Scaley call duck bill

[honeybeerose]

I have a male call duck that looks a bit worse for wear after the winter. His bill looks scaley, like there's big chunks on it that look like they could come off, and one of his nostrils seems to be plugged. Also, the feathers around his eyes look clumped together, but there seems to be no drainage from the eye. I don't normally raise ducks, but he belongs to my son and is for 4-H, so I need to get him better. Any suggestions?

 

[Amiga]

What is his setup? Does he have water to swim and wash in daily?

Type of feed? Other ducks?

If you have a photo, could you upload that?

 

[honeybeerose]

He is in a good size cage by himself, and he has a large do bowl that he swims in, and I rinse it out and put clean water in it everyday. He is fed layer crumbles.

 

[Amiga]

How old is he? I would get him off layer, as the calcium could have long term bad effects on his kidneys.

The bill may just be one of those things, perhaps related to low humidity ( I don't know where you are, you may be in a humid area so that would not be the case).

The plugged bare and eye situation may indicate a sinus infection, in which case the duck needs antibiotics.

 

[CelticOaksFarm]

Given that it's June, he should be in post breeding season plumage and might be rough after breeding season. However you stated he lives alone. So I would guess diet and not enough water for bathing to help him maintain good health. He really should have another call duck as company. Living alone in a cage is a sad thing for him. They are social by nature.

 

[honeybeerose]

Thank you for the advice, while he could get in his water to bathe, i got him a bigger pan, and he looks alot better. I also got him antibiotics, and his bill is looking better, but still scaley. The feathers around his eyes are clean now. I also changed his feed to pellets. Thanks!