Pin feathers

[FNF]

Hello, hoping someone (@Miss Lydia ?) can assist...of my six runners ladies, three are over a year and three are about six months. They have all integrated pretty well finally though the younger ducks are bossy! Of the older, two of the three seem to be, or have already, molted, one hasn't seemingly. This morning I let them out of their house and noticed she had a little bit of blood on her wings. It doesn't seem to be any bodily injury, I think it's her feathers that one or more of the others picked at overnight or this morning. They don't seem to be actively bleeding now, but I have her separated outside with food, water, and shelter. I was thinking I'd bring her into the mud room in my little kiddie pool "hospital" (shavings, a dog gate around it, close to the same termpature outside, food, and water) at night so she's not getting picked at overnight in the confines of the house. Any other suggestions? I was going to keep an eye on her today and I do have wound spray and styptic powder although given she's a duck I'm not sure how long either would last on her. I can see her preening her wings right now...really hoping if I do this for the next few days I can get her back to her flock. Any other thoughts?

 

[ruthhope]

A good idea to have her separate under observation. Could you use your dog gate/pen to fashion her a safe cubby in the duck house with the others? I feel dure she will be happier separate from but with the others rather than on her own.

I currently have my drake flock in temporary quarters in a shed. I have two dog pens folded in and out to give my muscovy each a cubby open to to the enclosed area, but my pekin drake has a larger cubby completely closed off from the muscovy so they cannot bite him at night. (He is very annoying, reverse shuts up with his Yada yada, and tries to bite one of the muscovy who is Yada, his size. Every now and then the muscovy lose it with him and stand on him and bite him). You might your pen folded to make just one cubby

 

[FNF]

I agree that would be ideal, though the size and shape of their little house makes it tricky...I have used a divider in the past but it cuts it in half (when I introduced the three new girls they slept with this between them for a few weeks). I have two big coolers that they often sleep in. I could try to reconfigure that some but I need a way to make a small space for her and room for the other five. Here are some pictures for reference of when I used it vs how it is now without any divider.

 

[FNF]

Actually I may have figured it out. I think this will work ok. I need to close off the little doorway with more of the netting but then I think I can secure it to the cooler and keep her safe and have enough room for the other ladies.

 

[FNF]

This saga continues. I stopped separating her a while back but the next morning the feathers were bloodied again. So she's back to being separated at night. Things have otherwise been fine since then until today, when both wings were bloodied. I have not witnessed any guilty party, and it's not bodily injury, it's feathers thankfully (after the last bout I took her to the vet to make sure and she pulled some pin feathers, but that was it). I can only assume it's from their hop on top mating game getting rough, but geez!! Now I have her separated during the day too which is a bit of pain, to make sure they all can get into the run for shelter, have outdoor space, and water/food. I did it, but I'm really hoping this is a phase?? Everyone got along splendidly before so it's quite frustrating.

 

[Sondraa]

You said they were all girls?

 

[FNF]

You said they were all girls?

Six females yes.

 

[Sondraa]

I didn't expect mating game w all girls! Oh boy. I was hoping to miss all that w just girls this time.

 

[FNF]

I didn't expect mating game w all girls! Oh boy. I was hoping to miss all that w just girls this time.

Yeah maybe my ducks are just super randy I have started blocking their pond off so they can only have supervised swim time for now, otherwise they make bad decisions! They were fine at first, so I'm hoping this is a phase but then again hormones will kick in with breeding season so who knows. The victim is back in the mix with the whole flock but separated within the house at night. I can live with this arrangement if they can just get it together during the daytime.