Drake shaking head

[Ssutor]

Hi there, my 7 month old male drake is shaking his head more often than usual these last few weeks and really noticing it today. He is also ruffling his feathers and shaking through his body more . Any advice?

 

[3bird]

Hi there, my 7 month old male drake is shaking his head more often than usual these last few weeks and really noticing it today. He is also ruffling his feathers and shaking through his body more . Any advice?

If you could posts a video, that would be very helpful.

What breed?

Is there a particular time you observe this behavior (e.g., after eating)?

Where do you live, and what is your duckhouse/run like (e.g., bedding)?

Have there been any changes in what you feed?

How many other ducks do you have? Have you seen this behavior in them?

Without more information, it's hard to give advice. The behavior sounds a little like we see with our drakes as part of courtship, but it also could be a medical issue.

 

[Ssutor]

So it is not vigorously, just often. Does seem to be more when he’s drinking and around the pool. Our female duck had similar symptoms two weeks after we collected her from a farm from new born. But her head shaking was vigorous, she also had a temperature and diarrhoea. I have been putting out layers mash for our female duck, which he doesn’t like, but he is still eating his normal growers pellets which he loves. They are mating lots but he shakes his head when hes cleaning, eating, etc not so much when hes doing his other mating behaviors. I noticed a little bit of runny poop but all others looked normal

 

[Ssutor]

They are Indian runners, they have a small house which they are closed in 6pm-8am with a pen attached, then they free roam the rest of the day. Bedding we use shavings and straw, each morning we turn the straw letting in oxygen and then put a fresh layer of straw on, we clean it out every sunday

 

[3bird]

Any chance you can post a video?

Sidenote: I'd be a little concerned about putting a layer food out free choice if there was a chance your drake may eat it when you're not watching.

 

[Ssutor]

Any chance you can post a video?

Sidenote: I'd be a little concerned about putting a layer food out free choice if there was a chance your drake may eat it when you're not watching.

Ooo really, so its better to try give it the female discretely? Because i put their bowls in the same position he seems to be going for the middle one which is his

 

[3bird]

Generally speaking, it's my understanding that a layer feed should only be fed to layers while they are laying. You will hear plenty of people say it doesn't matter, but many vets (including our bird vet) and duck experts (e.g., Holderread) warn against it, as excess protein can be problematic for all birds, and the excess calcium can cause problems for drakes. We feel the Mazuri Maintenance to the whole flock and supplement oyster shells for the girls. We also feed their egg shells back to them.

 

[Ssutor]

Any chance you can post a video?

Sidenote: I'd be a little concerned about putting a layer food out free choice if there was a chance your drake may eat it when you're not watching.

So hes not doing it as much now. But if you see on the video, he shakes his head then ruffles through his feathers he was doing this for 5-10 mins in patterns of every few seconds

 

[3bird]

So hes not doing it as much now. But if you see on the video, he shakes his head then ruffles through his feathers he was doing this for 5-10 mins in patterns of every few seconds

@Isaac 0 what do you think? The behavior is at ~0:12 mark.

 

[Ssutor]

@Isaac 0 what do you think? The behavior is at ~0:12 mark.

Yes 0:12 he shakes his head then ruffles, obviously that is normal but was concerned with the repetitiveness and I have noticed some days he will do it more than others the last few weeks