Ms Quackers Ate Nails!

[ColtHandorf]

Why would a duck eat nails?

Honestly why do they do anything? lol It's a bit like chickens (and ducks) loving foam. I don't think we'll ever know what is really going on in their heads. I'd theorize they either thought it was some sort of worm, or upon investigating it and finding it was hard decided to add it to the collection of bits in their gizzard used for grinding up food stuffs.

 

[GranderTheGander]

I've never heard of that and have known a lot of ducks. Foam is soft. Nails are harder than sticks, and I've never seen or heard of a duck eating a hard stick, either. Your gizzard theory is interesting, though.

 

[ColtHandorf]

Just a thought. It's nice to think they aren't completely insane. I know when there was some construction on campus here we lost dozens of ducks and all the geese to them picking up bits of construction trash. They were dead all over campus.

 

[GranderTheGander]

Just a thought. It's nice to think they aren't completely insane. I know when there was some construction on campus here we lost dozens of ducks and all the geese to them picking up bits of construction trash. They were dead all over campus.

How terrible. Were they all that hungry?

 

[ColtHandorf]

How terrible. Were they all that hungry?

Honestly I don't know. They are fed. But we went from 70-90 on campus to about 15. When everyone went home for COVID they snuck a lot of nests in so now there's probably 40-45 now including the latest set of ducklings. No geese, although I see an Egyptian down there every now and again. And all the wild ducks stopped visiting when the building went in by the lake. Used to, 60 or so Black-bellied Whistling ducks would show up every evening and hang with the Muscovy and other domestics. I've debated donating a pair of geese to the lake, but am undecided.

 

[GranderTheGander]

Are you sure someone didn't poison them in order to get rid of them, since a new building was going up by the lake? Did only domestics die? Personally, I wouldn't put any geese down there, in case they were intentionally poisoned, or killed by some poisonous chemical in the lake. Was it reported to anyone?

 

[sowNreap]

Thanks to help form wonderful people and the Dr giving a discount I was able to get the nail removed from a endoscopy so they didn’t have to do surgery

Wow that is a big nail! I'm so happy to hear she'll be ok. The Doc probably doesn't know how many people were concerned for Ms Quackers & how this would turn out. So grateful to the Doc for giving you a discount & finding another way to get the nail out.

 

[Miss Lydia]

I am amazed that that nail didn't stick thru something inside of her while it was in there. So happy to hear vet got it out and Ms Quackers will be fine.

 

[ColtHandorf]

Are you sure someone didn't poison them in order to get rid of them, since a new building was going up by the lake? Did only domestics die? Personally, I wouldn't put any geese down there, in case they were intentionally poisoned, or killed by some poisonous chemical in the lake. Was it reported to anyone?

Yeah, no poison. The university likes them. It’s a fairly residential place so not many wild ducks stop by. The higher ups are kinda dumb dumbs so they didn’t know why they were dying. The building went in a parking lot and on some of the shore line. So it wasn’t like they needed to run the ducks out. They get their revenge though by crapping all over the deck of the new nursing center. Lol

 

[Magnolia Ducks]

Its called hardware disease. Why I don't know, but not rare for ducks to eat nuts bolts screws and other things they shouldnt. But that was a BIG nail. She had to be dedicated to get that down. I'm always combing my coop and run for bits and pieces. I agree about the foam too after my air conditioner drip line insulation was consumed. I guess without hands everything is mouth tested.