duckling losing feathers around eyes and neck

[mirabelle]

hello everyone! i have 4 ducklings at the moment and my pekin duckling, breakfast, is balding around his eye and neck area. at first i thought that his juvenile down was growing, but the vet told me that it might be because of a fungal disease (or a skin condition) from when i got the lil‘ guy and i should keep him in a dry area for a while and give him VCO (virgin coconut oil). but when i was searching online about this issue, there weren‘t any clear results for it. could anyone give me a second opinion about this? and what i should do to help breakfast feel better?
btw: i‘ve given breakfast a wipe/cleaned the „problem“ areas and applied VCO as the vet suggested.
breakfast has been eating and drinking well too so far.
none of the other ducklings are bullying him, but accepted him as their ducky-overlord.

 

[Quatie]

I am not sure if there as thing really going on. If it were fungal, I would expect that you would see it on all of them. Does the duckling groom itself excessively? Do you also notice it mostly when it is wet? Some ducks look like they have bald spots when wet, especially as they get older and start to grow feathers in.

@Isaac 0 @Miss Lydia may have other ideas.

 

[Miss Lydia]

The third pic of his neck looks totally normal. @Quatie is right especially yellow ducklings can look plum naked at around 3 weeks old when they start losing down. Are you positive the other ducklings aren't nibbling on Breakfast? Eyes look clear no discharge? I don't think it's fungal either. Not sure what the coconut oil is suppose to do though did you ver explain?

What is their feed, any nutritional supplements, treats ?

 

[Isaac 0]

I do not see feather loss either.
Excluding the pictures where coconut oil was applied, there is something on the feathers that is causing them to group together.
I have no idea what/ if anything was applied, sometimes gunk from hatch can cause this, but regardless, I suggest wiping the feather gently with a warm rag, and discontinue applying the VCO.
Coconut oil affects the thermoregulatory properties of the feathers, so if applied to a large portion of the body could chill the duckling.
Please post pictures of the duckling dry after doing this.

 

[mirabelle]

hello again, @Quatie @Isaac 0 @Miss Lydia !
thank you so much for all of your concerns and replies. unfortunately, breakfast has passed on july 7th. he lost his appetite and could barely walk, just standing about as if he were dazed. i tried putting some mealworms into his bowl and it seemed to help to get his appetite up and gave him some water with antibiotics and vitamins with a help from a pipette. the last memory we had together was when he walked up to snuggle under my head, perched up on my shoulder it seems that the vet in my area are not so well versed about ducks and now i don‘t really know which professionals i would seek out to when there are any issues with my ducklings. all i could do now is read your guys‘ experience and suggestions and give my lil‘ duckies a happy life.

 

[mirabelle]

I am not sure if there as thing really going on. If it were fungal, I would expect that you would see it on all of them. Does the duckling groom itself excessively? Do you also notice it mostly when it is wet? Some ducks look like they have bald spots when wet, especially as they get older and start to grow feathers in.

@Isaac 0 @Miss Lydia may have other ideas.

breakfast did not groom himself excessively, but he was scratching his face and back a bit more than usual. is that a common sign of him growing in his new feathers? i noticed it when he was completely dry too, though.

 

[mirabelle]

The third pic of his neck looks totally normal. @Quatie is right especially yellow ducklings can look plum naked at around 3 weeks old when they start losing down. Are you positive the other ducklings aren't nibbling on Breakfast? Eyes look clear no discharge? I don't think it's fungal either. Not sure what the coconut oil is suppose to do though did you ver explain?

What is their feed, any nutritional supplements, treats ?

i am positive that they were especially super loving towards him and always following him around wherever he waddles! his eyes were also lively and no discharge. about the VCO, the vet told me that it‘s to kill and prevent fungal growth(?) (i guess it didnt turn out how it was expected to work)
i gave them chicken feed and something the locals from my country call „dedak“ which is a mixture of rice and bran and also added a formulated vitamin from the poultry shop and niacin. i usually splash a bit of ACV and antibiotics in their drink. as for treats, i gave them mealworms.

 

[Quatie]

breakfast did not groom himself excessively, but he was scratching his face and back a bit more than usual. is that a common sign of him growing in his new feathers? i noticed it when he was completely dry too, though.

I am sorry your duckling passed away. It is always hard to lose one at a young age. Are the other ducklings doing well?

They do occasionally scratch themsselves as they grow in new feathers. I usually see more preening and pulling on fluff with their beaks. Excessive scratching can definitely cause the loss of feathers you were seeing. It could have been behavioral or something else causing the excessive scratching.

It can be hard finding good vets for birds. A lot are willing to treat them, but not necessarily avian certified. The most important thing though is just having a vet you trust, avian certified or not.

 

[mirabelle]

I do not see feather loss either.
Excluding the pictures where coconut oil was applied, there is something on the feathers that is causing them to group together.
I have no idea what/ if anything was applied, sometimes gunk from hatch can cause this, but regardless, I suggest wiping the feather gently with a warm rag, and discontinue applying the VCO.
Coconut oil affects the thermoregulatory properties of the feathers, so if applied to a large portion of the body could chill the duckling.
Please post pictures of the duckling dry after doing this.

thank you for the information! i didnt know that VCO could affect ducks in such a way.
sadly, breakfast has passed away, but thank you for replying and for educating me more about the issue.

 

[mirabelle]

I am sorry your duckling passed away. It is always hard to lose one at a young age. Are the other ducklings doing well?

They do occasionally scratch themsselves as they grow in new feathers. I usually see more preening and pulling on fluff with their beaks. Excessive scratching can definitely cause the loss of feathers you were seeing. It could have been behavioral or something else causing the excessive scratching.

It can be hard finding good vets for birds. A lot are willing to treat them, but not necessarily avian certified. The most important thing though is just having a vet you trust, avian certified or not.

the other ducklings are happy and healthy! just took them for a little swim yesterday. they’re also eating and drinking just fine and i observe their behaviour now and then to see if something else is going on.
yes, i’ll try to find maybe another vet that is more qualified or at least have ample experience on handling avians or ducks.
once again, im grateful that you’re willing to help me out and give me new knowledge about the duckies!
have a nice, fine day!