Duck bill injury or infection?

[SScheidt]

My green winged teal has a discoloration of growth on the end of his beak. It is rounded rather than flat like I would expect from a healing wound. Does this look like an injury trying to heal, a fungal/bacterial infection or both? If someone knows what it is, what would be the best course of treatment? Thanks! Scott

pics attached

 

[Amiga]

Do you have any older photo's of the teal? That looks to me like the "bean" that ducks have on their bills. But you have noticed a change, so I don't discount your concern.

You could dab a tiny drop of hydrogen peroxide on it to see if it foams - that is one way to check for bacterial infection (not a be-all, end-all test, but something simple). If it foams, then you could follow up with dabbing triple antibiotic ointment on the end of the bill several times a day.

 

[SScheidt]

We've had him just over 6 years now. If you click on my avatar, that is a photo of the same duck a few years ago. He doesn't look that good in the posted photo because he has been molting and his winter colors are just coming back in. His beak is normally all black with no change in smoothness at the tip, so this is new. The raised discoloration at the tip of his bill is also off-center, hard to tell from the angle of the photo. I'll try the peroxide, that's a neat idea, Thanks! If anyone has other ideas of what this discolored bump could be, please let me know as well. Thanks! Scott