healing duck in the house

[duckface]

Tomorrow will be exactly a week since my Pekin hen was attacked by a dog. We've been nursing her in our laundry room where she stays in a large box and we give her daily "tub therapy".

Anyway, I've noticed she's losing a lot of feathers. Is she molting because of being in the warm house? We're hoping she'll be able to go back out with the rest of the ducks in few days. Will she be able to handle the cold and snow again after being in the house?

 

[dntd]

I don't know where you live but animals used to the cold then brought into a warm house tend to get sick. We used to bring in our rabbits in the -30 weather then bring them back out whenthe cold snap ended, my poor baby girl got sick and died.

 

[duckface]

I'm in Michigan and right now we've had mild temps in the high 20's, but a couple of inches of snow, too.

 

[duckface]

bump...

 

[Wildsky]

how bad are the injuries? I had to keep a chicken in the house for a month to recover from a dog attack.

I recently had a couple of chickens in the "nursing" area, I used the dogs crate and kept them on my enclosed patio - no heat, but lots of good food and protected from the wind and snow and such.

You should try set up an area in your garage or other un-heated area, and get her used to that before you put her back out.
You might need to use a heat lamp and slowly move it away from her day by day or so, as you would for a little chick.

 

[vfem]

I would keep her a month or more if they are too bad... I'm shocked she's already molting from the weather change... she may actually be molting due to pain or stress though!?

 

[duckface]

You should try set up an area in your garage or other un-heated area, and get her used to that before you put her back out.
You might need to use a heat lamp and slowly move it away from her day by day or so, as you would for a little chick.

Great suggestion, thank you!

she may actually be molting due to pain or stress though!?

That's what I was also wondering. She has vastly improved in the past week, but I'm still quite worried about her. I'll keep nursing her as long as it takes.

Thanks again for the help!​

 

[sonew123]

Quote:
dont say that!! Now I think Im the one who made my own duck sick! Im posting now because he sounds like a raspy horse! I brought him in last weekend for a warm bath and play time when he has been being kept in the garage the whole time. He was slowly acclimated to the cold all fall and winter...I was trying to give him a warm treat--I knew when he started coughing this am something happened due to my mistake!..ahh Hes in my ub right now because hes coughing and I felt bad about leaving him down there! what should I do??

 

[janastasio]

I thinks ducks will typically molt due to stress. Your duck is most likely going into a molt from the attack. I'm sure the change in temperature helps too. Maybe your ducky is getting ready for bikini weather!

 

[geosheets]

I'm not sure if lighting can effect ducks like it does chickens but I have read that changing the lighting abruptly can trigger a molt in chickens. If you have a light in that room maybe try to stick with having it on during daylight hours only. Just a thought.