Duck with cracked beak......

[TattyJJ]

Hi all,
I'm new here so guess i should introduce myself first.
I'm Jon, have owned ducks for about 2 months. Currently have a Campbell and a Cherry Vally, both about 3 months old and both girls.
I'm in the UK, they have free roaming of the garden at all times, there is a coup for them at night but since the weather has improved over the last few weeks they have stopped going in there and are happy to just sleep pretty much anywhere. Including out in the pouring rain, strange creatures...
The garden is very secure so there is no need to shut them in the coup at night.

This morning was watching them forage in a corner by the fence when there was a sudden "thunk" and a panic, ducks running, wings flapping etc. Thought they had just done the usual trick of scaring themselves.
But then i noticed the Cherry Vally (Kelly according to my daughter) was bleeding from her beak. She seems to have managed to crack it along one of the natural groves along the top near the edge. It only bled a drop or 2 and stopped on it's own so i can assume it's not very bad.
I've had a quick look but not cleaned it or anything yet. Doesn't seem to be bothering her at all, has taken food from me and is acting as scatty as normal.

It being a sunday there is no chance of getting her to a vet unless i want to take out a small mortgage to pay for it!
Seeing as it's pretty mild and not bothering her i'm not sure it's worth going to a vet anyway. But i am wondering if it is worth pinning her down giving it a good clean with an antibacterial wipes and putting some superglue gel on to stop her making it any worse?
My main concern is her knocking it again and making the crack bigger!

Cheers
Jon

 

[Kleonaptra]

Yes that would be my concern as well. If there us any open wound a mild salt water wash a couple of times a day will work wonders. I'm not experienced with this particular type of injury but I would be inclined to strap it somehow to try and stop her doing further damage. I'm hoping some others chime in here with more experience. You will find plenty of support here. Welcome to BYC

 

[TattyJJ]

Can see the crack quite clearly.
It doesn't seem to be bothering her at all, though it looks quite bad!

 

[Amykins]

Oh, the poor girl! Wobbles did something similar, he thought it'd be a good idea to shove his bill into the USB port on my laptop and got it stuck in there. Tore off his entire nail. Bills heal faster than you think, I agree on the saline rinses just to prevent a secondary infection and keep a close eye on it. If she's feeding and preening normally then there may be no need to get some pain meds or an antibiotic shot from the vet. But if you can spare the coin, it never hurts to do so anyway just for the sake of her comfort.

 

[Kleonaptra]

I don't imagine it would heal like a typical injury, perhaps it would have to grow out? It seems to be a good spot if that's the case.

 

[Kleonaptra]

Maybe @Amiga could help

 

[TattyJJ]

Thank for the replies
I'd rather not pay out for vets unless I have too. That sound terrible, I'm just poor... Lol
It hasn't bothered her in the slightest, took food off me while it was still bleeding and is still acting behaving like always.
So I think it's safe to say she is in no pain and not bothered.
I've given it a good clean, and will change the pool more often to help keep the risk of infection down.
I'm still wondering if it's worth using some glue on it to give it some strength back?

 

[Amiga]

It's going to depend on the glue - some contain things we don't want in our systems. Our, meaning, people or ducks.

If the edges of the crack are near one another, I think it may heal back okay. But if she is constantly opening the crack by her foraging, that may slow the healing - it is wait and see.

Meanwhile, keeping her bill clean is important. I would do saline rinses four or five times a day if at all possible. Saline is inexpensive, you can make it at home, even. Don't want her to drink it, but a thorough spritz with a clean spray bottle should help. Over here in the U.S. we can get Vetericyn (a buffered bleach solution), but the saline may be just as effective.

I would add water to their food to soften it for a week or so. And I would give her just a tiny tad more protein - some soaked cat kibble, a couple of teaspoons daily as a treat - and poultry vitamins twice a week to boost her system while she heals.

And lots of TLC, of course!

 

[TattyJJ]

Well it's the same glue i use on myself, just a good quality cyanoacrylate..... I'm an engineer/machinist so quite accustomed to putting my hands back together.

So far i've just been giving it a wash with saline in the morning and evening, not easy to do much between as i'm at work. Not a big fan of being caught to have it washed, but needs must lol
They still on growers pellets so quite a high protein diet anyway?

Something else i should check on, diet? I've just been feeding them growers pellets (unmedicated of course) with a few handfuls of mixed corn mixed in. They also get treats of mealworms or sweetcorn or peas every day. The plan was to switch them over to layers pellets at around 18 weeks old. They get free choice to have as much as they want. I'm guessing that's all ok?

I'll have a look at getting some vitamins tomorrow

Thanks for the help

 

[Amykins]

Well it's the same glue i use on myself, just a good quality cyanoacrylate..... I'm an engineer/machinist so quite accustomed to putting my hands back together.

So far i've just been giving it a wash with saline in the morning and evening, not easy to do much between as i'm at work. Not a big fan of being caught to have it washed, but needs must lol
They still on growers pellets so quite a high protein diet anyway?

Something else i should check on, diet? I've just been feeding them growers pellets (unmedicated of course) with a few handfuls of mixed corn mixed in. They also get treats of mealworms or sweetcorn or peas every day. The plan was to switch them over to layers pellets at around 18 weeks old. They get free choice to have as much as they want. I'm guessing that's all ok?

I'll have a look at getting some vitamins tomorrow

Thanks for the help

I'd cool it on the corn. It's awesome as a treat, but it's kinda like ducky junk food and it shouldn't be a staple of their diet. As for the crazy glue, I REALLY wouldn't put that on a duck's bill, or anywhere near their eyes or mouths since it would likely cause a lot of irritation.