Is this normal??? **pics**

[maralynn28]

I understand the ducklings can get pretty funny looking as they change from down to feathers, but this has never happened for me. The duckling started out with a smaller patch of baldness around her eyes but it seems to be growing larger and I don't see any covering growing in beneath it. It's all BALD skin.

This is only my 2nd batch of ducklings (8 total) so I guess it could be normal but I'm wondering why it's only happening with this one duckling and none of the others.
She seems healthy otherwise...

 

[purplequeenvt]

It could be that she is getting picked on.

 

[70%cocoa]

Might be a fungal or bacterial infection? I know that my dog had one on a spot near his lip and it caused his fur to fall out in a very localised way like the feathers have on your duckling. It was caused by a bacteria and was treated successfully with a cream that the vet prescribed.

 

[toadbriar]

the skin looks normal and healthy though, doesn't it - no inflammation, swelling, redness, flaking, etc. Also her eye looks bright and well. I'd hesitate to put antifungals near the eye, and you know she'd be dipping her head into water and drinking it.

If she were my duck, I'd just watch and see. And keep us posted!

 

[70%cocoa]

I know that a duck is not a dog

but when my dog had the skin problem that I mentioned above his skin looked absolutely normal and healthy. The only symptom was that his fur fell out in a small spot.

If it is bacterial then anti-fungals will not work - and vice versa for fungal infections and antibiotic creams. So I agree that it is not a good idea to simply be whacking on any old cream.

I tend to take my birds to the vet at the very first sign of trouble so that's what I'd be doing but as I said I am very quick to call the vet! It doesn't look painful or itchy.....

 

[dumb_cluck]

What are you feeding her?

 

[BorderKelpie]

Does she have a way to bathe her face? I had one do that and her feathers grew in beautifully once I made sure she was getting regular daily baths. I had had them in a grow out pen with a hanging type waterer. Apparantly, her head was too big to submerge completely so I started to shower them with the hose (gently) before I had the guts to put them out in the big duckie pen with actual swimming water.
Hope all goes well!

 

[Hoss1975]

What kind of duck is it?Could it be a muscovy?

 

[maralynn28]

She's supposed to be a KC but she looks a little different than my other KC, this is my first time with KC's and I don't know how much they vary in color, etc but I would be ECSTATIC if she were a 'scovy. But is this how they develop their carunkles (sp)??? I'm guessing she's getting picked on but it's odd that it is just around the eye like that...there are no other signs of her being picked on and she looks healthy otherwise.

It doesn't seem to be bothering her at all. When it was smaller, I figured it was either picking on/ feathers coming in but it has gotten larger and isolated around her eye like that I thought was odd.

She's being fed starter/grower with some yeast flakes and oats and has full access to water (I even take them out to the fenced in "pond" we constructed for them in our yard o they can swim with the adult duck while I supervise). None of the other 3 ducklings have this.

So strange....
Guess I'll just keep checking on it and see if she needs some type cream, though I would hate to put something like that near her eye...

 

[MiMis_Place]

Try using VetRX. It doesn't hurt the eyes. You can even rub it on their eyes. You can buy it at the feed store.

It comes in a small yellow box I believe with red letters. It is good for several different things and is good to have on hand.


Hope this helps!