Pekin Foot Damage Help? (GOT HIM!)

[vfem]

I am still trying to catch my duck to get a better look at this, so here is the info I have.

One of my male pekins is hopping around on one foot and hasn't been able to get very far when he gets on the bank of the pond. He was fine on Friday, he came up to the chicken coop to eat... and then back off into the pond. Yesterday, he didn't come up and he was straight across the pond on the bank so I couldn't see him.

Today he hopped up on our bank and made it about 20 ft hopping and then just laid down. He kept his foot up under his wing and wouldn't put it down.

We tried to catch him (as always we failed) but I could see his foot and it looked like the webbing was shredded between his toes. I couldn't see if there was any damage to his toes though.

Friday night I watched him dive in the pond while we were going for a walk, and he was flapping and struggling real bad for a minute and squawking. When my daughter pointed at him he finally stopped struggling and splashing and swam off with the other ducks over to a dock. I didn't notice anything else.

I am gathering a snapping turtle got his foot... we have quite a few turtles in our pond and different kinds.

I'm going to try to catch him again tomorrow. If its just the webbing will it heal on its own? How should I treat his foot?

 

[Homesteading_Bound]

We took in a female pekin that a snapper got a hold of her foot.

We caught her, cleaned the area with normal saline, put some
antibiotic ointment on it before covering with a 4x4 and rapping it with self-adhering elastic bandage. We changed it every day at first then every other day...

You can use some peroxide and water to clean the area and before we started taking care of her they rapped it with "duck tape". really...whatever you have handy

We kept her inside the barn in an area that didn't have too much traffic, so she would stay calm.

That was two years ago and she's doing well. Her waddles a bit off. However, she can keep up with the best of them.

Please keep us posted

 

[vfem]

Ok, I have a sick pen I keep for anything that may happen to the ducks or chickens. I'll try to take him in and keep him in the bathroom the first day or so. Long as we can catch him. I'm sure it hurts like heck because its fresh, but honestly I'm worried about infection so I may just have to jump on him and tackle him tomorrow.

Of course, of the 2 ducks it could happen to... he's the smaller of them and he is always twice as skittish around people them my larger male. He's the one who won't eat out of my hand so I couldn't even bribe him with a bowl of scratch.

Maybe I can find a fishing net in the shed?!

 

[headred]

I currently have a Khaki with a lame foot and she is doing better by the day just by sitting a bunch in a corner by herself. What I have read is that if you can confine them and give them a couple of weeks, they will usually heal on their own if its nothing too bad. Tough to watch though :-( Good luck!!

 

[vfem]

Even one footed he our runs me to the pond every time.

I feel like a sucker... standing out in the rain with a cup full of scratch and he thinks I'm nutz.

 

[Homesteading_Bound]

Ohhh. I know that feeling. He's got your number now. It's better if there's more then one person to catch him. If you can't get him....just keep an eye on it. It will heal....It will take longer. You know how fast a sore heals when you use neosporin or a product similar to it.

About those snappers.....do you want them in your pond? They are so dangerous. Especially when they get larger.

My brother came over with several milk cartons. He attached some fishing line and a small hook to each one. He put some bacon...raw chicken etc to each one and put them around the pond.

I only have the "painted turtles"(and I love those turtles) in the pond now...along with big frogs and several types of fish.

The Best To You and Yours

 

[DuckyBoys]

My dewlap went out of his confinment pen today for the first time in a month. I don't know what he did to his foot but he just laid down one day and that was that.

He even took a bath! Now he looks so perty! He's still limping but doesn't seem to want to go back in the pen, kinda hanging out in the barn.

I'm so glad he's recovering but it really took a long time.

Good luck with your guy - time away form the rest of the flock is the best medicine.

 

[vfem]

My husband is going to try to catch as many snappers as he can and he's going to 'off' them. He loves fishing so he's going to set something up like he does for his evening cat fishing.

We have those painted turtles too, its a real mix of things out there. Its a 2+ acre pond... we share with 8 other houses. Some of our neighbors have ducks too... so I'm sure I'm not the first to experience this.

The one BIG issue is this old snapper that lives in there. He has only been seen once by my neighbor... she showed me a picture. It was as huge as an ancient tortouse. It had horns and a spiney tail. She literally could have sat on it and road it around had it not had a snapping beak the size of my cat!!!! I didn't even find out about that thing until she showed me a picture of it about a month ago. SCARY!

I still haven't been able to round him up... but I will try each morning until I can. It may be a good chance to get him to meet the new female I have waiting to meet them. She's only a month old, so she won't be going out for awhile still.

 

[Homesteading_Bound]

WOW 2 acres.... A great pond to row on.

That snapper sounds huge. Your husbands a brave man.

I hope your two drakes go easy on your female...Two males with one female can be challenging for the female.

Take care..

 

[vfem]

Quote:
They are currently breeding with several Rouens on the pond. I think they will be ok.