Rescued Duck Help

[Kalpe]

We rescued these ducks from a laying farm, but now I am having a hard time with a few. The others are healthy but these girls are constantly preening, moving their wings and their wings are very rough shape.
Mites? Lice? Wetfeather? Or were they just malnurished for so long there is no helping them?
I dont know what approach to go with....

There are no Waterfowl/poultry vets in my area. Located in Canada.

Also before we got them it was like they had never seen a human and were kept on metal grates. They are terrified of us and having 30 ducks its not the easiest to catch one and help her.

 

[416bigbore]

I am sorry I can't offer much help with your ducks. Other more knowledgeable members like @Isaac 0 will be along later and can offer better medical care advice.

A fishing landing net works great if you have trouble catching them. Hopefully they will calm down with time after they realize they are now in a much better place. Best of luck

 

[Isaac 0]

Both birds in the photos of a bad infection of Bumblefoot which will need to be treated, judging from the progression, will likely need antibiotics. If you could take better up-close photos of their footpads, that would be good.

Regarding their feather condition, yes, they have Wet feather. If given a deep water supply, and a balanced nutritional feed, the feather condition should recover over time (a molt may be needed for full bound water repellency).

The grounds they are being kept in, in the photo is quite hard and compact. This offers very little cushion to the ducks and their feet/legs. Continued to be on such substrate they will likely come down with Bumblefoot (which they already have), sprains, arthritis, and overall poor hygiene. I would work on adding a generous amount of organic matter to cushion the area.

 

[Lovem all]

Hey, I can't help but out of my own darn curiosity how did you get to be able to rescue them from a laying farm?

 

[Lovem all]

Also I have a rescued young duck with wet feather.... let me know what works out for you.
(sorry to bug you.)

 

[Kalpe]

Both birds in the photos of a bad infection of Bumblefoot which will need to be treated, judging from the progression, will likely need antibiotics. If you could take better up-close photos of their footpads, that would be good.

Regarding their feather condition, yes, they have Wet feather. If given a deep water supply, and a balanced nutritional feed, the feather condition should recover over time (a molt may be needed for full bound water repellency).

The grounds they are being kept in, in the photo is quite hard and compact. This offers very little cushion to the ducks and their feet/legs. Continued to be on such substrate they will likely come down with Bumblefoot (which they already have), sprains, arthritis, and overall poor hygiene. I would work on adding a generous amount of organic matter to cushion the area.

Thank you! So basically just keep doing what I'm doing with good feed and fresh water...
With wet feather would that be causing them to constantly move their wings and excessive preening?

The picture is of the same bird. And they are free range on 40 acres, they get locked in this run with a shelter at night, just waiting for my new load of sand as it washes away.

I'll get a picture of the foot beds, just dealt with it on others too.

 

[Isaac 0]

Thank you! So basically just keep doing what I'm doing with good feed and fresh water...
With wet feather would that be causing them to constantly move their wings and excessive preening?

The picture is of the same bird. And they are free range on 40 acres, they get locked in this run with a shelter at night, just waiting for my new load of sand as it washes away.

I'll get a picture of the foot beds, just dealt with it on others too.

Correct.

Provide a deep source of water the enables them to bathe properly, continue feeding them a balanced waterfowl feed, and work on the bumblefoot problem, and run substrate problem. I can guarantee you if you correct those problems, you'll notice a great improvement within their health.

A few more suggestions. Regarding the wet feather, you may wan't to overlook the birds and check their oil glands. If water hasn't been provided for an extended period of time, their oil glands can get infected, or clogged which can prevent them from "oiling"/ keeping their feathers waterproof. Since these birds were taken from a laying farm, it may be wise to add poultry vitamins, especially niacin, to their diet for the next few days.