mites..I think??

[violet23]

I have 4 ducks about 8 months old. 2 Pekin female and 2 male mallards. One of the males is loosing his green head feathers. From eyes, around beak and down sides of neck. I got a poultry dust about ten days ago and applied it to just him. On the green area while his eyes and bill were covered. I applied again last night. But i haven't seen any improvement. Any thoughts???

 

[JadeComputerGal]

It could be mites, but have you seen any other symptoms like scratching? Are any of the other ducks affected? Mites will typically spread in a flock, especially if they're already bad enough to be causing feather loss. I would try checking him and the others to see if you can find any evidence of them, and this is best done at night because some mites only feed at night. They can be very hard to see on colored ducks like Mallards, but you can try checking the Pekins as well since they're much easier to see on lighter colored birds. If it is mites, you'll have to treat the environment as well as the ducks or the ducks will likely get infested again.

 

[Toddrick]

Are mites evn attracted to the head at all? I thought they preferred the vent region and under the wings, where it is warmer and moister. It could be molting or something else.

 

[JadeComputerGal]

You can sometimes find them under the wings, but it's usually the head and neck that are the most affected except in the case of leg mites. I did consider molting, but it seems kind of late in the year for a Mallard to molt if she lives in the US, which I suspect she does. It also seems like the other one would be molting as well, but of course it also seems like the other one should have mites too if that's the problem. I'm hoping she'll post some additional info.

 

[violet23]

I'll look closer at the other 3, but they seem fine. We live in NH and I really don't think it's molting...It's only his head.

 

[violet23]

Hi again..The drake that I have been treating for mites has all of a sudden gone rouge. He seems fixated on attacking one of the female pekins. Running all over the yard hanging onto her. Took a few feathers out. So i managed to Pen him. Now he's going crazy because he's alone. My question is, is he likely to stay this aggressive. Or can he just be having a bad morning? ????

 

[Amiga]

Hi again..The drake that I have been treating for mites has all of a sudden gone rouge. He seems fixated on attacking one of the female pekins. Running all over the yard hanging onto her. Took a few feathers out. So i managed to Pen him. Now he's going crazy because he's alone. My question is, is he likely to stay this aggressive. Or can he just be having a bad morning? ????

Sounds like a hormone surge. Anything else changing there? He may be exerting his toughness in reaction to the indignity of being treated for mites. As if to say, "look, I know the big one pins me down, but I am still tough, so I am going to go after you!"

 

[violet23]

Hi.i was wondering that myself. So...it now appears that he is. Biting her shoulders and trying to keep her AWAY from him and the other 2 ducks ( 1 female and 2males) like she is no longer allowed to be in the flock.he drives her away brutally. She's my favorite and I feel really bad. I have been keeping him in pen on and off so she can socialize. Do you think this behavior might change. Hope your right and maybe hormones will settle down..

 

[Amiga]

Hi.i was wondering that myself. So...it now appears that he is. Biting her shoulders and trying to keep her AWAY from him and the other 2 ducks ( 1 female and 2males) like she is no longer allowed to be in the flock.he drives her away brutally. She's my favorite and I feel really bad. I have been keeping him in pen on and off so she can socialize. Do you think this behavior might change. Hope your right and maybe hormones will settle down..

Yes, I think the behavior can change. Be patient with yourself and them - it is interesting, trying to fine-tune relationships in the flock. But it is done all the time, intentionally and unintentionally.

I am still working on the Bean-Romy connection….. Separate when needed, try stuff. Please keep us up to date on it.

 

[JadeComputerGal]

Violet--I haven't had much time to do personal stuff on the computer in the past couple of days due to all the things needing done at home and work, but Amiga gave you a better answer than I would have anyway. She seems to be the type of person who thinks of the simplest thing that could be causing xyz issue, then works her way forward, where I typically think of the worst possible thing that could be causing xyz issue and work my way backward. While I don't respond that way in Internet forums, the "worst possible" is very often what's running through my mind. It's kind of a struggle I have to be mindful of in every aspect of my life

That being said, I don't understand the sudden, dramatic behavior change. It's not unusual for drakes, or any animal, to be out of sorts for a while after a traumatic event like an animal attack or threat of one, but I wouldn't think being treated for mites a couple of times would be that traumatic unless it was a big battle between the two of you for you to subdue him to do the treatments. I think Amiga is probably right. He's ticked off at something/someone, possibly at you, so he's decided to pick on somebody closer to his own size to assert his authority. I believe Amiga is right in saying it will improve. I've had my own struggles with undesirable drake behavior, and it can definitely be modified if you're both consistent and persistent.

Best of luck--Jade