Help! Duck Absorbing water!

[LLCoyote]

Quote:
So I should look at it? Or what should I do about it?

 

[Amiga]

I would take a look at it, Sometimes wetting the feathers (if they're not already) helps expose the skin. I would look for reddishness, or if it looks swollen more than normal. There are some pictures on BYC Duck Forum of a preen gland, and I'm sure online you can find a number of them for comparision. If it looks normal, then I'd be thinking about parasites. If you have a vet, you might want to talk to them or see them for this. At times I need to have a vet look at the ducks and help me figure out what's wrong. This first year and a half has been a learning opportunity.

How is she behaving otherwise? Seems fine?

 

[Senna95]

Checking for mites is a good idea, but the fact that only your hens have it makes me think maybe something else???

Make sure that your ducks have a nice, dry place to go. Make sure they have quality feed available.

Also, sometimes too much mating by drakes can cause loss of feathers on the back and neck, and will cause water to "trickle down" their sides and under their other feathers. I had that problem with a couple of hens, and after I separated them for a period of time they looked much better.

Whatever the cause, make sure it gets taken care of before the cold, wet weather hits because they can't keep warm when they've got wet feathers all the time.

 

[LLCoyote]

Thank you guys so much. My male has been a little nutty with mating them, it could explain it. And Amiga I don't see any mites, and I have to go find a picture to see if it looks abnormal. They are acting great. Happy, super energetic, bright clear eyes, begging for treats. I think you're right, it's time to see a vet. Yestarday I found a dead bird in their water, so now I'm taking absolutely no chances and making sure they aren't ill. Really guys thank you so much. This is a learning experiance and I like to give my animals the best care possible. I don't think I'd be doing half as well without this form <3

 

[Miss Lydia]

Quote:
please let us know what you find out.

 

[LLCoyote]

Bad news guys every vet in my area says they do not know how to treat ducks. So again I really need some advice on what might help her. She always has clean water to bathe in, I THINK good food (layer pellets and poultry grit) and a clean dry pen. I need some help, the only other option is to take her to a vet clinic 2 hours away that might do some vauge experaments and maybe give me a 150 dollar antibiotics and probably no way of preventing this problem in the future. All in all I really love my duck but I don't have 300 dollars for half ways answers. I don't want to loose her and if I can stop it but money is tight. I just don't understand what I'm doing wrong with them. They don't lay eggs anymore, they are absorbing water yet their pen is clean and they always have food what I've been told is pretty good food and grit and to top it off they have free roam of the yard durring the day with a pool under the watch of four gaurd dogs and my close eyes. UGH I'm ranting but I just don't know WHAT I'm doing wrong?!

 

[zzGypsy]

so I don't know what's wrong either, but here are some strategies to try to figure it out.

pictures here will help so we can see what you're seeing. feather loss, general condition, oil gland, etc.

separate pen for the ducks and the drake. best if they can see each other so they don't fret (share a fence line) but if the issue is over breeding, and wear and tear on the feathers because of that, you'll start to see some improvement as the feathers grow back in

if the oil gland doesn't look normal, if it's inflamed, might be blocked, and warm compresses may help open it up. haven't had to do this myself so I dont' know specifics, maybe someone else will.

not laying may be seasonal, or it may be not enough protien, or it may be a sign of stress and something going on health wise... hard to know until some other things are eliminated. separating the ducks will let you see how much each is eating. total isolation isn't the plan, because they're used to being in a flock together and will stress, but if you can tell if they're all eating well, or if one is not, that's another clue.

how's their body condition? thin? fat? can you feel their breast bone sticking out or do you have to poke around to find it? too thin, that could be diet or parasites, or other issues, and can cause feather loss or failure to grow, as well as not laying. I've had some fat ducks, and it impares successful breeding, but I don't think it's kept them from laying or making feathers.

how's their crop feel? if you're not sure what's correct for it, feel the crop on the healthy drake and compare it to the ducks... if it seems different, let us know what you notice... might lead to some ideas.

how's the duck's temp? not sure what normal is, but you can check the duck that's doing poorly, compare that to the healthy drake. should be able to find normal temp online.

so time to get out your sherlock hat and see what you can learn...

hopefully some more folks will chime in with more ideas.