New ducks in bad shape

[Colyjean18]

I have another question
I got 3 buff ducks yesterday and they look pretty sad! I was told they are less than a year old, they are all females. I was told that one of them is really broody ( she looks the worst) her feathers are all dirty and tattered looking. One of the other ones is missing feathers on her neck which I am assuming is from the drake they had but she also seems to be missing wing feathers. As for the other one she looks halfway decent. They all seem underweight they are all a lot smaller than my 10 week old pekin. I don't think thy have been handled much because they are terrified of me I have not put them in with my ducks yet. I'm a little worried they may have lice or mites, they seem to ruffle their feather and even scratch quite a bit. My question is what do I need to do to fix these girls up?
I really appreciate all the great advice I get here!
Thanks!!!

 

[jdywntr]

quality food and time. If they were neglected at their last home, they will need time to recover. If they are molting, then it won't take that long. Missing neck feathers are most likely from a drake but wing feathers may be from a molt. If they are indeed underweight I would leave feed with them 24/7 (not sure if that is really appropriate but it's what I would do).
Buffs are a smaller breed than pekin so that may be the size difference you are seeing.
So, good quality feed. Time and patience. They need to get used to you and their new home.

 

[70%cocoa]

Mites are possible. You can dust them with mite powder or use a spot-on treatment. For the spot-on treatment either moxidectin, ivomectin, or Revolution for dogs (containing selemectin) would work. I use Revolution on my chickens as you can just buy it from a pet shop. Put a few drops on the skin at the back of the base of the neck or between the shoulders or under the wing - just make sure you find the skin and get it on that.

I'd probably also worm them.

I agree with giving them food 24/7.

I'm sure they will come good under your care A moult will make a big difference too.

 

[Amiga]

Ditto jdywntr and 70%cocoa, though I hesitate about the Revolution because I have not tried or needed to even think about it for my ducks. But 70%cocoa is an experienced, thoughtful duck person.

I keep food with my ducks 24/7, especially since the rescues arrived. They are buffs, too, and weigh between 4 and 5 pounds each. If you are used to Pekins, molting buffs would look kind of rough. But let's not assume everything is okay. Have you tried offering peas yet? That seemed to help my buffs relax a little when they arrived.

Nice clean bath time helps so much! I think it can help ducks keep external parasites controlled, just having decent bathwater available daily.

 

[jdywntr]

I would agree with Amiga about the Revolution. I don't know if every state has different laws but when I was a vet assistant in Florida (1 month ago) Revolution required a prescription. Sometimes meds sold in different countries can contain different ingredients. I have heard of people using ivermec on chickens but I would wait until you are more sure about pests before giving meds. I know that working in the veterinary field for a little bit, we would not give meds (unless for life saving reasons) especially to underweight animals that were not at their best.
X2 about clean bathing water.

Good luck, keep us posted and if you haven't gotten it

 

[nickie]

If they are about a year old it is very possible that they have not gone through their first full adult molt yet which will leave them looking quite sad looking. I would still quarantine them and give them a good down to the skin check for creepy crawlies, keep and eye on their poop, provide food 24/7 and fresh swimming water as often an you can manage. I personally don't medicate or use pesticides unless I find reason to.

 

[Colyjean18]

Thank you everyone! I have been giving them fresh water in their swimming pool all day they have gotten in a few times but they don't seem too interested in swimming. I have also had food in front of them 24/7 and I have been giving them romain lettuce and peas, they do eat it but I think they are still pretty stressed out I have not seen any worms in their poop and I haven't been able to give them a close look for bugs because they are so scared of me, I don't want to stress them out more by catching them. I will keep you updated, I think I may call the local avian vet tomorrow.

 

[Amiga]

Thank you everyone! I have been giving them fresh water in their swimming pool all day they have gotten in a few times but they don't seem too interested in swimming. I have also had food in front of them 24/7 and I have been giving them romain lettuce and peas, they do eat it but I think they are still pretty stressed out

I have not seen any worms in their poop and I haven't been able to give them a close look for bugs because they are so scared of me, I don't want to stress them out more by catching them. I will keep you updated, I think I may call the local avian vet tomorrow.

Good plan! Please keep us posted.

 

[70%cocoa]

Sorry to have given you advice about the Revolution that doesn't apply in your country I should be more careful with that. Here, you can buy it an any pet store, and can also get other mectin drugs (Ivomectin and Moxidectin) without a prescription. My vet advises the use of these things for mites, so I routinely apply them to my chickens (in Spring and Summer, since we get red mites then) and to any new birds (chickens or ducks) that I get. I don't routinely treat the ducks for mites because they don't need it (having clean water every day they keep themselves mite-free) plus, these spot-on treatments tend to make the feathers wet around the application site for a few days (seems to remove the waterproofing temporarily).

With the worming, perhaps when your ducks have picked up a bit and settled in you could get a fecal test done by your vet (very quick for them to do) so you can see if worms are an issue. Usually if they have worms you won't see actual worms in the poop (unless they are really infested badly or have tapeworm), but there will be microscopic worm eggs. If you get the poop checked out then you won't feel that you are treating unnecessarily. I must admit that I am one of those who is pretty quick to medicate (e.g. I worm ducks and chooks regularly and all new birds), but I do use medications recommended by my vet. I have a great avian vet in the next street - how lucky is that!!

I am sure that your ducks will improve greatly over time, with the good food, clean water, clean environment and calm routine they are getting now. It's great that they have finally found such a caring home I'm sure that with time and treats like peas and lettuce they will settle down and relax more around you too. Sounds like you are doing a wonderful job.

 

[Colyjean18]

70%cocoa,
I actually called a vet this morning and I'm going to take a stool sample in on Monday to see if they have worms as for the mites our vet recommend keeping and eye on them and looking for red mites on them and in their bedding. They do seem to be improving a bit they are playing in their pool today. Although they do keep trying to mate each other, which I read is normal when there is no drake, hopefully they will stop when the get introduced to my drake Dudley.
Thanks for all the great info and encouragement