Help figuring out duck bill Injury please!

[biscotti]

Hi everyone! I haven't been on here in a while, but I need some imput from more experienced bird people. I noticed this the other day on my runner duck and I was able to wrangle him for a photo tonight. Is this something I should worry a lot about like an infection, or more likely aftermath from an injury of some sort? That's what it kind of looks like to me, but I have no experience with beak and bill issues... He seems fine otherwise and is eating and playing like normal. I haven't inspected it closer with my hands yet because he's not very used to handling, but I'll try in the next couple of days to feel it and maybe open his mouth if I can... he'll probably need a few more days to stop sulking and let me get close again...

He can get a bit crazy trying to fight with his brothers through their fences sometimes when their hormones are going wild (they're all separated with chicken wire and some tighter knit plastic cloth on top most of it). I'm wondering if this could have been caused by him getting his bill stuck through any gaps in the chicken wire. He can fit some of his bill through some times and when he's really rowdy he's very harsh on himself.

Any ideas or advice would be really appreciated! Thank you so much

Thanks

 

[FarmerGirl101]

It does look like he scraped it on something. It likely is the wire. It doesn't look that bad to me so I would just keep an eye on it to make sure it doesn't get worse. In the meantime, try and see if you can limit the number of places he can scrape his bill on as by your description he seems likely to do it again. You can even try a visual or physical barrier for the bottom portion between him and his brothers. But I do know that isn't always possible.

 

[biscotti]

It does look like he scraped it on something. It likely is the wire. It doesn't look that bad to me so I would just keep an eye on it to make sure it doesn't get worse. In the meantime, try and see if you can limit the number of places he can scrape his bill on as by your description he seems likely to do it again. You can even try a visual or physical barrier for the bottom portion between him and his brothers. But I do know that isn't always possible.

Thanks so much for the reply, I really appreciate it! I'll definitely inspect his outdoor and indoor area and check for any suspicious spots tomorrow. I have four boys and yet it's always this one that gets into the most trouble

 

[FarmerGirl101]

Thanks so much for the reply, I really appreciate it! I'll definitely inspect his outdoor and indoor area and check for any suspicious spots tomorrow. I have four boys and yet it's always this one that gets into the most trouble

Of course! It doesn't have to be perfect but if he starts repeatedly scraping his bill then it can snowball into something worse that will take longer to heal. There is always the one trouble maker!

 

[User690263]

Hi everyone! I haven't been on here in a while, but I need some imput from more experienced bird people. I noticed this the other day on my runner duck and I was able to wrangle him for a photo tonight. Is this something I should worry a lot about like an infection, or more likely aftermath from an injury of some sort? That's what it kind of looks like to me, but I have no experience with beak and bill issues... He seems fine otherwise and is eating and playing like normal. I haven't inspected it closer with my hands yet because he's not very used to handling, but I'll try in the next couple of days to feel it and maybe open his mouth if I can... he'll probably need a few more days to stop sulking and let me get close again...

He can get a bit crazy trying to fight with his brothers through their fences sometimes when their hormones are going wild (they're all separated with chicken wire and some tighter knit plastic cloth on top most of it). I'm wondering if this could have been caused by him getting his bill stuck through any gaps in the chicken wire. He can fit some of his bill through some times and when he's really rowdy he's very harsh on himself.

Any ideas or advice would be really appreciated! Thank you so much

View attachment 4182955
View attachment 4182956

Thanks

One of my ducks scraped her bill in a way that looked very similar to this, it healed by itself in about a week or so

 

[biscotti]

Okay things have changed a bit since I posted here... it now looks like it's becoming soft and sinking into the beak like a hole. I'm a little more worried. He's been in the water and mud constantly the past few days because of the heat wave, so could it be the water has softened it up to this point or is it more likely an infection at this point...

It was hard to get a good photo this time because the sun had set. Should I take him to the vet?

 

[someonewholovesgeese]

View attachment 4184788
Okay things have changed a bit since I posted here... it now looks like it's becoming soft and sinking into the beak like a hole. I'm a little more worried. He's been in the water and mud constantly the past few days because of the heat wave, so could it be the water has softened it up to this point or is it more likely an infection at this point...

It was hard to get a good photo this time because the sun had set. Should I take him to the vet?

you should probably take him to the vet

 

[biscotti]

Update #2 in case anyone was curious!

I sent a few of the photos to his vet yesterday for their input, and they said it looks like it's going through the healing process and seems pretty healthy at the moment which is a relief. They told me to keep an eye on it though, and if anything changes in a drastic way, let them know. They also said I could put antibiotic cream on it (I have some they gave me a few months ago) if I would like to, but that's up to me.

I'm about to go over to their coop to get them ready for the day so I'll see how it looks and decide on that then.

Hopefully this can help anyone who is looking for visual references of this kind of issue!

 

[User690263]

Update #2 in case anyone was curious!

I sent a few of the photos to his vet yesterday for their input, and they said it looks like it's going through the healing process and seems pretty healthy at the moment which is a relief. They told me to keep an eye on it though, and if anything changes in a drastic way, let them know. They also said I could put antibiotic cream on it (I have some they gave me a few months ago) if I would like to, but that's up to me.

I'm about to go over to their coop to get them ready for the day so I'll see how it looks and decide on that then.

Hopefully this can help anyone who is looking for visual references of this kind of issue!

That's great! I'm glad he's doing ok