Please help! clipped a new duck we just got and I'm covered in blood!

[mhhousley]

We just got a new duck and before I let it out I clipped its right wing. My wife is sick in bed so I was by myself trying to hold the duck. It was flopping around while I was trying to trim its right wing feathers. I think I cut the feathers too deep because it quacked and got more frantic. After I let it go I saw blood trickiling lightly and it was getting on its foot. I thought at first I had accidentally cut its side (under the wing) with the scissors but after I chased it down and looked the blood was coming out of the feather stalks. It wasn't pouring but it looked scary considering I don't know what to do. I sprayed the tips and under its wing. I sprayed under its wing coz there was blood from the feathers but I couldn't tell if it was lascerated there too so I just sprayed the feathers where it was bleeding out and anywhere I saw blood. I don't know what to do can someone tell me what I need to do to help this duck that I might have just killed!!

 

[nurse_turtle]

Sounds like you clipped a blood feather. New feathers have a shaft filled with blood vessels. A bird can easily bleed to death from a cut blood feather. The shaft of a blood feather is thick and looks black-filled. DO NOT cut into the blood feather. If you happen to do so, you have to pluck the entire feather to stop bleeding. Use a pair of pliers or similar device to pluck individual feathers. Try wrapping the bird in a towel next time and cover his head with a sock or towel. It will calm the bird much better. It's really a 2 person job though.

 

[mhhousley]

Okay so I should try to pluck the feathers?? It looked like at least 4-5 of them were bleeding!

On this picture is roughly where I cut marked with the red line. That is where its bleeding.

So pluck the feathers for sure or should I see if its still bleeding? I just came in to wash the blood off my hands and post on here. I'm about to go back outside. Let me know for sure.

 

[mhhousley]

I read this about clipping toe nails while I was reading about the feathers, could this work for the feathers??

Before you begin to clip the toenails have either, "Quick Stop", a styptic pencil, flour or cornstarch handy if you need to stop any bleeding.

From this webpage http://www.acstiels.com/articles/basiccare/wing.html​

 

[nurse_turtle]

Only pluck the feathers that are actively bleeding from the shaft. If they are all bleeding, maybe it was cut too short, too close to the skin. You can use styptic powder or corn starch to stop the bleeding. Pack a tiny bit of the corn starch into the bleeding wound and hold pressure if possible. The flight feathers only need to be cut 1/2 or 3/4 the way down to prevent flying.

 

[JP101010]

bleeding increases with the bird running or being stressed because it elevates blood pressure. The calmer the better. first choice for stopping the bleeding would be styptic powder or silver nitrate sticks , if you dont have that then next would be either flour or a bar of plain soap. remember that if these dont work than the wound may be to substantial to fix at home , but a afterhours animal emergency clinic could help you
with flour you would be lightly packing the nail or feather as to create an artificial clot until the body stops it itself. you may have to do this a few times till the blood stop soaking the flour.
with a bar of soap it is harder to accomplish esp. with one person only-and i have never perosnally tried this on anything other than a nail cut too short -you must warm it a bit under warm water if it is rock hard (skip this step if its not rock hard soap) you want to push the nail or feather tube into the bar - the goal is to , again , form an artificial clot with a piece of soap.

Good luck , let us know how it turns out

 

[heatherindeskies]

let us know how it turns out for the bird!

 

[mhhousley]

Thank you everyone for your replies, I got some flour. I'm going to go back out right now and check it out. Hopefully it's quit bleeding by now

 

[mhhousley]

Quote:
Thank you all for your help. I went back out there and saw no noticable bleeding. I sprayed it with the purple anti-septic before I made this thread. Other than the duck occasionally nibbling the area it seems to be okay. I think its only nibbling the area because of the purple I sprayed on it. The chickens always do it too if I treat them with it. She is walking around learning the yard (trying to find a way out) and seems to be acting normally now. Its eating and drinking. The other 3 ducks I have, 2 call ducks, and a blue/black swedish keep curiously approaching it and it acts as if they are hostile and avoids them.

I think the stress level DID elevate the blood pressure because it didn't bleed very badly after I cut them but I turned it loose and the chickens had a little "I'm the boss" moment and I think that stressed it out and made it bleed worse than normally. I think it's okay. If anyone has any suggestions on what to look for to make sure it's okay I'd like to hear them. It's nearly dark now and the chickens are to bed and the ducks always roam around and night and raid the food in the coop when the chickens go in. I am going to go back out there in about an hour and make sure it's not acting lethargic or anything.

Thank you again I'll keep you all up to date on it's condition. I felt really bad because I had someone give me the duck. It was caught as a duckling running out from under a house that was being torn down by an animal control officer and that officer gave the person a duck because they kept chickens. They took it and raise it but didn't want it. I would feel horrible if the first day I got the duck I killed it!

Thank you all for your help on here, I only hope I can offer someone else on here my advice and help should they need it in return sometime.

Thank you thank you thank you.

 

[mhhousley]

Okay, for anyone following, this is a 3 hour update from my last post. I went and checked on the duck and it seems to have integrated well with the other 3 ducks and is walking and seems alert. I believe I might have overreacted to the blood but lesson learned.

The duck does need dusted for feather mites... how long should I wait until I treat it considering I cut into some blood feathers? About a week okay?