help! my duck is acting weird!

[yanakaye]

My beautiful baby girl (8 month old white Campbell ) is acting odd. She keeps pointing her tail down, almost like a dog tucks it's tail between its legs. And can be a bit stroppy. Separately she also has a thinning patch underneath her top layer of feathers where her feathers look matted with a lot of pin feathers but it looks like there are a few feather stumps/shafts that have black fuzzy things in. At first i thought they were bugs but they don't move then i thought it was congealed blood but now i just have no idea. I've mite powdered her just in case but she doesn't even scratch. Any ideas on both issues? She otherwise seems fine. I'm probably just being overprotective but i worry!

 

[Miss Lydia]

My beautiful baby girl (8 month old white Campbell ) is acting odd. She keeps pointing her tail down, almost like a dog tucks it's tail between its legs. And can be a bit stroppy. Separately she also has a thinning patch underneath her top layer of feathers where her feathers look matted with a lot of pin feathers but it looks like there are a few feather stumps/shafts that have black fuzzy things in. At first i thought they were bugs but they don't move then i thought it was congealed blood but now i just have no idea. I've mite powdered her just in case but she doesn't even scratch. Any ideas on both issues? She otherwise seems fine. I'm probably just being overprotective but i worry!

Has she been laying? it could be an egg is stuck and sometimes letting them soak for a while in a nice warm tub of water will help them relax enough to move it on out. Do you have a drake sometimes they can cause feathers to be pulled and make the duck have thinning feathers. Mites will move but lice attach themselves to the feather shaft. I'll get you the link then you can compare what your seeing with the feathers.
http://www.grit.com/animals/poultry...-in-your-backyard-chickens.aspx#axzz3NaCrNCsH

 

[yanakaye]

Hi, thanks for your response. Yes she started laying about a month ago but she lays one every day. What could cause eggs to get stuck? We can actually hear a crunching sound in her belly which sounds like egg shell crunching bit that's been happening since she started laying and apart from pointing her tail down she seems fine. Yes we have a drake and he does peck her neck when he tries to mate her. I say try as i don't think he's been successful yet. Thanks for the link but the black bits don't look anything like the pictures. I'll upload a picture to show you?

 

[yanakaye]

 

[yanakaye]

 

[yanakaye]

I couldn't get any closer as the pic goes blurry. I managed to squeeze part of the black bit out of the feather shaft. Its not moving and feels hard but until i get a magnifying glass it's too small to make out what it is.

 

[Miss Lydia]

I couldn't get any closer as the pic goes blurry. I managed to squeeze part of the black bit out of the feather shaft. Its not moving and feels hard but until i get a magnifying glass it's too small to make out what it is.

Could it be scabby from the where the drake has pulled the feather out? You could go ahead and dust her but If they have been swimming most likely it's not bugs.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Hi, thanks for your response. Yes she started laying about a month ago but she lays one every day. What could cause eggs to get stuck? We can actually hear a crunching sound in her belly which sounds like egg shell crunching bit that's been happening since she started laying and apart from pointing her tail down she seems fine. Yes we have a drake and he does peck her neck when he tries to mate her. I say try as i don't think he's been successful yet. Thanks for the link but the black bits don't look anything like the pictures. I'll upload a picture to show you?

Egg laying is a process that is amazing but sometimes things can go wrong and it can be caused by many different things, Stress is one not enough calcium what do you feed and do they get extra calcium in the form of oyster shell? I've heard others say they can hear a sound like you just described but I've never heard it with one of mine, but it can be serious and even lead to death if they can't get that egg out. So when was the last time she laid? get her in a tub of warm water let her soak till it starts cooling off then you can place her in the tub or in a dog kennel I've heard use a heating pad under a towel on low heat place the duck on this or to turn on the shower in the bath room and let the room steam up moisture from heat with heating pad and shower can help .Can you feel the egg if you want to try and feel her inside or just running your hand gently down her tummy towards her vent. you might be able to feel an egg. I had a duck back last year that finally passed her egg after being egg bound but she must have had many more inside or had infection because I lost her. So you see this can be very serious. Look at her vent is it pulsating that's usually a way to tell if they are trying to pass an egg.Is she acting lethargic not eating? just to get more info. https://www.google.com/search?cof=L...+for+an+egg+bound+duck&btnG=Search&gws_rd=ssl

 

[yanakaye]

Thanks for the info. She lays at night usually and we last got an egg last night. Bit she has been doing the pointy down tail thing for about a week now while still getting regular eggs. Our only happens occasionally. Could it be a mood thing? I can feel an egg inside her but she hasn't laid one yet today. Good thinking about the scab. I hope it's that. Buying a magnifying glass tomorrow to get a closer look at it.

 

[yanakaye]

I'll try her in the steamy shower as a precaution. She has layers pellets with calcium in. i don't give her oyster shells as I've heard they can be toxic to drakes and our boy will eat anything he sees and usually tries to steal her food