Do mature muscovy drakes always look this gross?

[Le Moth]

This is David my Muscovy drake, he's a year old now. His feathers look disgusting, not smooth and soft like the girls and he stinks of preening oil. Is this the norm?

Here's a Pic of him and the pen he lives in with his girls.

 

[sourland]

Most mature Muscovy drakes look pretty disreputable. For some reasons the drakes that were feral when I was a kid always looked somewhat better.

 

[thumper650]

@Miss Lydia has a Muscovy Drake named Opie, from pictures he looks good, but maybe she can chime in.

 

[Jpat]

I never considered the oil to have a smell

at the risk of hurting some feelings any muscovy ive seen their were... dirtyish. and the one i had was 100% healthy but never bathed, Smelled and always pooped on its own feed and always drug its tail around in the dirt

 

[onaharley]

Possible clogged preening gland? What are feeding him? Does he has access to water all the time?
Just doing some out loud thinking

 

[Quacking Pigeon]

My white drake Mammoth looks like that. My black drake is also in a bit of a mess, but isn’t as bad.

 

[Le Moth]

Possible clogged preening gland? What are feeding him? Does he has access to water all the time?
Just doing some out loud thinking

I"ll have to grab him and check in the morning, he eats laying pellets with the girls and yes there is pool in there that I clean every 2 or 3 days.

 

[Le Moth]

I never considered the oil to have a smell

at the risk of hurting some feelings any muscovy ive seen their were... dirtyish. and the one i had was 100% healthy but never bathed, Smelled and always pooped on its own feed and always drug its tail around in the dirt

He smells very strongly of duck and I just assumed that it's the oil.

 

[Le Moth]

My white drake Mammoth looks like that. My black drake is also in a bit of a mess, but isn’t as bad.

It doesn't help that he insists on sleeping in the dirt, maybe I should throw him in the pool

 

[Jpat]

He smells very strongly of duck and I just assumed that it's the oil.

I had a sick drake who couldnt preen and he smelled ducky. My drake now is a well oiled machine and hes so soft and has no smell, Like a clean cat


A few wise people on here told me to treat the water with applecider vinager and vitamins!

It doesn't help that he insists on sleeping in the dirt, maybe I should throw him in the pool

haha mine liked to sit under the roosts and get crapped on