Help!! Wet looking ducks after first swim of the year

[cdnley]

This was our first winter with our ducks. They have been penned up since November (so 5 months). We let them out today, they looked so dirty and it was such a long winter for them.

They jumped into the pond and now they look very waterlogged (seperated feathers except on chest area). Now they are on land preening and preening.

I am not sure what the issue is. They don`t seem sick or anything. Is it possible they were just away from bathing water for so long they got really dirty and their feathers are not waterproofing very well or something else. It was a long and cold winter and now they are free I just want them to be able to enjoy the pond.

Thanks!

L

 

[secuono]

Oil is at their tail, they need to preen and work it through their feathers. If they were with momma, she would preen them with her oil.

 

[duckyfromoz]

Quote:
I think you might be right... 5 months really is a very long time for them not to have had a good swim and wash. You should see some improvement after time and a few more swims as they have the chance for a really good preen. You can check their oil glands to see if they look normal and are not blocked though, as after such a long spell it may be clogged or just need more stimulation to get them producing the right amount of oil again.

 

[cdnley]

I know, I feel so bad for them! The temps were in the -20 range for a lot of the winter there was really no option for me to allow them to bathe ( They did try to bathe in their water dish but wound up with icy butts!

I hope they will be water proofed sooner than later! Thanks for the advice. I am not sure if they would like me to pick them up but I will check them out if things don't improve shortly.