Went out for evening check on the critters to find blood on Sligo - she's one of the girls in molt right now.
Don't you love this kind of surprise? Upon examination it looked like 2 feather shafts on the 'elbow' part of her wing were damaged. Though the blood looked mostly clotted, I felt that the broken feathers would be a weak spot easily jiggled loose to bleed again, and the other feathers might wick up the blood. Everyone always says pluck em, so I got out my pliers and plucked em. Props to patient tolerant husband and quiet, well-behaved duck!
Here's what one looks like - I'd not seen one first-hand before so I thought I'd share a photo. The root is rubbery, like when you get a hair plucked out. I spritzed the area with clean water and didn't see anything bleeding freshly, so I put her in the tub with some peas, washed the poop off the floor (hers not mine) and afterwards put her back out. She seems none the worse, presumably didn't bleed more than you see in the picture. I wonder who took a pinch at her new feathers?
It occurs to me after the fact that I did not apply pressure or do anything with styptic powder, but having rinsed the old blood and seeing no new blood, hopefully that's alright and I haven't doomed my hen to a massive hematoma or something.
Also makes me wonder how many injuries go unnoticed on non-white ducks.
Don't you love this kind of surprise? Upon examination it looked like 2 feather shafts on the 'elbow' part of her wing were damaged. Though the blood looked mostly clotted, I felt that the broken feathers would be a weak spot easily jiggled loose to bleed again, and the other feathers might wick up the blood. Everyone always says pluck em, so I got out my pliers and plucked em. Props to patient tolerant husband and quiet, well-behaved duck!
Here's what one looks like - I'd not seen one first-hand before so I thought I'd share a photo. The root is rubbery, like when you get a hair plucked out. I spritzed the area with clean water and didn't see anything bleeding freshly, so I put her in the tub with some peas, washed the poop off the floor (hers not mine) and afterwards put her back out. She seems none the worse, presumably didn't bleed more than you see in the picture. I wonder who took a pinch at her new feathers?
It occurs to me after the fact that I did not apply pressure or do anything with styptic powder, but having rinsed the old blood and seeing no new blood, hopefully that's alright and I haven't doomed my hen to a massive hematoma or something.
Also makes me wonder how many injuries go unnoticed on non-white ducks.
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