Please help! Strange Feathers on Duckling!

[Prinette]

I got a duckling around 2 weeks ago then shortly found out that it's a black Indian Runner who should now be around six weeks old. His feathers were coming in all nicely, just like they should but I noticed that some of the newer ones seem to be covered by something similar to the shaft of the actual feather. I've never seen anything like this before, though I only just started caring for ducks. I know that feathers and calcium go hand-in-hand and I was scared that he may not be getting the right amount of calcium. ( I think this may also be the case because he seems to have knobbly knees)

If it is a calcium problem is there any way to fix it? I have no idea what kind of environment he was in for the first 4 weeks and I'm not sure if the damage is irreversible. Thanks in advance!

 

[Prinette]

Here's a picture of his side where this is going on. Sorry of the pictures blurry, he wouldn't be still!

 

[TLWR]

Those are wing feathers - it's how they grow in.

 

[Finny]

Can you post some more pics? It looks like those shafts are where the wing feathers will grow. If I am right then this is normal

 

[Amiga]

Wing feathers come out in little pale blue straws - at least they do on my runners. After they come out maybe half an inch, the straw wrappers flake apart and out comes the feather. It's really cool looking. and then you find little "dandruff" flakes all over.

 

[TracyLovesDucks]

My runners will sometimes crack the straws with their beaks to speed up the process. You can actually hear them crunching. Has anyone noticed their ducks doing this too? It kind of reminds me of when a cat trims its claws by biting them.

Feathers are amazing... I still don't fully understand them. In fact, I thought the blue straws were blood feathers growing in... but I don't think I have a full understanding of what a blood feather is. Anyone care to explain?

 

[Prinette]

Oh thank goodness for all of you guys! You guys have put me at ease and now I should be able to sleep easy tonight! I was sooo scared something was going wrong but I'm pretty sure it's just his wing feathers, like you guys said. The whole dandruff thing makes sense now too, because he has little white flecks all over the place and it all seems to be coming from his new tail feathers. I really appreciate it guys