Broken duck bill

[Bronson]

My pekin, Clarabelle, has broken her bill. It was about 90% detached. We attempted to do an acrylic repair. She was not on board, and broke it all the way off. What is the best way to navigate this injury. She is drinking with no issues, but not big on eating yet. I did get a little bit of pureed squash into her. Roughly how much pureed food does she need daily to maintain calories?

 

[sourland]

Offer her moistened feed in a deep dish. She will very likely need special attention for the rest of her life. Good luck with her.

 

[RainbowHen]

@Isaac 0

 

[swampfox440]

Do they go onto a pond ?

 

[swampfox440]

Looks like a turtle may have got hold of it that's why I asked . Do you know how this happened?


'

 

[----------]

i have heard of people using super glue

 

[Bronson]

She was grabbed by a fox, and possibly got her bill caught in the fence attempting to get away.

 

[Bronson]

 

[Bronson]

An acrylic repair was attempted, to glue the dangling piece back on, but she managed to rip it all the way off overnight.

 

[Isaac 0]

I'm very sorry to hear about your bird. Is a vet an option?

I have a few immediate concerns, the first being her ability to eat by herself. I have seen birds with such injures like hers be able to eat by themselves, but they tend to "learn" over time how do that, such as the case with humans sometimes. If she's not able to physically eat, supplemental tube feeding will need to be set in place until she figures how to eat properly.

My other concern is the chance of infection. Ducks, and humans, contain lots of bacteria on their skin, usually, that is of the staphylococcus family. Often times when there is a cut, or injury, the bacteria will invade the area which results in a staph infection. To prevent that, I would start off by applying an antibacterial ointment to her bill a few times a day as needed.

As for now, keep her in a warm, stressful free, soft padded, area with a wide, and deep feed and water dish. I would wet down the feed in water for easier eating.

Regarding how to tube-feed if she doesn't start eating soon, you'll need the following supplies. A 60ml catheter tipped syringe, some feeding formula, such as gamebird crumble, or parrot baby feeding formula, a scale to weigh her on, and lastly tubing to stick down her throat. Ideally for tubing, you use a catheter, so try a pharmacy or medical store near you. If you can't find that you can get aquarium tubing from a pet store, and smooth down the tip via a flame. To address your question first question. How much food a duck needs a day depends on their weight and current state of health. If you weigh her on a gram scale, and give us her approximate weight, we can help you out there.

Here is some info on tube feeding,

https://www.backyardchickens.com/posts/22897426/
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...ng-guide-pictures-under-construction.1064392/
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/tube-feeding-ducks-updated-5-7-2020.1211994/