Sick Duck? Strange Behavior... PLEASE HELP

[Miss Lydia]

I've never had a duck go broody unless she was laying.

 

[Amiga]

Mine do this not when broody, but when feeling the urge to merge. My interpretation.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Mine do this not when broody, but when feeling the urge to merge. My interpretation.

Oh okay well having Muscovy I haven't seen this behavior. They do things quietly. lol

 

[Amiga]

Oh okay well having Muscovy I haven't seen this behavior. They do things quietly. lol

 

[New Farmer]

Thank you for all the advice. I was able to check her over this evening. I noticed a small bald spot on the back of her head. Also earlier today she was in the nesting box and when she got out I found a green egg. I am guessing it might of come from her but I'm not always sure who's eggs are who's where I have them all housed together.(chickens and ducks.) Other then that she seemed fine. My male ducks are acting normal. Trying to stay warm in this cold cold weather. I haven't had any problems with frost bite so far so I feel like I must be doing something right. Very cold up here in the Maine mountains. I do have two lights that stay on all the time in their coop. Hopefully she will start acting herself again soon. :/

 

[GoingQuackers]

Bald spot on the back of the head means this lady has been mating! I don't quite understand that part of mating, but whether on land or in the kiddie pool, my drakes always make sure they grab a beak full of feathers on the back of the duck's neck during the act. How rude!

How many males and females do you have? You don't want her to get bred too much or she can be injured. And congrats on the egg! If it was in there after she got out, more than likely it is hers.

 

[Amiga]

ditto GoingQuackers

 

[HollyDuckFarmer]

Agreed with GQ & Amiga. I would suggest that if you want to know for certain if she is laying, you can add a drop or 2 of food safe liquid food coloring to her vent, and this will temporarily dye her eggs for a day or three. But that way you will know for sure which eggs came from which vent.

Your duck also could be victim of over mating. She could just be hiding out to avoid the attention of the drake(s). What's your male to female ratio?

 

[New Farmer]

I have two males and two females. When you speak of putting food coloring in her vent.... what and where is her vent?

I am learning so much from you all. Do you think I should remove her from the others until her hormones calm down? And how often do ducks usually lay eggs? My chickens are still doing pretty well considering the season and the cold. They have slowed down some but not a lot. Is a duck egg a lot larger bigger then a large chicken egg?

 

[Amiga]

I am wondering if you might separate the boys from the girls and see how that goes. Sometimes the drakes are - umm - overly amorous…..

The vent is the little portal where the eggs come out, under the tail. Another word for it is cloaca.