Help! 2 week old duck with large swelling sore on neck?

[EllieandOlive]

This handsome guy is a 2 week old french muscovy. Took him for a swim and noticed once he was wet down he has a partly bald and raw-ish area on his neck and his neck appears quite swollen. He eats, drinks, swims normal, and is HUGE. But I pressed on the area to asses the swelling and he vomitted a lot after the slightest touch there. Really worried for him! I believe the sore is from him biting/itching himself there repeatedly after watching him this past hour. After gently feeling his neck more, he appears to have a large fluid filled mass in his neck that enxtends down into his breast. I believe he had just had a large gulp of water (he was actively swimming) when I first palpitated him and that's why he 'vomited'.

 

[EllieandOlive]

Here's my sweetie!

 

[SolarDuck]

@Isaac 0 is very knowledgeable with duck illnesses and injuries hopefully he can help here.

 

[EllieandOlive]

It looks like the others or he has been picking on his feathers a little. It"s on his crop so that's why it looks swollen I assume that might be from the water or food he has in it. Ducklings puke when you touch them. I don't think this is a Muscovy the bill isn't sharp. Keep an eye on it and him just in case

Well I hatched him myself from my pure french muscovy adult pair, so he is definitely from them (I had 7 muscovies hatch, but he and one other is who I kept/survived)....I did notice his bill seemed stubby though, but the picture makes it look moreso than in person. He is double the age and much larger than the other ducks (I ordered them) he is brooding with and they haven't been picking on him that I've seen, he preens his own neck too much I've noticed.

I didn't realize puking was common! Lol!

 

[EllieandOlive]

I checked on him and he is behaving fine, still swollen but it's smaller. And now that he is dry again his neck appears normal (though swollen on the right lower side). I felt some firmer stuff along the upper portion (probably food in his crop?) and still liquid in the lower.

 

[SolarDuck]

I didn't realize puking was common! Lol!

I have had 1 duck puke once before after eating a bee and getting stung in the throat, I don't think it's all that common but maybe it is...
"Ducklings puke when you touch them."
I definitely would not agree with this that ducklings just puke when you touch them that sounds kinda crazy. I've never had a duckling puke from me touching it.

 

[Lordofthegreenpeas]

I have had 1 duck puke once before after eating a bee and getting stung in the throat, I don't think it's all that common but maybe it is...
"Ducklings puke when you touch them."
I definitely would not agree with this that ducklings just puke when you touch them that sounds kinda crazy. I've never had a duckling puke from me touching it.

If you hold it near the crop after eating or drinking it will puke. I've raised many many ducklings and have seen this happen a lot. I should've worded that better though.

 

[Isaac 0]

The baldness occurring is over an anatomical feature called a "crop"; seeing baldness over the crop is not particularly uncommon in large young duck breeds, such as Pekins. Heavyweight breeds eat more feed in bulk, which results in greater, and more noticeable crop distenstion.

The more distention there is of the crop, the lack of blood flow increases, which can result in feather loss. Pressing a full crop is generally not recommended, as you would also be creating internal pressure inside the crop, and the first place the fluids/feed will go to relieve that pressure will be back out the esophagus, which could potentially lead to aspiration pneumonia.

That is not to suggest you cannot pick the bird up, just limit handling directly after eating and avoid direct pressure on the crop.

Pekins grow at such a fast rate, nutritional, and musculoskeletal problems often occur. To reduce the chance of these problems from occurring, I recommend a natural day/ and night cycle. Consistently having a heat lamp/light on in their pen allows the birds to gorge 24/7. If you have a heating pad, consider using that instead. Letting the birds outside to get plenty of exercises, and feeding a diet high in niacin are also very important.