duck's butt hanging low to the ground?

[birb uwu]

I'm relatively new to owning ducks so I have no idea what this is. She eats, lays, poops, drinks and acts normally but she just has her entire abdomen dragging across the ground. I had a feel and it felt like it was full of compacted air. Does anyone know what this is and whether it's dangerous or not? Thanks in advance!

 

[FathertoFeathers]

One of my ducks does the same thing! I have no clue why it happens though.

 

[birb uwu]

One of my ducks does the same thing! I have no clue why it happens though.

It's strange right? My biggest worry is that it's some kind of fluid build up or something dangerous so I really want to know what it is to know if i have to treat her for anything.

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

How old is your duck and is she laying?
Some of my ducks ~11 months old have developed some kind of pouch on their bellies that on some days they drag over the ground too. I learned it is called an egg-pouch and a sign for a good layer. There is a thread about this here:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/some-of-my-ducks-have-developed-a-»belly-pouch«.1343298/

 

[birb uwu]

How old is your duck and is she laying?
Some of my ducks ~11 months old have developed some kind of pouch on their bellies that on some days they drag over the ground too. I learned it is called an egg-pouch and a sign for a good layer. There is a thread about this here:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/some-of-my-ducks-have-developed-a-»belly-pouch«.1343298/

Oh phew! Yep she is 13months and laying, a lot more than her sisters so this makes sense. Problem solved! Thank you!

Edit: I felt her abdomen and it felt like it was completely full of compacted air, is that normal?

 

[birb uwu]

I felt her abdomen and it felt like it was completely full of compacted air, is that normal?

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

I don't know, i rarely have the chance to feel my ducks abdomen as they don't like to be picked up, but of what i remember it felt squishy and soft, so i assume if it feels hard like a pumped up balloon, that would be a bad sign.

 

[chickens really]

They can get a belly full of fluid that needs to be drained off. Can you take her to a vet?

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

They can get a belly full of fluid that needs to be drained off. Can you take her to a vet?

Hold on! Before you spend money on a vet - and it may be a LOT of money, use some common sense:
Is she eating, drinking pooping waddling around with her flock mates, quacking reacting to you?
If yes, she is fine. Ducks are very good in hiding sicknesses and injuries from the rest of the world, but if you know what to look for, they can't fool you:
A sudden change in the duck's personality is an ominous sign. Thursday i noticed that Katharina Duck wasn't storming out of the house in the morning, quacking loudly, bobbing her head and pushing the other ducks around to get to the cat-food. Instead she just walked out, said nothing and waited patiently for her turn. In the afternoon she kept separate from her flock-mates and was sitting down a lot, very quiet and her lower abdomen looked swollen. I was worried, but she was still walking around, went to bed on her own legs so i decided to give her another night. Next morning there was a humongous triple yolk egg in one nest and Katharina was back to her normal cheekiness.
So if your duck doesn't limp, does not stay separate from her flock and does not sit down frequently - don't worry so much. Just be an attentive observer.

 

[birb uwu]

Hold on! Before you spend money on a vet - and it may be a LOT of money, use some common sense:
Is she eating, drinking pooping waddling around with her flock mates, quacking reacting to you?
If yes, she is fine. Ducks are very good in hiding sicknesses and injuries from the rest of the world, but if you know what to look for, they can't fool you:
A sudden change in the duck's personality is an ominous sign. Thursday i noticed that Katharina Duck wasn't storming out of the house in the morning, quacking loudly, bobbing her head and pushing the other ducks around to get to the cat-food. Instead she just walked out, said nothing and waited patiently for her turn. In the afternoon she kept separate from her flock-mates and was sitting down a lot, very quiet and her lower abdomen looked swollen. I was worried, but she was still walking around, went to bed on her own legs so i decided to give her another night. Next morning there was a humongous triple yolk egg in one nest and Katharina was back to her normal cheekiness.
So if your duck doesn't limp, does not stay separate from her flock and does not sit down frequently - don't worry so much. Just be an attentive observer.

Thanks for all your advice! It does feel like a pumped up balloon but she is still acting completely normal as if it wasnt even there. Do you know anything about duck anatomy and why that specific area would feel as though it is filled with air? I've been trying to search google images for pictures of diagrams of duck organs but it's proving oddly difficult to find a labelled version. :/