Call Duckling Beak Deformity

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atmaclean

atmaclean

Songster
10 Years
May 21, 2012
547
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Stoneville, NC
I agreed to take a little call duckling with a beak deformity and I had a couple questions. I also took a more normal call duckling. It has just a slightly crooked beak. I've read about issues with call duck beaks due to trying to breed small bills and that may be what the issues is. Either way, I have both these babies and am trying to take care of them the best I can. I just got them yesterday. I believe the larger one is a month old and the smaller one is maybe a week/10 days old. Its tiny! I have them on Mazuri Waterfowl starter and I am wetting it down for the tiniest little one. I am thinking it has like a cleft pallet. I just want to make sure it has a mush that it can ingest easily for nutrition. I also have a little bowl of dry food and a bowl of water with Nutri Drench in it for them. I'm keeping them warm with a Brinsea brooder and have puppy pads and paper towels on the floor. Any suggestions on how I can best care for them would be greatly appreciated. I'd also love suggestions for putting them on shavings to help with keeping more dry. The two seem to be getting along together alright despite their size difference. Unfortunately, the chicks I'm raising started pecking at the tiny one's beak/tongue so I can't put them in with the chicks. I'm going to try attach a video so you can see what the bill looks like. Hopefully, it will work.
Thanks so much for any adivce/help,
Angela

 
I might be harder for him or her to eat since their teeth sit on the edges of their beak. My ducks love when make them soup. I call it that have their food in their food dishes and i fill it up with water, so it is easier for them to eat it without running to the water dish. also the feed pellets might be big since his beak is quite a bit smaller. You could crush the pellets up more so it is more fine for him to eat. It looks like he like more of the water. I would probably crush his food up and then put it in some water and see if it will eat it. I personally also raised my ducks on wood chips i think it is better for their legs but I never have used puppy pads to say whether they are bad. I know chips give them extra warmth like straw and absorbed the urine and extra water spill and they like to play in it with their beaks to make a kind of nest. I don't know if any of this helps and I would also keep them away from chickens I know some people who had a duck with chickens and the chickens plucked all the ducks feathers out. Ducks are more social than chickens so its easier to welcome new ducks to a flock but chickens are more aggressive especially if they think on animal is sick. I used to have chickens and we had to house some because they got injured and the other chickens where attack the injured ones.
 
ali04 said:
I might be harder for him or her to eat since their teeth sit on the edges of their beak. My ducks love when make them soup. I call it that have their food in their food dishes and i fill it up with water, so it is easier for them to eat it without running to the water dish. also the feed pellets might be big since his beak is quite a bit smaller. You could crush the pellets up more so it is more fine for him to eat. It looks like he like more of the water. I would probably crush his food up and then put it in some water and see if it will eat it. I personally also raised my ducks on wood chips i think it is better for their legs but I never have used puppy pads to say whether they are bad. I know chips give them extra warmth like straw and absorbed the urine and extra water spill and they like to play in it with their beaks to make a kind of nest. I don't know if any of this helps and I would also keep them away from chickens I know some people who had a duck with chickens and the chickens plucked all the ducks feathers out. Ducks are more social than chickens so its easier to welcome new ducks to a flock but chickens are more aggressive especially if they think on animal is sick. I used to have chickens and we had to house some because they got injured and the other chickens where attack the injured ones.
Click to expand...
Thank you! Yes, I am keeping them separate from the chicks. I have also added warm water to their Mazuri pellets so it is pretty soupy. Its little beak is very, very tiny so I want to make sure it can get food in. It eats and drinks as far as I can tell. It is still surviving today so I am hoping the little fellow can make it.
 
Yes I have one with a deformed bill, he will be a year old in about 3 weeks!
I think I wet his food for a bit, early on, but his brother hatchmate helped him along.

I’ve found with ducklings, as large a brooder as possible is a big help. If you can keep the water in a separate area, it helps a lot. I place my waterer in a shallow pan, with an old rag under it. So it’s easy to remove, rinse, and helps to not get the whole brooder so wet. I use puppy pads, with rabbit bedding pellets instead of shavings as I find they get less junk in the water and it seems to help with the odor better than shavings.

One comment I will make about my fella with the deformed bill (his name is Garth), he seems to eat more, and is always first to come running for treats. I don’t think he actually eats more, I think it just takes him longer to get full, as he can’t scoop the feed as quickly as the others.
I would also encourage you to get her used to baths. For some reason, Garth doesn’t seem to bathe as much as my others, and his feathers stay tattered looking. I’m not sure if it’s an aversion to being in the water or just coincidence, but he never did swim as much as the others.
685C8999-E646-449E-A0D7-A59923F54A5F.jpeg
5BB1528D-D4B4-4341-94D9-3A0D34F3F8C1.jpeg
 
I had this with one of my calls who did't hatch last year. When opening the egg I did see a similar beak like yours.
I've read somewhere a folic acid shortage within the egg can be the cause. (like in humans it will cause spina bifida)

Here is another thread with posts about a duck with such a bill.
If it can drink, eat and preen well your little one has a good chance of surviving! It's already a fighter since it hatched with this kind of deformity! 💪
 
Last edited:
WVduckchick said:
Yes I have one with a deformed bill, he will be a year old in about 3 weeks!
I think I wet his food for a bit, early on, but his brother hatchmate helped him along.

I’ve found with ducklings, as large a brooder as possible is a big help. If you can keep the water in a separate area, it helps a lot. I place my waterer in a shallow pan, with an old rag under it. So it’s easy to remove, rinse, and helps to not get the whole brooder so wet. I use puppy pads, with rabbit bedding pellets instead of shavings as I find they get less junk in the water and it seems to help with the odor better than shavings.

One comment I will make about my fella with the deformed bill (his name is Garth), he seems to eat more, and is always first to come running for treats. I don’t think he actually eats more, I think it just takes him longer to get full, as he can’t scoop the feed as quickly as the others.
I would also encourage you to get her used to baths. For some reason, Garth doesn’t seem to bathe as much as my others, and his feathers stay tattered looking. I’m not sure if it’s an aversion to being in the water or just coincidence, but he never did swim as much as the others.
View attachment 3069746View attachment 3069745
Click to expand...
such a cute one!
 

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