Muscovy angel wing (pics added)

[learycow]

I think my muscovies are developing angel wing. I have raised many other breeds of ducks and have never had this problem.
2 out of the 4 (from the same hatching) are developing it. Is this a genetic trait? Also, what is the best way to fix it? They are rather large and stay outside, so I'm not sure if taping them would help.

Thanks!

Its mostly the blue one in the middle. Both of his wings drag on the ground. The wings don't point outwards, they just sag.
And the blue and white one on the left has developed the same thing on his right wing.

I'm not sure if this is considered angel wing or not, but any help would be greatly appreciated!

 

[Czech's_chicks]

All I've ever done is tape mine and they were 100% outside. It only needs to stay on for a couple weeks, tops to do the trick Just make sure to turn the tape onto itself instead of the whole bird or things can get tricky.

 

[mandelyn]

I used vet wrap on my call boys with duct tape over the end of it since they were able to separate the wrap and slip out of it. No duct tape on the bird itself, it will pull the feathers out. You want to use something that has some "give" to it like vet wrap. I found it easier when there was enough feather growth on the wing (about 2 inches) to help hold the outer part under the inner part where it belongs when you wrap it into place.

3 weeks of treatment gave CoCo 100% correction, but Chanel, his will fall into place after a wing flap but will then droop and stick out slightly (about a 25% angle) after, so I'm going to wrap him for anther week. I'm giving him a break to avoid any muscle loss or other issue from being wrapped too long.

I'm leaning towards genetic predisposition with maybe a dietary effect causing it in some birds but not all from a group. I have two call ducks, both have it. I bought them as day olds and don't know the stock they're out of. No other duck I've ever raised has had it.

Really pleased with CoCo's treatment, but I won't breed him or seek out girl friends for them, they'll stay on as pets and fly catchers. Chanel.. not sure if he'll make a 100% recovery. But leaving them as is, those wings will pop out at a 90 degree angle from the body, and when the feathers grow in long, other ducks may chew on them, or they'll walk them into things, and it greatly affects the appearance of the duck.

I brought mine into the house into a brooder box made of wire for treatment, to keep the wrap dry. I didn't know if taped up wet feathers in this heat would grow like.. mildew or something. Didn't want to add other potential issues. Plus the wrap throws off their balance, and I didn't want an accidental drowning or anything else. Just thought it best to bring them in and ensure their safety.

They absolutely hated treatment and want nothing to do with me anymore, and of all the ducks, they're the only ones that give me that distrustful sideways look. But they look a ton better.

 

[Bleenie]

Are their wings just drooping or are the tips turning upward? If they're just drooping it's because they are kind of heavy right now with the feathers growing in and all the blood in there. If the tips are growing upward then it is angel wing, but they seem a little too feathered for you to just be noticing it now.

The 2 with the drooping-looking wings look like boys too so their wings are much heavier than a girls would be.

 

[showjumper_girl2002]

Quote:
hello, i'm new to owning ducks and one of my baby scovy's wings are doing the same thing and it worries me. i hope you don't mind me asking the same question about my duck

. i think this one is a female because she's starting to look smaller than my other 3, especially her head. she's not as old as the ones in this forum look, she's about 5 to 6 weeks. here are some pictures....

do you think it's just cause they're heavy and will go back to normal or should i do something?

 

[Bleenie]

Yes, I do think it's just because they're heavy. Think about how teeny thier little nubs are before the feathers start to come in and then how heavy they are now with all those blood feathers. They just need some time to develop the muscle they need to hold the wings up now that they're heavier. As long as the wing doesn't start to turn outward then the duckling should be fine...

Here's a picture of a developing duckling with an angel wing(left) & a normal wing. You can see how the Angel wing stands up and the normal wing can sit flush against the body.
(This photo belongs to Flickr user tfotter)

 

[showjumper_girl2002]

Good to know

 

[kuntrygirl]

Quote:
I agree.

I am having the same issue with some of my boys. Their wings are droopy because of the blood in there. I know for a fact they don't have angel wing.

 

[kuntrygirl]

Quote:
Good info/advice given here in this post.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Quote:
Good info/advice given here in this post.

I think alot of us are in the same boat so to speak, we all have scovies about the same age and are starting to see their wing feathers come in and droop, and for myself i have read so much about angel wing i am getting paranoid about it. So far my ducklings feather growth appears normal. But i did add some oatmeal to her FR to cut the protein levels some till the feathers are completely in.