weird small patch on ducklings tail

[lovelyducklings]

is this normal? it's a very small patch of hair on his tail. you can't see it very well because he's wet. is it for a drake feather or is it just random?

 

[JadeComputerGal]

is this normal? it's a very small patch of hair on his tail. you can't see it very well because he's wet. is it for a drake feather or is it just random?

Looks like a damp duckling still in down. It takes several months for drake feathers to appear in the males.

Cute little baby. Is it the one in your avatar?

 

[lovelyducklings]

here is a better one

 

[lovelyducklings]

Looks like a damp duckling still in down. It takes several months for drake feathers to appear in the males.

Cute little baby. Is it the one in your avatar?

yes

 

[JadeComputerGal]

yes

Pretty baby.

I love all our ducks but I so much miss having babies.

 

[HeritageGoose13]

here is a better one

I think what you may be seeing is his oil gland. Ducks will rub this to get oil, and then they will rub the oil over their bodies to keep their feathers water-proof.

 

[JadeComputerGal]

here is a better one

I'm still not seeing anything unusual, but I do agree with @HeritageGoose13 that it's possibly the oil gland since that's where it's located.

 

[Amiga]

Looks like baby fuzz to me. In a week or two I would expect to start seeing what looks like tiny straws poking out of the tail - as the tail feathers come in. When my ducks were young, their feathers were more like bison hair than feathers.