The Quack Shack

[Miss Lydia]

I’m seeing it too!

 

[Canadian Wind]

Poor Luna looks silly with only two flight feathers left!

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

IT'S MOULTING SEASON!!!

View attachment 3584397

Tell.Me.About.It!

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

Happy Weekend to Everybody!​

I am sitting at my laptop, feet covered in eleven ducklings, unable to move…
Should the Incubator Gang decide they want to go to the Duckling's Paradise, my phone is ready to record the "pitta-patta" of 22 tiny and large feet. Duckling #12 has done ist first poop overnight, had its first drink and meal and is sleeping again.

 

[Canadian Wind]

Greetings everyone! Hope the weekend is good to you!

Remember the two ducklings I hatched a couple of months ago? Smokey and the Bandit?

How fast they grow:

Smokey is in the back, and bandit is up front. Both most probably males because not a single quack out of either of them. And I have babies half their age quacking like someone is trying to murder them!

 

[Supercow]

It looks like our limping duck has bumblefoot. It did not look that way at first - it was the first thing I checked for: are there any obvious punctures or scrapes or already formed swellings? No.

But now (5 days in) she just keeps limping (although she runs at speed - in her own limpy way; and even uses the affected leg to go first when climbing into the pool). I picked her up again and I can see and feel a soft blob on the underside of the flipper. Blah

 

[Supercow]

Good looking young gentlemen

 

[Muscovy Wunda]

It looks like our limping duck has bumblefoot. It did not look that way at first - it was the first thing I checked for: are there any obvious punctures or scrapes or already formed swellings? No.

But now (5 days in) she just keeps limping (although she runs at speed - in her own limpy way; and even uses the affected leg to go first when climbing into the pool). I picked her up again and I can see and feel a soft blob on the underside of the flipper. Blah

YOu did say sge was climbing wood stack, maybe there isa splinter? Splinters not always visible to the eye at first but they fester up (speaking from experinece with own hands)

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

YOu did say sge was climbing wood stack, maybe there isa splinter? Splinters not always visible to the eye at first but they fester up (speaking from experinece with own hands)

Yes, splinters are a ducking mess! I hate to work with gloves, but when it comes to wood, i have a pair of buffalo leather work gloves.
On the other hand i have never had a duck with a splinter in the flipper. Some of them have holes, but never had to pull a splinter.

 

[Supercow]

At the moment I don't have a car available (I will in a week or so) and the poultry vet is some distance away. I'll take some photos and email them, the vet lady has been very responsive in the past. We have some leftover liquid antibiotic from Junior's recovery adventure and I've ordered some sticky wrap and Vetericyn online.

It's unusual to me how the limping duck will sometimes limp strongly but at other times keep up with the group as though there are no problems, and climb into the pool with the limping foot first. The climbing part, in my opinion, suggests that we're not dealing with some joint or bone problems since pure physics would not allow it.

Also her general behavior has changed, and for the better - when this happened on Tuesday she was obviously feeling hurt and endangered, she spent most of the day hunkering down in the grass, hiding in the bushes, not coming to the water and food stations. That's why I decided to keep her in a crate for a couple of days so we see that's she's been eating and drinking. She has now been free-range again in the last 3 days and yesterday and today I can see her eating and drinking with the others.

So it's really not clear to me where all this leaves us. At the very least things are not getting obviously worse.