injured duck

[mandogirl]

Hi everyone,
I have 5 Pekin ducks that adopted me this summer. They showed up as half grown ducklings in my irrigation ditch - no idea where they came from. They are fully grown now and always lie together and act like a very tight flock. However, recently one got injured by one of my dogs and had to spend 10 days at the vet. He is still injured, but on the mend. I brought him home today and re-introduced him to the flock, but they are picking on him. As weak as he is, I'm afraid they will kill him. Any ideas??

Thanks for your help! I know nothing about keeping ducks.

stefani

 

[Scottyhorse]

Separate him from the others until he is all better

 

[mandogirl]

Thanks. The complicating part is that it is winter in Idaho and below freezing. When I got him back from the vet, he had been in a large dog crate for the entire time. He was covered with his own feces and his feathers were a mess. So I put him in the bathtub with some water so he could clean himself up. Now he is damp and I'm afraid to put him out in the cold - even though the coop is insulated and heated, not that warm. I think I'll keep him inside the house at night until he is stronger. What do you think? He is currently in the bathtub (no water), with food and water and towels to lie on.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Thanks. The complicating part is that it is winter in Idaho and below freezing. When I got him back from the vet, he had been in a large dog crate for the entire time. He was covered with his own feces and his feathers were a mess. So I put him in the bathtub with some water so he could clean himself up. Now he is damp and I'm afraid to put him out in the cold - even though the coop is insulated and heated, not that warm. I think I'll keep him inside the house at night until he is stronger. What do you think? He is currently in the bathtub (no water), with food and water and towels to lie on.

Yes you need to reintroduce him to the flock slowly, maybe some time out with them when you can intervene if they start to pick on him, above all dson't leave him alone with them till he is 100%. it may take a week or more before you see them accept him. when you take him out to spend time with them take along some treats so they are all focused on eating more than picking on the injured one. If you can split their housing into 2 separate areas with some kind of fencing so they can see him and vise versa but they can't get to him it will help getting them all back to one happy flock. After all hes been through and you taking him to the vet for treatment ,you want him to completely heal and be with his flock again so all the best in doing so. Bless you for taking such good care of him and caring for this flock that happened to show up at your home. And