Duck stuck flapping

[Lorielus]

Hi,

(Hopefully this is nothing but as it seems unusual I thought I'd ask)

I've a couple of Khaki Campbells (roughly a year old) who free range in the garden and I usually walk them round from the pond to their coop at night.

A couple of times in the last fortnight when walking them round one of them has started flapping (seemingly normally like they do to stretch/realign their feathers) but seems to be stuck doing it, as in can't stop - tonight she got flapped as she walked and it was disorienting her so much she walked straight into a bush head first, then pushed past it, stick flapping before sitting down in front of the coop panting, clearly stressed by the experience.

Is there something I should be worried about here?

(Just for clarity, all other behaviour seems normal, eating, laying, swimming, foraging, drinking, etc. In case it's important they do free range along with three chickens.)

Many thanks in advance

 

[Table4Six]

It sounds like she may just be testing her wings or stretching them. I used to have a khaki campbell drake and he could fly. Does it seem like she's trying to get off the ground?

 

[Lorielus]

Not at all - she seems panicked that she can't stop flapping - they both flap sometimes to stretch, etc. as you would expect, but this definitely wasn't entirely voluntary by her - there was no other sign of convulsion or anything, just walking forward and flapping, but from the tone of quacking and the way she flopped down to sit panting she was definitely panicking afterwards.

 

[Lil Drake40]

Poor thing how does she seem now?

 

[Lorielus]

She's ok now, in the coop and sleeping, but it has happened a couple of times now, but I can't find any mention of anything similar through google, nor on any lists of potential duck ailments, so I'm at a bit of a loss as to what could cause something like that.

 

[Lil Drake40]

Me I have never heard of this before either and I’ve had ducks many years. Let’s see is @casportpony is on today she has quite a lot of knowledge.

 

[WVduckchick]

She eventually stops? Is it just that it seems like an excessively long time of flapping? Or does it continue and never stop? Sorry, I’m just trying to clarify.

Can you look under her wings, maybe something latched onto her and she is trying to get it off? Maybe a bite she is trying to relieve? Grasping as possibilities.

 

[Lorielus]

She does eventually stop, but it seemed like the flapping stopped rather than she stopped it - she plopped down on the ground with her wings still out, they beat a couple of times against the ground and stop, if that makes any sense.

The usual behaviour is flap for 2/3 seconds while standing still and stretching their back/neck then tuck them back in - this was a full 20/25 seconds while walking forward before dropping down.

I had a thought about that too and had a look this morning before I let them out of the coop (they weren't handled as ducklings before I got them so they're not keen on being touched) - there's no obvious sign of anything, and the coop and surroundings are refreshed weekly with diatomaceous earth so I'd doubt it's mites (plus no sign of them scratching/preening/cleaning more than normal). There are plenty of bees, etc. in the garden (I'm in Scotland so we don't really get anything nastier than that) so a sting isn't out of the question.

 

[WVduckchick]

She does eventually stop, but it seemed like the flapping stopped rather than she stopped it - she plopped down on the ground with her wings still out, they beat a couple of times against the ground and stop, if that makes any sense.

The usual behaviour is flap for 2/3 seconds while standing still and stretching their back/neck then tuck them back in - this was a full 20/25 seconds while walking forward before dropping down.

I had a thought about that too and had a look this morning before I let them out of the coop (they weren't handled as ducklings before I got them so they're not keen on being touched) - there's no obvious sign of anything, and the coop and surroundings are refreshed weekly with diatomaceous earth so I'd doubt it's mites (plus no sign of them scratching/preening/cleaning more than normal). There are plenty of bees, etc. in the garden (I'm in Scotland so we don't really get anything nastier than that) so a sting isn't out of the question.

Could be as simple as a broken feather bothering her - I know it drives me crazy when a hair keeps falling in my face LOL -- or as serious as something neurological or some type of disease. I'd say watch her for a couple more days and see if it gets better or worse.

A video would be cool, if you could take one.
You'd have to load to youtube or vimeo, etc, to be able to embed here.

 

[Lorielus]

Thanks - I'll film them when I walk them round to the coop for the next few days and see if it happens again.