Maggots on duck

[SittinDuck]

This forum has proved very useful for getting maggots off my duck (ie soaking in salt water), but the problem now is how to keep them off.

This has been going on for almost a year. I get the maggots off and think everything will be ok, so I pay less attention to the duck only to discover a big infestation all over again. I'm to the point now of wondering how birds manage to survive in the wild at all.

There are no wounds that I can see. What happens is I take the duck out of the climate controlled garage each morning and put her in a kiddie pool. Then she jumps out and waddles into some grass where she sits all day long. As she sits, the flies start buzzing around. If I don't remember to pick her up and throw her back in the pool periodically throughout the day, then I figure the flies are laying eggs on the duck which hatch into worms that start feasting on whatever there is to eat on a duck until they create a wound that wasn't there before which proves a wound is not necessary to attract the maggots (that was an issue debated in other threads - some people thought maggots help heal wounds, but in my case they create wounds).

I originally took her out of my pond last winter because she had a broken leg and it was too cold for her, but now the leg has long since healed and this maggot problem has arisen. I'm scared to take her back to the pond for fear she'll be covered in maggots and I won't be able to retrieve her to help. I'm also scared this will go on forever. She is 7 years old which means this could persist for another decade. The only relief I'll get is in winter, but winter is the reason I she's in the garage in the first place.

Any ideas how to break this cycle?

Maybe the problem is her sitting in one spot too long, but ducks sit on eggs and don't develop maggots. Maybe the problem is the kiddie pool isn't deep enough for her to wash herself. Maybe the problem is she can't or won't get into the pool often enough. If lack of water is the problem, then how do chickens manage to keep the maggots off? I'm perplexed.

 

[Painted Calls]

Where are you located? Can you provide pictures of your duck's affected areas? How come she's sitting in one place so long?

Flies don't just lay eggs for funsies. There has got to be a reason. Sitting in feces, wounds, etc.

 

[SittinDuck]

Where are you located? Can you provide pictures of your duck's affected areas? How come she's sitting in one place so long?

Flies don't just lay eggs for funsies. There has got to be a reason. Sitting in feces, wounds, etc.

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:

 

[Painted Calls]

Poor girlfriend.

Pics of the areas (even if not currently affected) would be great!

Broody chickens will not poop in the nest where they lay. They hold their bowels and poop when they get off the nest. Usually once to twice a day.

 

[SittinDuck]

Broody chickens will not poop in the nest where they lay. They hold their bowels and poop when they get off the nest. Usually once to twice a day.

Maybe a solution is to give her eggs to sit on.

Ok I'll take some pics later tonight.

 

[SittinDuck]

Here are some pics. Can't see much because new feathers are growing after the last infestation.

The wound the maggots left resembled a scrape: taking the first layers of skin off. It scabbed over and healed quickly and now new feathers are growing.

You can see a little pink skin if you look close.

Btw, why does the uploader turn the pictures sideways? The top one is turned 90 degrees and the bottom one is turned 180 degrees.

 

[SittinDuck]

Anyone frantically searching google freaking out about maggots on your duck, don't worry, I've handled this at least 3-4 times now and it's as easy as soaking the duck in a bucket of lukewarm salt water. Honestly, the salt probably doesn't even matter.

You don't need any chemicals, drugs, sprays,,,, just water. Put the duck in the water and scrub the area with your hand (or something) to dislodge the maggots. Let the duck soak in the bucket for 15 min or so. You'll find a bunch of maggots floating on the water.

Dump the water and repeat over and over until all the maggots are gone. It might take a couple days and lots of buckets of water to be rid of them. The duck won't eat if the maggots are there, so if the duck starts eating again you know they are gone.

Then take the duck inside a building where flies can't go until the wound heals. My garage has AC, dehumidifier, and a fan blowing on the duck. I don't know if it does any good, but it makes sense to keep the duck as dry as possible. Put triple antibiotic ointment on the wound, mainly to keep it moist so the wound doesn't dry and crack. You'll be amazed how fast birds can heal.

Hydrogen peroxide is ok, but I'm not sure it does any good. Some threads have debated whether peroxide attacks healthy skin but I've never noticed anything like that. I've put peroxide on wounds, in my ears, cats' ears, use it as mouthwash, and even water plants with it. But peroxide probably won't do much in this case since it will roll right off the duck and contribute to the overall humidity. Triple antibiotic ointment or even vaseline is better.

That's about it. Now how to keep maggots from coming back is the problem. If they appeared once, it stands to reason that they will come back.

 

[ruthhope]

I have no answers as this is beyond my experience but it seems to me the infestation is around your duck's oil gland . I am wondering why they are attracted there.

i like your method for soaking in salt water -- salt water is mildly antiseptic and definitely better than plain water. Hydrogen peroxide doesn't harm human skin or wounds. I doubt it is bad for ducks' skin. I haven't used it but if I got a duck with a skin wound I would give it a try to clean up the wound.

You wonder how ducks survive in the wild and honestly a wild duck with a maggot infestation would die. You are doing so well clearing up her infection and in general loving and caring for her since her broken leg.

 

[SittinDuck]

I have no answers as this is beyond my experience but it seems to me the infestation is around your duck's oil gland . I am wondering why they are attracted there.

i like your method for soaking in salt water -- salt water is mildly antiseptic and definitely better than plain water. Hydrogen peroxide doesn't harm human skin or wounds. I doubt it is bad for ducks' skin. I haven't used it but if I got a duck with a skin wound I would give it a try to clean up the wound.

You wonder how ducks survive in the wild and honestly a wild duck with a maggot infestation would die. You are doing so well clearing up her infection and in general loving and caring for her since her broken leg.

Oil gland? I never knew a duck had one. I figured the flies were buzzing around the feces, but I suppose it could be something like an oil gland (whatever that is).

The problem with peroxide is it beads up like water on car wax. It just rolls off.

Do you or anyone have any experience with ducks' legs? It seems like they start out straight but gradually turn inwards until they eventually break (if they live long enough, which likely doesn't happen in the wild). They have a terrible time walking because they step on their feet.

I just discovered there is a vet in the area who will see ducks, so if there is a problem with the gland or whatever, I could take her in.

 

[Aunt Angus]

It sounds like your duck suffered a niacin deficiency when it was younger and now its feet/legs are deformed.

And maybe you can work on getting the fly problem under control. For my goats, I spray them with horse fly spray once a week. It keeps the flies pretty much at bay. It is permethrin based.