Help! Duck lost a foot

[blacke]

After work today I discovered one of our ducks was trapped between a wall and the door of the duck house. When I got her out I saw that one of her feet is now gone. I’m not sure if a predator got to her or what happened. I brought her inside and cleaned her up. It doesn’t seem to be bleeding anymore. I don’t see any other injuries. What do I do now??

 

[sourland]

Given the assumption that she heals, and that is a probability. She may very well become a target of the drakes in the flock because of her impaired mobility. She may need to be separated along with her mate or a female companion.

 

[casportpony]

Dang, not sure what I would do... Is there any chance you can get her to a vet? I think a vet would want to clean that up, maybe remove some of the bone, then close the wound.

 

[Ravynscroft]

So sorry for your duck!

I agree with Kathy, vet would be best, if possible... if not, keep it clean and bandaged, padded well to help prevent further damage... isolated and quiet, shock and trauma can be worse than wounds sometimes... watch for signs of infection, excessive heat (remember their body temps are higher than ours, though), redness, swelling, discoloration or any bad smell...

Sling might help her to keep off of it, or at least pillows to make her a channel to lay in...

What breed is she? Heavier weight breeds have more complications adapting to one leg, lighter weight breeds have a higher chance of adapting...

Not all get picked on, and some do quite well with one leg... my Peg is a Call (so much smaller) and she actually hatched with only one leg, but she gets around just as well as her flock mates... she can swim straight and she balances on one leg just fine... only uses her wings to steady herself occasionally...

So don't give up hope, they're tougher and more resilient than we think!

 

[shawluvsbirds]

Maybe when it heals you could find Someone with a 3d printer .

 

[DuckyDoodles]

I thought she was asking the OP what kind of duck theirs is, lol...

Yes, she is a Call duck... variety is Snowy, and same color/pattern genetics as a Welsh Harlequin...

Omg she’s adorable. I just want to hold her and pet her.

As for the OP @blacke, I’m hoping she’ll update soon on how duck is doing and/or what her decision has been. As someone who very much understands interferences, I can understand a bit of a delay in responses so I don’t want to seem impatient. I’m just hoping everything comes out okay in the end. I understand that there’s a plethora of reasons a person can have as to support not wanting to mess with rehabbing a duck and maybe just cull it... but because I’m a sissy, I hope she keeps it and we all come up with awesome prosthetic options. But again, no judgment if she doesn’t (money, time, family needs, flock needs, space, etc. can all be reasonable factors).

 

[DuckyDoodles]

Oh that’s terrible for the poor duck! I am very new to having ducks myself so I won’t be much of an informed source of help on this matter.

I’d heard (doesn’t make it true) that a one legged duck doesn’t really make it in a flock or free range as they’ll get picked on/ostracized plus their ability to move about is mostly hampered. For example if it were to be moving about, it’d likely be using its wing as a crutch (what my Pekin was doing with a sprained leg) and I imagine they wouldn’t be able to get away from a mean turtle at the waters edge or anything like that. I know her ability to swim was also pretty ‘meh’ as it was basically circles.

I agree with poster above me: clean it up, give her some electrolytes and keep an eye on her wound for any infection. I’d let her still be near the other flock (if possible) but partitioned off for her safety. I know of people who’ve kept their one legged ducks alive and healthy and as happy as a one legged duck can be. I imagine it just goes towards what you’re raising them for (if meat birds, for example, maybe it’s just an early time )

I’m sorry this happened to you and your poor ducky. I’ll be following the thread to see how this works out for you. Plus, there’s some super awesome duck board leaders who’ve been helping me with my little duck problems and I’m hoping they can come along and give some better words of encouragement.

I’m hoping for some popsicle stick prosthetic recipes or something.

Best of wishes <3

 

[ChickenyChickeny]

Maybe put some sort of antiseptic on that. @New2DuckyDoodles mention popsicle stick prosthetic thingies, hopefully you will be able to make some sort of prosthetic (once the stump has healed of course).

 

[Chickielady]

I have heard that once healed, she will not only have an impossibly hard time trying to walk on a stump, but if she is in the water, she will go around in circles ?
That said, I would give her a chance !
Let her heal in a clean confinement, then let her out & watch her.
So sad !
Watch out that predator does not come back again tomorrow !
Once they find a meal, they tend to return to get more the next day.

 

[onaharley]

I am so sorry for your poor baby. I wish I could save this video I seen today or at least copy the link for you. This lady made a prosthetic leg for her duck! She said that she was looking into going to a local school and see if the students would make a prototype on a 3D printer.Here is a screen shot I got of the video. Don't give up, this is proof that many things can happen if we think outside the box!!!