Duck losing feathers *Not moulting

[mirandaleecon]

So one of my ducks has a patch on his neck where all the feathers are falling out. There are just down feathers left. It's not from mating, he is the only drake. A couple months ago (at least 6) he did get a cut there and I clipped some feathers to see better but this patch is much larger than where I clipped and the cut was minor. Any idea what this could be? I can't seem to move the down enough to see to his skin but I would think if it was an infection or something, the down would fall out too...

 

[Amykins]

You never know with localized infections. It could be that, it could be mites, or a skin rash. Does it smell funny? Can you try to see down in there or is it too uncomfortable for him?

 

[mirandaleecon]

Doesn't smell at all. I tried to see the skin but there's so much down, it won't part. Maybe if I wet it a bit...I did notice a lot of the feathers around the edge of the patch seem to be broken, not pulled out or fallen out. Do ducks stress pluck? He is imprinted on me so maybe he is stressed when I'm at work. He does have mates to keep him company but doesn't seem to care much about them...

 

[Amykins]

Ducks definitely can feather-pluck when stressed. If he's imprinted on you he may not see the other ducks as good company, so he could indeed be lonely.

If it's not infected and it's not mites then it should grow back with his next moult. I hope he gets better!

 

[mirandaleecon]

That's probably it then. My boyfriend has also been gone for the last month so maybe he was missing him. He's back now and home during the day so hopefully it will get better. The duck followed him around the whole day when my bf got back so I do think he missed him...

 

[mirandaleecon]

My duck now has a ring of feathers missing around his neck. I'm starting to think he has mites or lice. I can't seem to find anything on him but he never stays still long enough to get a good look. What's making me lean towards parasites is that he is growing caruncles on his neck and the top of his legs are red and irritated looking.
So what's the best way to treat them? I read about ivomec but that stuff almost killed my dog so I'm not too keen on that idea. Should I try DE? Would that mess with the waterproofing in his feathers?

 

[Amiga]

It may be a challenge, but I would want to be sure I see mites before treating for them. Perhaps there is a kind of mite not visible?

Might getting him into a tub of lukewarm water enable you to be close enough to see clearly?

 

[mirandaleecon]

Yea, I'll try that. I have a microscope too so I'll see if I can find something with that...