Maggots on duck

[Aunt Angus]

The goal is to get her back to the pond with the other ducks and geese. She is just using the kiddie pool until then. Now it's starting to cool off so I don't know if I should wait til next spring to reintroduce her to the pond.

Two of my geese are also as old as her, but in much better shape. The other two I raised from eggs.

That's amazing!

I don't know about reintroducing her to the pond. I'd be afraid to since it seems the maggots keep coming back, but I wouldn't want her to be lonely, either. That's a tough one.

 

[cherrynberry]

Niacin? I don't know... I've always fed them layer pellets + corn + cheap dogfood which is mostly grain and vitamins. In summer I cut grass and clover for them. And they eat whatever bugs they can find.

The legs started straight then gradually turned inward over the years. She is 7 years old. I figured all ducks were that way, or at least the white ones. I also have some mallard colored ducks (rouens I think) and their feet aren't distorted, but all the white ones were.

Is horse fly spray safe for ducks and aquatic life? It might be a challenge to find something that works on bugs but not on fish and frogs.

@Overo Mare Do you keep ducks? Is this diet balanced? I know for chickens it would be REALLY unbalanced, but I haven't got the clue for ducks.

 

[SittinDuck]

That's amazing!

I don't know about reintroducing her to the pond. I'd be afraid to since it seems the maggots keep coming back, but I wouldn't want her to be lonely, either. That's a tough one.

She doesn't have it so bad. She gets fresh water, selection of food, and perfect temps every night. Then she spends the day in the sun without being harassed by the geese lol

Actually a big fear of mine is the geese will kill her when I take her back. They lived together 6 years, but forgot each other after a week. The geese saw her as a crippled invader and tried drowning her. I found her under a boat nearly hypothermic and cuts to the back of her head. The geese were trying to drown her, so she hid under a boat but still in the water and got cold.

 

[SittinDuck]

@Overo Mare Do you keep ducks? Is this diet balanced? I know for chickens it would be REALLY unbalanced, but I haven't got the clue for ducks.

Why is it unbalanced for chickens?

All I know is the ducks and geese prefer the dogfood most, then the corn, then the layer pellets which they will barely choke down once everything else is gone. They also like grass and clover. Of course, the main diet of geese is grass.

I figure the cheap dogfood is not fit for dogs, but seems well-suited for ducks. Doggy Bag dogfood from tractor supply.

Wheat Middlings, Ground Yellow Corn, Meat and Bone Meal, soybean Meal, Calcium Carbonate, Animal fat (preserved with BHA and citric acid), Animal Digest Salt, Choline Chloride, Zinc Sulfate, Ferrous Sulfate , Vitamin E Supplement, Zinc Oxide, Manganous Oxide, Copper Sulfate, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Niacin, Biotin, Vitamin A Acetate, Calcium Pantothenate, Thiamine Mononitrate (source of Vitamin B1), Calcium Iodate, Sodium Selenite, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (source of vitamin B6), Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex (source of vitamin K activity), Riboflavin Supplement (source of vitamin B2), Vitamin D Supplement, Cobalt Carbonate, Folic Acid.

 

[cherrynberry]

Why is it unbalanced for chickens?

All I know is the ducks and geese prefer the dogfood most, then the corn, then the layer pellets which they will barely choke down once everything else is gone. They also like grass and clover. Of course, the main diet of geese is grass.

I figure the cheap dogfood is not fit for dogs, but seems well-suited for ducks. Doggy Bag dogfood from tractor supply.

Chickens only need a balanced commercial feed. I only feed treats in EXTREME moderation. Treats take up space in their crops so they can fit less of their normal feed. Treats can often be harder to digest, which can cause issues. Or, they get less of what they need, which can cause issues. OR treats can lower protein percentages, which can, again, cause issues.

This is for chickens though...I have never owned ducks.

 

[Aunt Angus]

Ducks can eat what chickens eat (but they do need more niacin). Clearly, they aren't super malnourished if they've lived so darn long! They get lots of good stuff out on the pond, I'm sure.

@SittinDuck
I can see why you're concerned about your geese. I really don't have any advice for that. I don't have geese, and I am not lucky enough to have a real pond!

 

[Lenny loves chickens]

Northwest Georgia

There are no affected areas at the moment, but I could take pics of the areas that would be affected if I'm not diligent in keeping her clean.

She sits because her legs are bent inwards. She has trouble walking because she steps on her own feet. I'm guessing that duck's legs turn inward until they break because I've noticed after the broken leg healed that it healed straight. So now the unbroken leg is the only one turned inward, but it's still enough of an impediment to make walking difficult, so she just sits.

There are no wounds and no way to be wounded. All she does is sit in the garage over night and sit in the grass all day. It's been that way since last winter.

At the pond she used to sit inside a dog house on eggs and presumably she would sit in feces inside a doghouse, but no maggots. All I can figure is the pond is deep enough for her to clean herself. But that begs the question of how chickens keep themselves clean when sitting on eggs. Why do ducks need a bath but chicken do not?

Here are some pics in the mean time.

Duck in salt water:
View attachment 2865041

View attachment 2865042

I have felt with chickens and ducks and have never had a maggot problem maybe try giving a bath in blue dawn dish soap....and chicken take a bath called a dust bath

 

[SittinDuck]

Chickens only need a balanced commercial feed. I only feed treats in EXTREME moderation. Treats take up space in their crops so they can fit less of their normal feed. Treats can often be harder to digest, which can cause issues. Or, they get less of what they need, which can cause issues. OR treats can lower protein percentages, which can, again, cause issues.

This is for chickens though...I have never owned ducks.

What constitutes a treat?

Treats for humans are usually just sugar. Maybe corn is like that for ducks? They don't eat that much corn though. Sometimes I don't bother buying it. I guess corn epitomizes a treat.

I can't help thinking if they had to survive on their proper feed (purina layer pellets) that they'd rather starve themselves. They only eat it as last resort. I mix their food and they go to great effort to pick out everything but the layer pellets.

And there are other sources of food at the pond that I have no idea about. They spend time digging in the ground and diving under water. Sometimes they eat so much other stuff that they don't bother with their feed.

 

[cherrynberry]

What constitutes a treat?

Treats for humans are usually just sugar. Maybe corn is like that for ducks? They don't eat that much corn though. Sometimes I don't bother buying it. I guess corn epitomizes a treat.

I can't help thinking if they had to survive on their proper feed (purina layer pellets) that they'd rather starve themselves. They only eat it as last resort. I mix their food and they go to great effort to pick out everything but the layer pellets.

And there are other sources of food at the pond that I have no idea about. They spend time digging in the ground and diving under water. Sometimes they eat so much other stuff that they don't bother with their feed.

Treats are anything other than their normal food. Obviously, chickens will find bugs and stuff, but those do not count as treats for me. They ARE treats, but I do not count that into their diet. I still provide their commercial feed (purina) 24/7.

I also feed Purina. I feed crumble though. My birds LOVE it.

They love mealworms as well.

 

[SittinDuck]

Ducks can eat what chickens eat (but they do need more niacin). Clearly, they aren't super malnourished if they've lived so darn long! They get lots of good stuff out on the pond, I'm sure.

How long do ducks normally live? I thought I read on google that they normally live 10-15 years. About like cats and dogs.

The biggest cause of death so far has been turtles. I lost 2 to turtles and 1 to some terrestrial predator. This duck is the last of the 4.

Actually hawks n owls are the biggest threat but I have bird netting over the pond. I can't think of a way to stop turtles other than fishing them out.

@SittinDuck
I can see why you're concerned about your geese. I really don't have any advice for that. I don't have geese, and I am not lucky enough to have a real pond!

I think I just have to spend enough time with them to re-acclimate them, but it won't be easy.