Crossed Bill Duckling

[Lourdie]

Hello, I have a week and a half yr old duckling, and he is beautiful and cute except for one thing. He has a crooked bill. What should I do?

 

[Stipenvlerk]

Hello, I have a week and a half yr old duckling, and he is beautiful and cute except for one thing. He has a crooked bill. What should I do?

Hi Lourdie, welcome to BYC,
please upload a picture of the ducks bill.
And is it a year and a half or a week and a half old?

 

[Lourdie]

It’s 2 weeks old now, I don’t know if he needs serious help

 

[Stipenvlerk]

Is it able to eat and drink well?

 

[Lourdie]

Yes he/she drinks very well
At first we doubted they would survive.
It could be genetics?
I just am sad for it

 

[FeatherLace]

Yes he/she drinks very well
At first we doubted they would survive.
It could be genetics?
I just am sad for it

I'm no vet, but it looks like a genetic deformity. Did it hatch like this? If it drinks and eats well and doesn't seem to be in any pain, I'd leave it alone. Always watch for anything like the others picking on it or if anything seems broken, bruised, or painful.

Another option would be reconstructive surgery, but that would be VERY costly, and you may have to drive far to get someone who can do it, and theres no guarantee it'd make it through surgery.

Its possible to also have a prosthetic bill made for it on the bottom half, but this is also very costly and youd have to travel.

What I would do is just always watch for signs of pain, bruising, broken bones, and choking. Make sure it gets water and food okay, and it should do fine. Watch for signs that this deformity hasn't caused trouble swallowing, such as food/water sliding into their trachea rather than down their throat.

 

[Lourdie]

Thanks you so much, I really needed to hear this. When it was born, I had to open the shell for him. It was too hard, and he could’ve died. Sadly the other one didn’t make it so he is here with 4 other chicks. They at first pecked at him, but now they’re all friends. When he was born we didn’t see any deformities anywhere. But on the 2nd and 3rd day, it was more obvious. I’m so happy that he can eat and drink. But on the first few days I was scared to death for him. If you have any advice on what could’ve gone wrong with the hatching or how the other duckling couldn’t make it I would love to hear it. Thanks again you’re a savior. A man gave us 3 eggs which were all fertile, but one died earlier due to bacteria, and the other died fully formed in the shell. What a shame. The dark one is gone

 

[FeatherLace]

Thanks you so much, I really needed to hear this. When it was born, I had to open the shell for him. It was too hard, and he could’ve died. Sadly the other one didn’t make it so he is here with 4 other chicks. They at first pecked at him, but now they’re all friends. When he was born we didn’t see any deformities anywhere. But on the 2nd and 3rd day, it was more obvious. I’m so happy that he can eat and drink. But on the first few days I was scared to death for him. If you have any advice on what could’ve gone wrong with the hatching or how the other duckling couldn’t make it I would love to hear it. Thanks again you’re a savior. A man gave us 3 eggs which were all fertile, but one died earlier due to bacteria, and the other died fully formed in the shell. What a shame. The dark one is gone

Its a very sad and heart-wrenching thing when something happens to the things that we care for and care about. Sadly, these things happen all the time and that just means we have to give all of our love to the ones that still need us.

That doesnt look like a hatching injury to me, though just because I've never seen anything like it doesn't mean it isn't possible. Sometimes when the cells are forming, something just goes wrong and thats on Mother Nature entirely. If you didn't inject anything into the egg or do anything else like that other than incubate as normal, don't blame yourself. Just make sure it and its siblings are loved. This happens even in the wild, and if the mother and siblings accept it, its still likely for it to survive.

Personally what I would do is do a vet check anyways, but that can be pricey. An avian checkup at my vet is $55, and thats only the exam. I would do thus just to ensure that there are no problems with the development of the vital spots such as the nasal cavity and trachea. This is unlikely, but some deformities can make infections more likely in those spots or make breathing harder if they can't get any air through their passageways. You don't have to do this, as he looks fine with only the small bill deformity. Its just what I would do to be extra sure.

As far as I can tell, there's no need to be worried. It's eating okay, drinking okay, not being picked on, isnt in pain, and is very loved. It'll just look a bit more special than everyone else, but thats just more to love!

 

[Lourdie]

Thanks again, do you think we need to get them a partner?

 

[FeatherLace]

Thanks again, do you think we need to get them a partner?

Ducks in general get lonely and depressed very easily, and especially in breeding season it helps to have someone to provide them with what they want, if you know what I mean. Id get them another duck around the same age so they can bond, and possibly produce you some eggs in the future. Ducks work well in breeding pairs, as well as bachelor or Bachelorette pairs. Just make sure you don't end up with too many drakes and not enough hens, so for example a 2 drake 1 hen trio wouldn't work.
If theyre alone id get one more duck to go with them.

Also, I'd love to hear any updates on this duckling. I have a soft spot in my heart for special needs pets!