Duck feathers

[duckmama1970]

Hello, my Perkins are about 7 weeks old. They have lost most of their fluff and have gained a lot of yellow feathers. However their bellies don’t have many feathers and it remains kinda wet a lot. There is feathers on their bellies but it’s dirty and again they aren’t like full grown feathers. I just want to know if this is normal or if I should be concerned. This image shows what their bellies look like.

 

[kcan2]

I’m actually crying right now, I usually clean their cage every 2 days. I use pine shavings and straw on top of that. I’m so upset with myself I am not at all trying to do anything to harm them. They right now spend most of their time in their cage. They don’t have a coop yet but we’re working on it. I’m a first time duck owner and this is all new to me. I’m so sad I can’t believe I’m the cause of this.

Don't cry or get discouraged, you'll get some great solutions from others and get it nipped soon - whatever it is! Then you can post some updated pics of their feathery happy selves!

 

[cheezenkwackers]

Sorry, but not normal. The chest and belly feathers are the first adult feathers they get. They should be fully waterproof. I do not have Pekins but I have never heard of yellow adult feathers, only white. What are you feeding them? What is their brooder like? What temperature are they being kept at? Maybe they answers to these questions will shed some light. Others might have some answers too.

 

[Quatie]

Pekin feathers can have a yellow tint depending on how much time they spend outside. When I raised my Pekin and was in the process of building their coop, they were indoors more and bit more pale yellow. Once I finally got them outside full time, I think that was like 5-6 weeks old, they started to whiten. So they can be a bit more yellowish if they have spent a lot of time indoors.

Their belly's look more like they are getting ammonia burns though from their feces. Dirt definitely shows up more on Pekins. But this looks more like something has burned off the feathers. Where do they spend most of their time and what does their coop look like?

 

[duckmama1970]

Pekin feathers can have a yellow tint depending on how much time they spend outside. When I raised my Pekin and was in the process of building their coop, they were indoors more and bit more pale yellow. Once I finally got them outside full time, I think that was like 5-6 weeks old, they started to whiten. So they can be a bit more yellowish if they have spent a lot of time indoors.

Their belly's look more like they are getting ammonia burns though from their feces. Dirt definitely shows up more on Pekins. But this looks more like something has burned off the feathers. Where do they spend most of their time and what does their coop look like?

I’m actually crying right now, I usually clean their cage every 2 days. I use pine shavings and straw on top of that. I’m so upset with myself I am not at all trying to do anything to harm them. They right now spend most of their time in their cage. They don’t have a coop yet but we’re working on it. I’m a first time duck owner and this is all new to me. I’m so sad I can’t believe I’m the cause of this.

 

[Quatie]

@duckmama1970 I hope you are not feeling too discouraged. The ducks should be molting in about 4 weeks or so into their adult feathers, which should help correct some of the issues. They should make a full recovery when you correct the issues. Honestly, you are not the only one to make this mistake. A couple of my first Pekins started to get some burns. They were my first ducks, and unfortunately all the research in the world can't fully prepare for your ducks. I wish the best for you and your ducks.

 

[fatty and friends]

i have two pekin boys, they should not look like that. having no feathers on their stomach is from being kept in extremely dirty/gross areas.

 

[duckmama1970]

Sorry, but not normal. The chest and belly feathers are the first adult feathers they get. They should be fully waterproof. I do not have Pekins but I have never heard of yellow adult feathers, only white. What are you feeding them? What is their brooder like? What temperature are they being kept at? Maybe they answers to these questions will shed some light. Others might have some answers too.

We don’t have any heat on them now because they are older and don’t really need it right now because it’s warmer outside. I’m feeding them an all flock food for both the ducks and the chickens.

 

[duckmama1970]

i have two pekin boys, they should not look like that. having no feathers on their stomach is from being kept in extremely dirty/gross areas.

I clean their cage every 2 days. I’m a new duck owner so I’m still learning. I feel really sad right now I’m literally crying I would never do anything intentionally to keep them in a gross environment. I figured they were still growing feathers so I didn’t think anything of it.

 

[cheezenkwackers]

We don’t have any heat on them now because they are older and don’t really need it right now because it’s warmer outside. I’m feeding them an all flock food for both the ducks and the chickens.

All that sounds good and from the other posts you know what the problem is. Don’t beat yourself up but do figure out how to change things. I currently have two five week old ducklings too (as well as my adults). I clean their pen at least twice a day. I also use an orchid pot as a water dish so their shavings stay dry. Here is my set-up, maybe it will give you some ideas.

I use shavings and puppy pads. Be careful with puppy pads, they need to be changed as soon as they get wet or you temp the ducklings to try to eat the gel in them.
I also let mine spend several hours outside in a covered pen by my big ducks. Then they aren’t making a mess indoors.