Duck beak turning white at the base *any ideas why?

[majasdee]

Can anyone tell me if its a concern for a mallard Ducks beak to turn a pale - white colour at the tip.

I have four female mallard ducks that are all normal in terms of personality and what not but their beaks just over night have suddenly changed colour towards the tip and i was just wondering if that was a concern? One is more noticeable than the rest but they all seem pretty healthy in themselves as in they're not showing signs of being ill. 2 of them have been laying so could it be due to breeding season?

If anyone could help me or reassure me its nothing to worry about that would be great.

i have a photo attached below of the duck that has it the worst out of the others. (not the best photo as she refused to stay still)

 

[Debs Flock]

Is she digging in anything white?

Chances are as long as her behavior is normal...she's eating, drinking, poo-ing as always, then she's fine.

I do know for sure that hormonal changes can impact bill color.

 

[majasdee]

They're based on bark atm as a short term solution as they turned the grass to mud a little while ago where their area is and I'm in the process of moving to a farm. They do dig in the bark and sometimes get their beaks muddy from underneath so i thought it could be that reason. Nothing white around for them to be dyed that colour though i found the white bit wasn't as noticeable as yesterday. Thanks for your reply, I'm just going to keep an eye on it for a week and if it starts to effect them ill just have to try and find a avian vet around my area. Thanks again

 

[Debs Flock]

They're based on bark atm as a short term solution as they turned the grass to mud a little while ago where their area is and I'm in the process of moving to a farm. They do dig in the bark and sometimes get their beaks muddy from underneath so i thought it could be that reason. Nothing white around for them to be dyed that colour though i found the white bit wasn't as noticeable as yesterday. Thanks for your reply, I'm just going to keep an eye on it for a week and if it starts to effect them ill just have to try and find a avian vet around my area. Thanks again

Hope they continue to do well. Best of luck!

 

[yarrowhouse]

They're based on bark atm as a short term solution as they turned the grass to mud a little while ago where their area is and I'm in the process of moving to a farm. They do dig in the bark and sometimes get their beaks muddy from underneath so i thought it could be that reason. Nothing white around for them to be dyed that colour though i found the white bit wasn't as noticeable as yesterday. Thanks for your reply, I'm just going to keep an eye on it for a week and if it starts to effect them ill just have to try and find a avian vet around my area. Thanks again

Hi I wondered if you found anything conclusive for your ducks with this color change? Came across your post for the same reason. Our ladies are having the same color change to the end of their beaks (bills?). It's our first spring with them, they have been laying for 2 months now.