Feathers everywhere!

[CharS]

My 2 runner drakes are constantly in the water & constantly preening, the past 2 morning when I've gone to let them out, there has been feathers everywhere & I can see the skin on the chest/breast area. They are both 9/10 weeks old. Is this normal? They have a female with them & all get on great. Just find it bizarre as my female isn't losing/pulling feathers. I'm new to ducks so any advice is great! Thanks!

 

[buff goose guy]

Either molting or feather pulling/eating sounds like the case here.

 

[CharS]

I didn't realise they would molt this early. How can I prevent the feather pulling if this is what it is? They are preening there whole bodies, but just on there chest is where I can see skin.

 

[buff goose guy]

Feather pulling occurs when ducks get bored and are in a cramped space. Feather eating occurs in the same conditions but also involves a lack of nutrition. So more room to roam just be sure that they are not too cramped if it is feather pulling.

 

[quackingdom]

Ducks do not molt that young. If I remember right, feather eating was a protein deficiency. What are you feeding them?

Also, two drakes and one female is a recipe for disaster. They may not be doing anything yet, but eventually you might have problems with overmating, and the males will fight each other. Can you add more females or remove one of the males?

 

[Welshies]

You need to add more females or reduce the males IMMEDIATELY.
Also, are they being let outside? Being too crowded when in the coop or outside is a cause for problems. They may have a protein deficiency, in which case you need to give them cat kibbles at least twice a week.
You need to remove the problem bird for a few days, and if yu return him and he keeps plucking, he will need to be removed because by that time, it is a habit, unfortunately.

 

[Orca5094]

Can you post a pic of your boys? Ducklings DO go through a moult at about 2 months old, basically just after they get in their "adult" feathers. Which seems kind of silly, but they do it anyway. They will moult off everything but their wing/tail feathers. This is when young males will get in their breeding plumage for the first time. So honestly, I think they are fine. A picture would help us see if it looks like a normal moult, or feather-picking, though.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Can you post a pic of your boys? Ducklings DO go through a moult at about 2 months old, basically just after they get in their "adult" feathers. Which seems kind of silly, but they do it anyway. They will moult off everything but their wing/tail feathers. This is when young males will get in their breeding plumage for the first time. So honestly, I think they are fine. A picture would help us see if it looks like a normal moult, or feather-picking, though.

X2
My Indian Runners are going to be 10 weeks on Friday and they are going through molt right now too. So unless some one is being a bully I'd say this is normal.

 

[quackingdom]

You need to add more females or reduce the males IMMEDIATELY.
Also, are they being let outside? Being too crowded when in the coop or outside is a cause for problems. They may have a protein deficiency, in which case you need to give them cat kibbles at least twice a week.
You need to remove the problem bird for a few days, and if yu return him and he keeps plucking, he will need to be removed because by that time, it is a habit, unfortunately.

We had to cull one of our ducks last month; she had made a habit of snacking on other duck's feathers without caring who she decided to dine off, and she continued even after we added protein to their diet. Which got her in trouble when the male happened to be her random choice. Boy, he got mad at that!

 

[Welshies]

Can you post a pic of your boys? Ducklings DO go through a moult at about 2 months old, basically just after they get in their "adult" feathers. Which seems kind of silly, but they do it anyway. They will moult off everything but their wing/tail feathers. This is when young males will get in their breeding plumage for the first time. So honestly, I think they are fine. A picture would help us see if it looks like a normal moult, or feather-picking, though.

not at 2 months. At 8-10 weeks their adult feathers are fully grown in, and at 10- 16 weeks they go through the second phase.
They shouldn't be plucking each other either!