Duck not cleaning herself

[Daisy and Daffy]

She hasn't molted yet, and the last time was in June. Could it be the feed? She free ranges as well as eats live fish, and her main diet is the Mazuri Waterfowl Maintenance Feed mixed with a seed mix for ducks. I will try and get a photo tomorrow as it is dark out right now

 

[Quatie]

She hasn't molted yet, and the last time was in June. Could it be the feed? She free ranges as well as eats live fish, and her main diet is the Mazuri Waterfowl Maintenance Feed mixed with a seed mix for ducks. I will try and get a photo tomorrow as it is dark out right now

I don't think it's likely that it is feed in your case. Mazuri is considered a high quality feed by most and a lot of people recommend it.

When you are able to get a picture, that sound make it easier to see what is going on.

 

[Daisy and Daffy]

Ok, will do.

 

[3xhhheather]

She hasn't molted yet, and the last time was in June. Could it be the feed? She free ranges as well as eats live fish, and her main diet is the Mazuri Waterfowl Maintenance Feed mixed with a seed mix for ducks. I will try and get a photo tomorrow as it is dark out right now

I have a girl that hasn’t molted either and she’s also looking rough, unfortunately everything I‘ve read to force a molt seems a bit cruel (withholding food & water for three days or caged up with the light on for days on end). I’ve come to the decision that as long as she’s bathing, eating, staying active, and retaining a decent amount of waterproofing I’m not going to worry too much.

Another option is seeing if you can get her to go broody, it’s not a perfect solution, but Tyrant Farms has posted about how to make it work for the ducks overall benefit.

https://www.tyrantfarms.com/why-and-how-to-make-a-duck-go-broody/

 

[DukesDucks]

One of my favourite pictures of my white drake teaching his chicks how to find the muddiest spots.

Not any worse than my 'white' pony

 

[Daisy and Daffy]

The first 2 are of Daisy, my clean duck with the same like as the second, Daffy, the dirty one.

 

[Quatie]

View attachment 2958656View attachment 2958688View attachment 2958655View attachment 2958654
The first 2 are of Daisy, my clean duck with the same like as the second, Daffy, the dirty one.

Hmmm. Well that is not normal. Her feathers don't look too bad, but that staining makes me think possibly wet feather.

Are the feathers just stained on her face or do they feel hard and crusty? Also, when she takes a bath do her wings hold water or dry slower?

 

[Daisy and Daffy]

They are just stained, no crust. They feel a bit damp normally all the time, and when she bathes the wings are ok, not super waterproof but not getting wet immediately. Gets wet faster than Daisy though.

 

[Quatie]

They are just stained, no crust. They feel a bit damp normally all the time, and when she bathes the wings are ok, not super waterproof but not getting wet immediately. Gets wet faster than Daisy though.

It sounds like she has wet feather. I know Pekin are more prone to it and sometimes need to be encouraged to preen, like misting with a spray bottle. It is possible that is true for white layers too. You can try taking a warm damp cloth and clean her oil gland. Otherwise you may need to wait for her to molt. If you don't get any feezing temperatures where you live, it won't really be a problem for her.

 

[Daisy and Daffy]

Ok, thank you.