Help! I could use some advice on feeding my injured duck with a broken bill

[SilverFlame]

So my Ducky of 2 years now got into a fight with a Dog, luckily Oswald escaped but sadly at the cost of part of his bill. I took to him to a exotic animal Vet and they looked him over. He had a few scrapes on his neck but we treated it and he's on antibiotics now. Anyhow, Half of the top part of his bill is gone, almost to the nostril and it likely will not recover fully so he needs to learn to eat by himself. on the positive side he's been drinking alot of water, and has been pecking at his feather along with other things but I have yet to see him eat. I mixed his food with water to make it more mushy, I'm also going to make him a more baby food style food. Any ideas or advice?

 

[WillGriffin03]

Feed him soft food so he can eat easily.

Good luck

 

[chickens really]

Sounds like you have it under control.........!

Only tip I can give you is to make the wet feed a bit more soupy and try and add some mashed peas and tiny pieces of tomatoes or cooked apple to the soup to encourage him to eat....

Poor Ducky......

Cheers!

 

[SilverFlame]

Hiya! Here's a update along with a pic, the picture was right after i found him. I put him in water so he could relax at the time while i figured out what to do. His wound has been cleaned and will be cleaned daily, he is on meds to help fight potential infections., so far he had eaten a little but hasn't really attempted to himself. If you put the food in his mouth he will eat and has pecked at his food a little. I'm still worried but he's a fighter, little more slow today but I feel like that may be due to his day on meds.

 

[chickens really]

Poor Duck.......



Best wishes.....

 

[NanaKat]

Did the vet think Oswald's beak would heal over on the edges where it is injured?
Does a duck's beak grow like a chicken's beak?
Hopefully the answer to both questions is yes which would be fortunate. A wider beak is necessary for a duck to feed easily.

I'm wondering if making mushy pellets of mixed ingredients and hand feeding him would be helpful in the short time while his beak toughens up in the edges. That may be why he isn't eating as much right now. It may be painful to open ar tender to the touch.

Could Poultry drench with the vitamins and minerals help? The nutrients are absorbed by the soft tissue in the throat as it goes down. Even a few drops a day from an eye dropper OE mixed in his water might be helpful

 

[SilverFlame]

Hiya, I'm having issues still getting him to eat. He seems to refuse to even try anything which is not solid, he keeps trying to peck stuff up to eat it but he Physically can't, the way his beak broke means that he really can't pick stuff up and I don't know what I could do to help him. . I tried hand feeding him but he still refuses it unless i Hold something solid which he really can't take a piece of. I'm going to try peas next, maybe he'll be able to pick those up somehow, I'm also going to see if I could get something to put in his water. He's still active and drinking lots of water though but the idea of him being hungry with me not being able to help hurts. Also the chances of his bill growing back is pretty slim considering how it broke. The hope is that it heals up and he just adapts

 

[chickens really]

Google about how to make a prosthetic bill....I saw it on TV.....Hmmmmm?


Poor Ducky......

 

[SilverFlame]

I've been thinking of that alot but sadly i'm not sure where to start or if I'm even Qualified to do it. I'll ask my Vet about it on tuesday. It has been a stressful few days and It was super hard to find a duck vet where I live

 

[chickens really]

I've been thinking of that alot but sadly i'm not sure where to start or if I'm even Qualified to do it. I'll ask my Vet about it on tuesday. It has been a stressful few days and It was super hard to find a duck vet where I live

PM me.......okay ?.......