll definitely keep a close eye on the wings. It's tough to find any good visual depictions of what the start of AW looks like, so I'll post again if it looks like it's getting "worse."

 

[Plutopilot]

What pretty little ducklings!

I noticed though you're using a waterer. Is this their only source of water? If so, that needs to be changed out as ducks need to be able to fully submerge their heads in order to clear up their nasal passages.

They look like normal wings to me, I don't think AW starts developing until the flight feathers come in, but I may be wrong.

I let them play in a kiddie pool a couple times a day, but yes, that's their only 24/7 water source right now.