Egg bound duck????

[Sue S]

Does being egg bound cause wet feather????
I have a 6yr old Rouen female, she hasn't been laying alot, the last egg she laid was about a week ago & it was a soft shelled tiny egg. I can feel something on the lower right side of her stomach, it's hard & feels like an egg.
I've given her 2 Epsom salt baths over the weekend & massaged her stomach & butt area, when doing that the "egg" feels like it moves to her " butt hole " but she hasn't laid it. Also, while she was getting her 1st bath her feathers were soaked like she has " wet feather " I checked her oil gland & it's swollen, I dried her off the best that I could & she did preen. So, the next day I did give her another Epsom salt bath hoping it would help her pass the egg but she still hasn't passed it. So, will her being egg bound cause " wet feather "???
I know Epsom salt baths help with egg bound duck but I don't want to continue with the baths because she has " wet feather ".
I'm at a lose on what to do for her & a vet isn't an option.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

[HollowOfWisps]

Has she been acting abnormal besides not laying an egg? What is she being given for calcium? If she was egg bound for almost a week she would be acting extremely ill unable to move if not be dead by now. Rouens only lay 100-150 eggs per year which means you will have 200-250 days with no eggs. The soft shell means she needs more calcium in her diet. I would pick up calcium gluconate from the farm store and dose her at 1 ml daily.

 

[Sue S]

Has she been acting abnormal besides not laying an egg? What is she being given for calcium? If she was egg bound for almost a week she would be acting extremely ill unable to move if not be dead by now. Rouens only lay 100-150 eggs per year which means you will have 200-250 days with no eggs. The soft shell means she needs more calcium in her diet. I would pick up calcium gluconate from the farm store and dose her at 1 ml daily.

Yes, she's been acting normal wanting to be out with the other ducks but I have her isolated in the pen, I put a bowl of crushed oyster shells by their food dish so, they have access to it daily.

 

[HollowOfWisps]

Yes, she's been acting normal wanting to be out with the other ducks but I have her isolated in the pen, I put a bowl of crushed oyster shells by their food dish so, they have access to it daily.

Put her back with the others. If she is acting normal she is not egg bound. You most likely were confusing her reproductive organs for an egg. Never separate a duck from your flock unless it is absolutely necessary. It only stresses them out and the stress can make them sick. I would still dose her with the calcium gluconate because of the previous soft shell.

 

[Sue S]

Yes, she's been acting normal wanting to be out with the other ducks but I have her isolated in the pen, I put a bowl of crushed oyster shells by their food dish so, they have access to it

Put her back with the others. If she is acting normal she is not egg bound. You most likely were confusing her reproductive organs for an egg. Never separate a duck from your flock unless it is absolutely necessary. It only stresses them out and the stress can make them sick. I would still dose her with the calcium gluconate because of the previous soft shell.

She is only separated from the others during the day at night they are all together. But I don't want her out during the day swimming in the pond with her having wet feather.

 

[HollowOfWisps]

She is only separated from the others during the day at night they are all together. But I don't want her out during the day swimming in the pond with her having wet feather.

Unless the pool is too deep for her to walk or it’s cold there she will be fine and air dry on her own. Unless it is a severe case wet feather ducks do just fine swimming. I live where it gets subzero temperatures and when the ducks can’t swim for at least a month sometimes they come out of winter looking a little rough. I have a 3’ deep 7x14’ pond and none of them have trouble swimming or drying off.

 

[Sue S]

As per the advice I received yesterday I let Fluff out this morning to free range & swim with the other females, this is what she looked like after getting out of the pond. Wet feather???? She is moving around but I can still feel something on the lower right side of her stomach. After seeing a Pic of her should I get her some calcium, antibiotics or something else???? All advice/recommendations appreciated. Thanks