naivetefarm
In the Brooder
Hi there -
Please don't feel any need to answer this over the holidays - just when you have time is fine.
One of my ducks has been losing feathers around her eyes and is practically bald on the back of her neck (I think the loss of feathers on her neck is likely from the other duck mounting her regularly). I separated her for a while and got some feather fixer to her along with some antibiotics and electrolytes. After about a week, she seemed to be doing better, so I tossed her back into the coop with the other ducks and chickens. Now, she seems to be doing worse again and her feathers on her body seem to be kind of dingy and slick-looking. Almost like they're greasy.
Important history for this duck: She did have bumble foot in the past, but we cleared that up just fine. She is definitely the lowest bird in the pecking order and has a pretty high-strung personality. She stresses out and skirts the other birds in the pen (I've never actually seen any other them pecking her, but it must happen on occasion if she's that nervous around them). Likewise, she was stressed the whole time I had her separated and was constantly quacking back and forth with the other duck in my flock.
I feed my flock a "mixed flock" feed and supplement with scratch grains and oyster shells as well as food scrap treats (celery and carrot tops, apples that are within a day or two of needing to be used, etc). They have a large 2 gallon heated dog bowl that I keep fresh water in, although for those of you with ducks, I am sure you know how quickly they can make a mess of their water. In other words, she has plenty of depth to dunk her head and she can even get completely into the bowl, if she wishes, although it's a tight fit.
Do you have any ideas about what might be happening to her? If not, do you have any other knowledgable folks that you might point me to?
Thanks so much for taking the time to read this email! I hope you have a wonderful Christmas.
Please don't feel any need to answer this over the holidays - just when you have time is fine.
One of my ducks has been losing feathers around her eyes and is practically bald on the back of her neck (I think the loss of feathers on her neck is likely from the other duck mounting her regularly). I separated her for a while and got some feather fixer to her along with some antibiotics and electrolytes. After about a week, she seemed to be doing better, so I tossed her back into the coop with the other ducks and chickens. Now, she seems to be doing worse again and her feathers on her body seem to be kind of dingy and slick-looking. Almost like they're greasy.
Important history for this duck: She did have bumble foot in the past, but we cleared that up just fine. She is definitely the lowest bird in the pecking order and has a pretty high-strung personality. She stresses out and skirts the other birds in the pen (I've never actually seen any other them pecking her, but it must happen on occasion if she's that nervous around them). Likewise, she was stressed the whole time I had her separated and was constantly quacking back and forth with the other duck in my flock.
I feed my flock a "mixed flock" feed and supplement with scratch grains and oyster shells as well as food scrap treats (celery and carrot tops, apples that are within a day or two of needing to be used, etc). They have a large 2 gallon heated dog bowl that I keep fresh water in, although for those of you with ducks, I am sure you know how quickly they can make a mess of their water. In other words, she has plenty of depth to dunk her head and she can even get completely into the bowl, if she wishes, although it's a tight fit.
Do you have any ideas about what might be happening to her? If not, do you have any other knowledgable folks that you might point me to?
Thanks so much for taking the time to read this email! I hope you have a wonderful Christmas.
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