Help - fighting ducks head wound

[Thunderduck9]

I go threw this every year i have two ducks that just wont stop fighting then they get the rest going,I separate them into groups but they free range so they hunt each other down all day it never ends.Good luck they are stubbor,sneakie and can be down right mean to each other.Luckily my Pekin are calm its mainly the Khakie and mixed breeds that are unruly Hang in there.

 

[Tracy W]

When my drakes eye was injured, I flushed it out twice a day with normal saline and applied vetrycin immediately after. I kept him in the house in a dog crate at night for one week until the wound was completely healed. It healed up perfectly

 

[KaleIAm]

Since we had him in our reach we took a picture of the one with the eye infection. The goo around it is the gel I just put on. Not any discharge. It's are to see possibly. But the area around his eye is pinkish. It just looks different than usual. So we're acting sooner rather than later.
This one is my buddy. He always gives me neck nuzzles and cheek kisses. I hate that I have to pick him up and stress him out. This morning he pooped all over me .

Thanks for the photos. I don't think the head injury looks too bad. I'm not that great with home treatments because I usually go to the vet, so I recommend taking @Isaac 0 s advice.

I know what you mean about not wanting to stress them out with treatments. When my crested had her eye injury, which was less severe than yours, I had to give her eye drops 5 times daily for 3 weeks!

Sometimes birds can peck at a bright red spot, so I would watch out for that.

 

[Debby Duck]

Thank you for the replies. A couple of people mentioned eye flushing and keeping their duck in for a week.
Any recommendations on how to do that with a duck? Especially an uncooperative one. Using an eye dropper? Wait no that sounds dangerous.
Also, is the lake water safe for either of the injuries? Although I'd have to keep them closed in all day and that wouldn't be good either. They stay in that lake all day.

 

[Isaac 0]

The injury that you have shown of the neck area does not look very severe. If you apply an antibacterial ointment, or squirt a poultry spray over, for the next few days, I think that would suffice as far as treatment.

If the males are to the point where they are physically pulling feathers from her head region, it is likely they might also be pecking the eye which would presumably create an inflammatory reaction. As you are already working on, the best treatment for the eye problem would be reducing the amount of mating, but for now, simply continue on flushing the eye with the gel you have.

The process I use for the application of ocular drops is to grab the duck in an enclosed area, and position the duck so its body is held between my thighs/knees. To do this, firm pressure must be applied, but not too hard where you might restrict respiratory flow. You can use your less dominant hand to hold the duck's head, slightly tilt it sidewards, and use your dominant hand and apply a drop or two to the eye. If the eye beings to look worse you may need to use a product such as Terramycin with oxytetracycline.


Here is a picture online I found of the positioning I use.

 

[Debby Duck]

The injury that you have shown of the neck area does not look very severe. If you apply an antibacterial ointment, or squirt a poultry spray over, for the next few days, I think that would suffice as far as treatment.

If the males are to the point where they are physically pulling feathers from her head region, it is likely they might also be pecking the eye which would presumably create an inflammatory reaction. As you are already working on, the best treatment for the eye problem would be reducing the amount of mating, but for now, simply continue on flushing the eye with the gel you have.

The process I use for the application of ocular drops is to grab the duck in an enclosed area, and position the duck so its body is held between my thighs/knees. To do this, firm pressure must be applied, but not too hard where you might restrict respiratory flow. You can use your less dominant hand to hold the duck's head, slightly tilt it sidewards, and use your dominant hand and apply a drop or two to the eye. If the eye beings to look worse you may need to use a product such as Terramycin with oxytetracycline.


Here is a picture online I found of the positioning I use.
View attachment 2620363

Thank you! They are all drakes, so they are just fighting and attacking each other. I'm worried that the wound on his head will become worse if they keep this up and pull more feathers out. But I'm hopeful now that I can treat both of them without a trip to the vet. So.

That duck in the video is so calm! I have to wrestle with mine to do anything. They are totally uncooperative. Wish me luck!

 

[KaleIAm]

Thank you! They are all drakes, so they are just fighting and attacking each other. I'm worried that the wound on his head will become worse if they keep this up and pull more feathers out. But I'm hopeful now that I can treat both of them without a trip to the vet. So.

That duck in the video is so calm! I have to wrestle with mine to do anything. They are totally uncooperative. Wish me luck!

The trick is to hold the wings to the body, and also the skull firmly in your hand. My ducks don't want to cooperate either, but I'm bigger than them and I know how to manipulate their bodies so they can't wiggle out of my control. This lets me get the entire thing over with and is less stressful than wrestling with them. I do it exactly how Isaac described and I can give eyedrops in just a couple seconds and release my duck before she can even throw a tantrum.

It is a learnable skill like any other. You've got this!

 

[Debby Duck]

The trick is to hold the wings to the body, and also the skull firmly in your hand. My ducks don't want to cooperate either, but I'm bigger than them and I know how to manipulate their bodies so they can't wiggle out of my control. This lets me get the entire thing over with and is less stressful than wrestling with them. I do it exactly how Isaac described and I can give eyedrops in just a couple seconds and release my duck before she can even throw a tantrum.

It is a learnable skill like any other. You've got this!

I appreciate the vote of confidence! The little turd bit me tonight while I was reaching for his head . He's never done that before or of anger. Only a nip once in a while if I'm not giving out treats fast enough. But that's rare because I scold him if it's hard.

You're right though it does take some skill keeping the wings tucked in. I find it's hard to do with mine. That's pretty good you're able to do it by yourself. My husband and I are doing this as a team as it's tough!