HELP!!

[FoodFreedomNow]

YVW. I know what you mean about the difficulty in wrapping a Muscovy - claws, wings - it's not for the faint of heart. A couple of thoughts: (1) you may need to wrap it a bit more snugly to prevent removal and (2) put more wrap around him, being sure to cover the wing tips well. Self-adhesive wrap, properly fitted, should be very tough for him to remove.

If you haven't already seen this thread, it has a series of photos showing the wrapping process (and comments indicating how to tell if it's too tight): https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/644239/angel-wing-in-ducks-how-we-wrap-to-mend-it-pictorial.

He's a lovely drake - you have a nice-looking group there!

 

[brandy21410]

YVW. I know what you mean about the difficulty in wrapping a Muscovy - claws, wings - it's not for the faint of heart. A couple of thoughts: (1) you may need to wrap it a bit more snugly to prevent removal and (2) put more wrap around him, being sure to cover the wing tips well. Self-adhesive wrap, properly fitted, should be very tough for him to remove.

If you haven't already seen this thread, it has a series of photos showing the wrapping process (and comments indicating how to tell if it's too tight): https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/644239/angel-wing-in-ducks-how-we-wrap-to-mend-it-pictorial.

He's a lovely drake - you have a nice-looking group there!

Thank u these are my first muscovys and i love them but they dont feel the same abouy me they run and hiss at me. Lol especially now that i keep catching and wrapping him (3 tries so far today)lol i cant wait to clip their wings they already look like they want to take off nd fly away and their only about 11 weeks old. But i have him wrapped now and i hope he keeps it on. Thank u for helping i have been sooo worried all week literally so thank u again.

 

[FoodFreedomNow]

Thank u these are my first muscovys and i love them but they dont feel the same abouy me they run and hiss at me. Lol especially now that i keep catching and wrapping him (3 tries so far today)lol i cant wait to clip their wings they already look like they want to take off nd fly away and their only about 11 weeks old. But i have him wrapped now and i hope he keeps it on. Thank u for helping i have been sooo worried all week literally so thank u again.

I don't think their behavior is really that unusual...to me, they seem to retain more "wild" behavior than other breeds. Mine, raised from ducklings, will come around to see if I have treats or just out of curiosity, but they don't really want to be touched (though a couple of really mellow ducks will permit a quick "pet" or two). The boys often hiss a greeting and wag their tails, which I really enjoy. They're not cuddly ducks, but they have such interesting personalities, complex social interactions, and intelligence that I can't imagine having a homestead without them. They are susceptible to bribes - tasty treats like BOSS (black oil sunflower seeds) will get them to come around, along with patience.

I clip mine, too - the girls fly very well and will likely roost someplace high and refuse to come down if you don't. And then owls and other predators can get to them (learned this the hard way when I first got them).

Best wishes for not having to wrestle your drake again anytime soon! I actually have welding gloves for handling them, but that doesn't help you avoid being beaten about the head area by their wings. I just try to handle the big boys as infrequently as possible. lol

 

[brandy21410]

I don't think their behavior is really that unusual...to me, they seem to retain more "wild" behavior than other breeds. Mine, raised from ducklings, will come around to see if I have treats or just out of curiosity, but they don't really want to be touched (though a couple of really mellow ducks will permit a quick "pet" or two). The boys often hiss a greeting and wag their tails, which I really enjoy. They're not cuddly ducks, but they have such interesting personalities, complex social interactions, and intelligence that I can't imagine having a homestead without them. They are susceptible to bribes - tasty treats like BOSS (black oil sunflower seeds) will get them to come around, along with patience. 

I clip mine, too - the girls fly very well and will likely roost someplace high and refuse to come down if you don't. And then owls and other predators can get to them (learned this the hard way when I first got them). 

Best wishes for not having to wrestle your drake again anytime soon!  I actually have welding gloves for handling them, but that doesn't help you avoid being beaten about the head area by their wings. I just try to handle the big boys as infrequently as possible. lol

thank you so much you have helped me tremendously. Here is an update its been about a week and i inly wrapped the bad wing since he is holding the other one up great. The other wing that I wrapped seems much bigger i wonder if that is a factor in him not holding it up in place. Also my two drakes have very big knucles at the joint of the leg is that ok? Here is a pic:

this drake also shakes a bit when standing.

 

[FoodFreedomNow]

thank you so much you have helped me tremendously. Here is an update its been about a week and i inly wrapped the bad wing since he is holding the other one up great. The other wing that I wrapped seems much bigger i wonder if that is a factor in him not holding it up in place. Also my two drakes have very big knucles at the joint of the leg is that ok? Here is a pic:

this drake also shakes a bit when standing.

Glad to hear that this wrapping seems to be going ok.

It could be that one wing developed a bit faster than the other...I haven't seen that, personally, but it would certainly be within the realm of possibility.

The joints you mentioned look pretty normal to me. Muscovy have very thick, strong legs, especially the drakes. Ducks do need more niacin than chickens, though, and can suffer leg problems if they're deficient, so I'd start supplementing niacin if you're not already. You can add brewer's yeast to their food or tablets to their water - Metzer Farms has more detailed info here: http://metzerfarms.blogspot.com/2011/03/are-my-ducklings-leg-problems-due-to.html?m=1.

 

[brandy21410]

Glad to hear that this wrapping seems to be going ok.

It could be that one wing developed a bit faster than the other...I haven't seen that, personally, but it would certainly be within the realm of possibility.

The joints you mentioned look pretty normal to me. Muscovy have very thick, strong legs, especially the drakes. Ducks do need more niacin than chickens, though, and can suffer leg problems if they're deficient, so I'd start supplementing niacin if you're not already. You can add brewer's yeast to their food or tablets to their water - Metzer Farms has more detailed info here: http://metzerfarms.blogspot.com/2011/03/are-my-ducklings-leg-problems-due-to.html?m=1.

Ok i have been giving them nutritional yeast but it seems the bigger two are just alittle shakey because they are growing so fast. Also do u think these 2 are drakes? I thought they were but the big white one is very mean especially to the blie one. Iam worried he will begin to pick on him more because of the wrapping

i dont think the blue one is a female but he hardly have any carucles like the big white one but they are both much bigger than the 2 females so i thought they must b males lol i only can keep one wing wrapped do u think it is wrapped good? I hope he will be ok. And thank u agin for everything iam so lost.

 

[FoodFreedomNow]

Ok i have been giving them nutritional yeast but it seems the bigger two are just alittle shakey because they are growing so fast. Also do u think these 2 are drakes? I thought they were but the big white one is very mean especially to the blie one. Iam worried he will begin to pick on him more because of the wrapping

i dont think the blue one is a female but he hardly have any carucles like the big white one but they are both much bigger than the 2 females so i thought they must b males lol i only can keep one wing wrapped do u think it is wrapped good? I hope he will be ok. And thank u agin for everything iam so lost.

The size difference is usually a good indicator, but the real clincher (IMO) is the sounds they make: the boys will only hiss and the girls will make the trilling sounds. It's hard to describe, but the ducks just look more feminine and petite, too. When they're young, it can be difficult to tell by appearance or behavior: picking on each other may just be dominance-related.

It looks like you have the problem wing pretty well pinned back, and that's what important - keeping it held flat. It may have been easier to just wrap both, but as long as the tape is holding the right wing down, it will hopefully do the trick.

Take care!

 

[brandy21410]

The size difference is usually a good indicator, but the real clincher (IMO) is the sounds they make: the boys will only hiss and the girls will make the trilling sounds. It's hard to describe, but the ducks just look more feminine and petite, too. When they're young, it can be difficult to tell by appearance or behavior: picking on each other may just be dominance-related.

It looks like you have the problem wing pretty well pinned back, and that's what important - keeping it held flat. It may have been easier to just wrap both, but as long as the tape is holding the right wing down, it will hopefully do the trick.   

Take care!

Ok thank you I will try to re wrap both up tonight. He is just so strong he gets the good wing out of EVERYTHING LOL thanks again !!