Spotted Bill - normal or medical thing?

[1duckychick]

One of my female F&W runners is starting to get green spots on her bill. I thought it was dirt or grass stains at first but they won't scrub off.

Could this be a medical thing (for some reason I'm thinking mold) or do some ducks bills just get spotty?

 

[FenDruadin]

No worries--that is totally normal as they age and also during laying season. All my fawn & whites end up with dark green bills by the end of the season.

 

[1duckychick]

Oh THANK YOU!!!! I was really beginning to worry that it was some type of mold problem because I was doing something wrong.

These little buggers create a LOT of poop in a very little amount of time and I was worried that changing the pool water daily wasn't enough. 6 of them in one medium size kiddie pool can get clear water brown in like 20 minutes!

 

[rainplace]

That's why you try to have the camera out and ready to take pictures before the first one hops into a clean pool

 

[FenDruadin]

Oh, yeah, they make the water dirty. And no, it's not going to cause them mold problems. Confession: I only change their water once every three days, when it starts to stink. I have five birds (three ducks, two geese) and a small kiddie pool (they use a lake during the day), so it does get pretty gross. But so far I have not had problems with this regime.

There is simply no way to keep their water clean all the time, even if you were to change it three times a day. It is dirty the moment they step in, as you know.

They'll be fine.

 

[1duckychick]

Yup, my DH and I joke that they have a pooping reflex in their feet - as soon as their feet touch the water - they poop. When ours were babies we would pick them up and put them in the tub and, with each of them, everytime, as soon as the first "toe" hit the water the poopgates opened! Pretty amazing actually.

 

[Wifezilla]

It's part of a normal color change. Bebe's bill will eventually be either a deep army green or black...

Her sister Wendy's bill changed a lot faster....

 

[1duckychick]

Ok. That kinda looks like what Snugglz has going on.

 

[Wifezilla]

Teenager duck zits

 

[froggie71]

Definitely normal. Runners get these when they are getting ready to start to lay. I know I worried about the same thing when mine got them. Not to worry.
ETA:
And I guess other breeds do as well.