Normal wing growth or start of angel wing in wild mallard ducklings?

[DutchDuckLover]

This is my first post here so I hope I posted this in the right place, my apologies if not!

(If you’re not interested in reading the entire background story please scroll down to the pics lol, it’s not a short story! Basically my only question is if this looks like the first sign of angel wing?)

I have a bunch of wild mallard ducks that come to get snacks from my garden (about 15-20 ducks total). It all started last winter when they came to steal the bird food I had put on the ground for other birds. And now it’s a daily thing lol. They’re not all daily visitors and usually they will come alone, in pairs or in small groups. Occasionally when I sleep in they will wait at my door in larger groups! I try to make sure to feed them healthy snacks. So only duck feed and some mealworms/greens.

About a month ago one of the mama ducks came to show me her 8 ducklings! I was already dreading the fact that she would lose most of them as they do in the wild, but she managed to keep 5!

Anyway, they are completely wild and have all the options to eat as they wish since we live in the middle of the woods with lots of green to forage & we’re also near a lot of huge ponds and there is a lot of shelter for them as well.

They come to my garden between 1-3 times a day for snacks. I decided not to get them any starter feed because I couldn’t find any specifically for ducklings & I also thought it would probably be best that they were still motivated to look for their own food. So they basically got the same snacks as mama got: duck feed (which is a mixture of lay pellets, corn and a variety of seeds & pretty low in protein), mealworms & sometimes some greens or oatmeal. I didn’t realise they shouldn’t be eating the duck feed from the time they were babies (they came here first when they were about 4 days), but I don’t think it made too much of a difference as they didn’t eat much when they were so little & in the end so many survived. They never over eat here either, usually one of them will decide it’s time to leave after about 5 minutes of snacks and drinks (just water lol) and off they go…

Unfortunately I don’t know if anyone else has decided to feed them, it’s possible other people are feeding them bread or other unhealthy food.

I have stopped feeding them mealworms since about 5 days because I read that this might be too high in protein for them at this stage of their development.

They are now between 4-5 weeks and since I’m a hypochondriac I’ve been obsessing over their wing growth and whether or not they could have any starting symptoms of angel wing.. They don’t have any wings actually sticking out or anything like that, but some of them have some of their feather shafts showing a bit… is this normal or could this be the very first sign of angel wing?

I am not really in a position to wrap them with anything since they are completely wild, but I could definitely give them supplements or specific food to help them grow better. In the worst case if it turns out badly I would be willing and able to catch them, but I really would prefer not to handle them or interfere with them too much. I don’t feed them by hand either, I just adore them from a distance lol.

Please see photos attached & let me know what you think!

 

[Crazy Maizie]

From the angle of the pics, it just looks like normal feather growth. Most likely blood feathers coming in. However, if you want to take a pic from the side going down the body so we can see the actual angle of the wing jutting out, it would be more helpful. We would need to see the back to front as far as the direction goes.

 

[DutchDuckLover]

Thanks for your reply! I have attached some different angles, these are all screenshots from videos so they’re not super sharp. I can try to take some better pics later or tomorrow when they next show up!

 

[Crazy Maizie]

Those are very similar to the other photos posted. We need to see from the back to front, so that we can see the angle. Even a shot from above would help.

 

[DutchDuckLover]

I don’t have any pics videos that really show that angle very well so I will try to take those later today or tomorrow. Thanks!

 

[GranderTheGander]

Looks totally like normal feather growth in ducklings. I have seen hundreds of mallards over the years and am not sure I have ever seen one with an angel wing. I may have forgotten, but if I did, it was because the angel wing caused the duck no problems.

 

[CluckerFamily]

The feathers look normal from the angle you have.
When I did some research before getting my first batch of ducklings this spring, I read that wild ducks rarely get angel wing. It is the domesticated ducklings that get angel wings because humans are providing their food and environment.

 

[DutchDuckLover]

I wasn’t able to get any good pics from the top/back because I’m too scary for them to turn their back on me for too long lol! I’ve added some of the pics I was able to get.

After seeing them again today, I’m pretty sure I’ve been overreacting anyway.. the wings and feathers all seem tightly tucked against their bodies

 

[Crazy Maizie]

I understand. Need a long range zoom. This all looks normal. I would just keep an eye on it. I'm always overly cautious - probably more so when I was a new duck owner.

 

[GranderTheGander]

I said last month I had never seen a mallard with angel wing, well, by golly, I saw one this week! It's a slight angel wing and he/she is one of this year's ducklings all feathered out. It is causing no problems and the ducks are on a long river, where there is plenty of land to walk up on, in case there is a flight problem. The ducks stay year around, and if it's a female, she will surely acquire a mate this fall, since there are always more boys than girls. If it's a male, he will still be part of a flock and can pal around with other single drakes, if he acquires no mate. If he/she stays around this part of the river, I'm going to try to observe if he/she can fly normally or not.