Problem duck- advice please on ailments! 🦆

[TheNightOwl11]

Hi there!

I've been looking around for possible answers on this site and it's been really helpful, but I thought the best way to get answers is to post directly so I don't misinterpret anything

I have one duck and one drake, both three years old and hatched in an incubator
The duck has always been one to make us worry and she's always been the rougher looking of the two due to my drake climbing on her back all the time

Basically she has quite a few little issues that I would be really grateful for advice about, as I want to know if this is normal or not something that requires a vet visit. Of course if needs be I'll take her it's just so I don't set off on a vet trip for something that's just an unnecessary worry

She hasn't been laying proper eggs for nearly three months and we thought at the start this was due to us having a few little visitors () and it had disturbed her. Obviously we got this problem sorted very quickly and made sure their housing was secure and pest-free.
But unfortunately it carried on after this and our drake is now mating her none stop so she's always being hassled.
We tried to give her a break from him and divided their backyard area but they both went ballistic with her nonstop quacking and him running backwards and forwards even though they could still see eachother, blocking their view from eachother made it worse.

She lays one solid egg every 2 weeks but this has a lot of build up on it (photo shown below) and the rest of the time it's either a soft shelled one or misformed, or sometimes there can be nothing at all and it's literally just egg white and yolk plopping out the back of her with a bit of mucus.
Also she's not laying them in her usual spots anymore (inside shed or under shady bush), she'll be laying all over the back no matter where it may be.
We've tried adding oyster shell to the food (they are on complete duck feed anyway), tried the apple cider vinegar in her water, tried other treats and veg every now and then and nothing seems to be working.

The other issue that she's got is her feathers on her back and neck. Her neck is bare from my drake holding onto her and now he's just basically grabbing skin, and her back and wing feathers are an absolute mess. Not well waterproofed at all and she can get water logged in the continuous rain, so much so that we sometimes have to put her inside for her own good so she doesn't catch a chill.
She spends the majority of her day trying to waterproof but she barely ever goes fully into the water, even with encouragement. She'd prefer to just stand on the edge on the pond and dunk her head every now and then. We've even got two separate ponds just incase it was the drake intimidating her, but no help there.

I'm sorry this has been so long for a first help post but I'm just running out of ideas and I care about her so much as we all do our poultry and waterfowl
She's fine in herself in terms of eating and drinking and digging around the garden, aside from a more definitive waddle than the drake but this doesn't hinder her.

She's the mellowed one of the two and only quacks to let us know it's bedtime, or it's morning, or it's raining, or it's sunny, or there's a breeze, or there's no breeze, or there's another bird, or there's no other bird there, or just for fun

She's always been our worry-duck and any advice on this would be so appreciated.

Thank you very much in advance! (Pictures of the egg and things below- my girl is the black and white one)

 

[DucksOhio]

So sorry you’re having so many troubles with her.

what is her diet, and are you supplying additional calcium for her?

have you considered getting more female ducks?

 

[TheNightOwl11]

So sorry you’re having so many troubles with her.

what is her diet, and are you supplying additional calcium for her?

have you considered getting more female ducks?

Thanks for replying!
She's on Heygate duck and goose pellets, and we've been mixing in oystershell for extra calcium/grit. We've tried adding things like the cider vinegar to help the absorption too.
And they usually get peas and blueberries as treats!

We did consider it but we didn't know how to go about it, because she is loud enough when she wants to be so it was just dealing with the logistics of another loud quacking girl in our neighborhood
Would they accept another duck into their pair do you think?

 

[Miss Lydia]

You need to give her a break from your drake. Constant mating is taking it's toll on her. Just separate them like you did they can still see each other and she'll have time to destress and heal. Do you have dogs in your neighborhood constantly barking? Getting more females at least 2 more would really be a good idea, Put them in with your female let them bond then introduce to the drake but he'll get to meet them anyway through fencing for a while, Don't put oyster shell in their feed just have it close by the feed in a separate bowl and let her decide when she needs it. Grit and oyster shell need separate bowls from feed. That egg looks like it maybe a lash egg did you cut it open?


https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/common-egg-quality-problems.65923/

https://the-chicken-chick.com/salpingitis-lash-eggs-in-backyard/

 

[TheNightOwl11]

You need to give her a break from your drake. Constant mating is taking it's toll on her. Just separate them like you did they can still see each other and she'll have time to destress and heal. Do you have dogs in your neighborhood constantly barking? Getting more females at least 2 more would really be a good idea, Put them in with your female let them bond then introduce to the drake but he'll get to meet them anyway through fencing for a while, Don't put oyster shell in their feed just have it close by the feed in a separate bowl and let her decide when she needs it. Grit and oyster shell need separate bowls from feed. That egg looks like it maybe a lash egg did you cut it open?


https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/common-egg-quality-problems.65923/

That's for the advice! We'll separate them then, and perhaps look into a couple more females too Do you know of any different problems having 3 ducks and one drake that we need to know about?
Around us is quite quiet, the only proper noise is a motorbike that goes past once or twice a day that makes them stand stony still. But nothing else.

Thanks I didn't know that! I'll separate the shell from the feed from now on

It didn't have layers and it was broken by the time we went out to it like a normal cracked eggshell, but there was the goo of the egg white right beside it

 

[Miss Lydia]

That's good because lash egg aren't something we want to find.

The only thing with adding more females is just giving them all time to get to know each other. And placing them with your female gives them a chance to settle in. There maybe some pushing and shoving which is natural but it should go pretty well.
Many members have to give their females a break during breeding season. It's pretty common.

If need be explain to your neighbors what's going on and hopefully with some rest and recoup she'll be back to laying normal eggs and maybe a gift for neighbors would be a good idea.

 

[Ratchnick]

Egg issues sounds like a reproductive problem. I don't see how that could be caused by overmating but that does not mean I'm right.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Stress can cause many things. Being over mated can bring on stress and that can cause laying issues. I’m not a vet by no mean but just think about it one duck having to be over mated by a hormonal drake. I’m not saying that is the sole cause but I can see where it could happen. I never said that was causing her egg problems just that she needs a big break and a chance to distress grow back her neck feathers. Go back an read what this duck is going through. This is why it’s important to have more than one female.

 

[Ratchnick]

Stress can cause many things. Being over mated can bring on stress and that can cause laying issues. I’m not a vet by no mean but just think about it one duck having to be over mated by a hormonal drake. I’m not saying that is the sole cause but I can see where it could happen. I never said that was causing her egg problems just that she needs a big break and a chance to distress grow back her neck feathers. Go back an read what this duck is going through. This is why it’s important to have more than one female.

Right, but reproductive issues might mean the options are hormone implant, kill her or wait intill she gets egg bound and suffers to death. So maybe geting a bunch of females is not the only option. I'm not saying she does not need a break, clearly that's part of the issue. Its also pretty clear she has a larger reproductive issue that is likely fatal eventually.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Or give her time to recoup and see how she is doing then. @TheNightOwl11 you can also try using Calcium Gluconate for soft shell and other egg shell issues even egg bound. TSC carries it 1 ml daily