How to know if they are sick

[blshanatic]

My adult female Pekin has a very pale beak. She looks very disheveled yet her behavior is completely normal. I find no signs of sickness except her outward appearance. It just seems her bill is very much lighter than usual and I know that poor thing is being mated on several times a day.

Can their bills change color in sickness or is this simply a natural thing?

 

[chicmom]

Did you check her for mites or lice? I wonder if she could be anemic from those little blood suckers.....

 

[blshanatic]

Yes. They are clean. There is nothing I can find physically, even her behavior has been fine. Its very odd

 

[Amiga]

I would separate her out. Anemia can cause a bill to become pale, I think, and stress. I think you are looking at the problem - too much mating. Her health and even her life depend on you protecting her.

How many drakes, how many ducks (females)? You may need to get the drakes into their own pen for a while. As annoying as it can be, you are the only one who can protect your females.

 

[blshanatic]

Unfortunately, I only have one male and one female adult now. We had two females but a predator got to one at the beginning of winter. They are locked up at night now. I have 3 babies I'm waiting to get big enough to join them eventually this summer. Just didn't have them soon enough. I will see what I can do to separate them but I'm not sure Moe will handle it well. They have been inseparable for so long. What can I do to supplement iron for her?

 

[Amiga]

Moe may handle it better than you think he might. There is just so much at stake. I use divider fence, that way they can see each other and even snuggle up against each other but he cannot hop on top of her.

Iron is a tricky thing with ducks - we are advised to give poly-vi-sol without iron. So I would go with a poultry vitamin with electrolytes and probiotics, and maybe some cooled baked sweet potato as a treat. Offer it in a deep bowl - my ducks kind of splash while they eat it.

The poultry vitamins go in their water, so I would give that twice a week for two weeks and see how she does.

 

[Learningstill]

Egg yolks have iron