Pekin looking ruffed up/fading bill

[Chickiee]

This one is for the ducks folks out there. Any help would be greatly appreciated...

A little background first... We have 3 Pekins. One is a 2 1/2 year old (female "Bonnie") and two are almost 1/2 year old (1 male "Donald" and 1 female "Daisy"). Everyone is happy and free-ranges with numerous walks to our very small pond (i.e. hole we dug) daily. Donald is frisky with both the girls. They are eating an "egg layer mash" I pick up from a local feed mill because they are cooped with chickens and they all eat the same thing; I have been assured by the mill it does not have the other non-duck-healthy ingredients that some "bigger chain" egg layer feeds have.

We went on vacation for 6 days and when we came back, all of the fish in our pond were dead. We got the dead fish out and had the water tested (everything tested ok) and the fish expert said he thought the water had gone through a extreme PH change during one of the evenings we were gone. We noticed the ducks weren't going in the pond for a couple days either. Not sure if this was because of the dead fish or if they got "burned" if the PH was drastically off. Just not sure, but they are back in the water now and the pond is going through a "water change" like an aquarium.

Upon returning for vacation (and I don't know if this is related to the PH pond incident or not) duck Bonnie is looking a bit ragged and tired. Her bill is fading a bit; it has always been more yellow than the younger Pekins that have really orange bills, but it's really light now. Her feathers are not laying as smooth as the younger ones either. Young ducks look fine. Bonnie just looks worn out. When she preens, a lot of little fluffy feathers are coming out. She also is shrugging her shoulders more than the others... not absolutely constantly, but definitely more than Daisy and Donald. It almost looks like she's trying to get her feathers to lay down or something is uncomfortable in her armpit. Should I be worried? Is this an age thing? A seasonal thing? I really don't know if this happened to her last year because I didn't have other Pekins to compare her to, but now seeing how beautiful Daisy and Donald are, I just want to make sure nothing is wrong. Any thoughts?

Thank you so much and have a terrific day!

 

[Amiga]

She could have ingested some botulism from the dead fish in the pond, perhaps.

How long ago did you get back? You might consider a flush - https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/700526/flushes-for-aiding-in-toxin-removal#post_9508213


But I would certainly use the charcoal - it is not a flush, it absorbs toxins. It is fairly benign. If you use too much it can cause constipation, but if you use the right amount, it ought to just help with toxins.

Was someone doing something to the pond while you were gone?

 

[HollyDuckFarmer]

I would go forth with the flush also.

I would also ask if you had the botulism confirmed, or is it a suspicion?

Carotenoids in the diet, plus laying frequency and genetics can all influence bill color. I rescued a duck who'd been fed a diet of dog food for quite some time ... That bill was bright orange for several months as he adjusted to my duck feed. Then it lightened up. The feather thing sounds like what I see here after a broody molt.

 

[Chickiee]

Thank you for your responses! I was wondering about a molt too, but wouldn't all of them go through molt at the same time? Regarding the flush, I need to ask how you do this. Hold the duck and syringe/pour flush in the mouth? (Oh, she's going to love this.) Do the flushes taste good to them or will she be fighting me? It seems like our ducks in general don't like to be picked up/petted like the chickens do so I imagine this will be a bit of a challenge, but not impossible. The dead fish in the pond were very small (1 1/2", not that it matters if some bacteria is present) and we accounted for almost every fish. Ok, I'll go track down some charcoal. Thanks!!!

 

[Amiga]

I would skip the flushes, and just put charcoal in the water. Molts can occur one at a time - that is how my flock is.

 

[HollyDuckFarmer]

Mine too.

 

[Chickiee]

Do I need to separate Bonnie from the flock for the charcoal in the water, or can everyone just have it in the main waterer? ... chickens and ducks. They all use the same waterer. Thanks!

 

[Amiga]

I don't see the harm in everyone having some charcoal in the water.