Hurricane Duck Mom
In the Brooder
- Oct 16, 2022
- 2
- 19
- 19
Our neighbors abandoned their chickens and ducks after Hurricane Michael 4 years ago. The chickens were mostly eaten by hawks except the last one, which was rescued when I called a friend who raises chicks. The ducks were juveniles and wandered our canal neighborhood, eventually settling into pairs, each with a territory. Our pair would go home to their original now-empty house and very nasty pool, black with algae and debris. I started feeding them every morning when they swam by and grew attached. They can only come into our yard and pool when the tide is extremely high, otherwise there is no access. They’ve never bred.
Two years ago my dog picked one up when it had flooded, puncturing its back. I took him to an bird vet who plucked its back and tail, sewed it up, and gave me a week’s meds to administer. We set up a little surround half on the dock and half on the grass, a kiddie pool, some beach towels for shade for that week. He let us give him the meds, swam a little in our pool every day, and was back to normal, if featherless in his nether regions, and we returned him to the canal waters and his mate who had visited every day.They continued to come by every morning for food, and he would nuzzle my feet hanging over the dock. He also let me pick him up when the tide was high enough for it to be possible for me to reach.
This summer, the neighbors put up fencing, keep out signs, and put heavy netting around their horrible pool. The ducks have no home base anymore; sometimes we see them across the canal at a boat ramp but that neighbor has fenced dogs. Since then, the male has gotten very dirty. When they swim off after feeding, the female will bathe, but he does not. He’s also slower than she is and swims lower in the water. I suspect he is overweight, but have looked at his feet up close and as he swims away and they seem normal.
I have no idea how to bathe him. It‘s hard to make a vet appointment since I can only get him out at very high tide. I’m 70 and arthritic, so going in the water and climbing up a ladder with such a big duck is not doable. Is there anything I can do to help this duck? My guess is that he is 6 years old. Getting a removable ramp would be very expensive, especially since I don’t know if they’d use it, but Id do it if it would make their lives better.
I apologise for the length of the story, but would appreciate any advice. (photo from before problem)
Two years ago my dog picked one up when it had flooded, puncturing its back. I took him to an bird vet who plucked its back and tail, sewed it up, and gave me a week’s meds to administer. We set up a little surround half on the dock and half on the grass, a kiddie pool, some beach towels for shade for that week. He let us give him the meds, swam a little in our pool every day, and was back to normal, if featherless in his nether regions, and we returned him to the canal waters and his mate who had visited every day.They continued to come by every morning for food, and he would nuzzle my feet hanging over the dock. He also let me pick him up when the tide was high enough for it to be possible for me to reach.
This summer, the neighbors put up fencing, keep out signs, and put heavy netting around their horrible pool. The ducks have no home base anymore; sometimes we see them across the canal at a boat ramp but that neighbor has fenced dogs. Since then, the male has gotten very dirty. When they swim off after feeding, the female will bathe, but he does not. He’s also slower than she is and swims lower in the water. I suspect he is overweight, but have looked at his feet up close and as he swims away and they seem normal.
I have no idea how to bathe him. It‘s hard to make a vet appointment since I can only get him out at very high tide. I’m 70 and arthritic, so going in the water and climbing up a ladder with such a big duck is not doable. Is there anything I can do to help this duck? My guess is that he is 6 years old. Getting a removable ramp would be very expensive, especially since I don’t know if they’d use it, but Id do it if it would make their lives better.
I apologise for the length of the story, but would appreciate any advice. (photo from before problem)
