Oil for ducklings?

[Duck Drover]

Has anyone ever tried using olive oil or vegetable oil, etc. on baby ducklings to mimic the oil they would get from the hen? They are so much fluffier when they have oil on their feathers and they lose it quickly with frequent bathing. My ducklings get daily baths and they also love showers but they get soaked because they are not as waterproof as hen hatched ducklings. I am considering trying some olive oil on their feathers to see if it helps them preen and then stay cleaner between baths and dry faster after baths. Has anyone tried oil on their ducklings?

 

[Speceider]

Do that and you will probably end up chilling them, and possibly killing them. Several things, first, it is not the oil that makes them water repellant (they are not waterproof), the oils help maintain feather (and down structure) which causes the water repellancy, and it is not oil, but more of a wax, nothing like oil.

Clint

 

[Duck Drover]

I did read that the oil in a duck's oil gland is waxy. I was thinking of food oil because it is non-toxic and I was only considering a light film, not a heavy coating. I was wondering if there was any way to duplicate a hen's oil to condition a duckling's feathers.

Also, waterproof was not the best term. Once they feather and can produce their own oil there is no difference between brooder raised or hen raised but there is such a difference in the down that it would be nice if there was a way to coat their down with something that would shed water better. The ducklings do a great job removing the water from their down but they end up so much wetter than ducklings that have been under a mama duck.

 

[Speceider]

B

I did read that the oil in a duck's oil gland is waxy. I was thinking of food oil because it is non-toxic and I was only considering a light film, not a heavy coating. I was wondering if there was any way to duplicate a hen's oil to condition a duckling's feathers.

Also, waterproof was not the best term. Once they feather and can produce their own oil there is no difference between brooder raised or hen raised but there is such a difference in the down that it would be nice if there was a way to coat their down with something that would shed water better. The ducklings do a great job removing the water from their down but they end up so much wetter than ducklings that have been under a mama duck.

There is no way to duplicate it. The main problem with brooder ducklings is the brooder. Mother brooded ducklings spend their time on soil, not abrasive wood chips that wear the tips of their down feathers.

You are completely missing the point that it is not the oil that causes the water repellancy, but rather the feather/down structure. If you were to put as much as a few drops of oil on an adult duck, it would ruin the water repellency of the plumage and the bird could die of hypothermia.

Clint

 

[Going Quackers]

Unfortunately, no their is not. I have managed to be able to keep the ones i have raised indoors pretty good... it will never be as good as the duck raised but that isn't always possible, so just ensure they don't get chilled and are well dried.

My pekin only got a few baths before moving outdoors but their well waterproofed now lol

 

[Duck Drover]

I use shelf liners for my ducklings, not shavings. It is so much easier to clean and they are reusable for a few times before I throw them away. I have never raised baby birds using wood shavings, they are only in the coop and I don't even care for them much out there but I have not found a better alternative.

I let the ducklings take a daily bath because they love the water so much and it gives me a chance to clean their brooder. Watching them swim and splash is what makes ducks so amusing. They fluff up nicely afterwards but they don't have the oil from the mother's oil gland so the water soaks them more. Once they produce their own oil the water slicks right off them so it would be awesome if there was a way to duplicate it when they are babies. I guess they don't know what they are missing at least.

 

[Randy31]

Has anyone ever tried using olive oil or vegetable oil, etc. on baby ducklings to mimic the oil they would get from the hen? They are so much fluffier when they have oil on their feathers and they lose it quickly with frequent bathing. My ducklings get daily baths and they also love showers but they get soaked because they are not as waterproof as hen hatched ducklings. I am considering trying some olive oil on their feathers to see if it helps them preen and then stay cleaner between baths and dry faster after baths. Has anyone tried oil on their ducklings?

Where can I buy oil to help my duckings swim

 

[Miss Lydia]

Your ducklings will create their own oil once you let them swim and they begin preening they have an oil gland that gives them the oil they will use their bills to spread it over all their feathers. How old are your ducklings?
@Randy31

when ducklings are feathered in it's best to let them swim in warmish water so they don't chill. Then pat them dry and put them where they can finish drying and preen but not get chilled.