What is wrong with my duckling’s preen gland?

[HarveysMom36]

Is this a clogged preen gland? I’m using Q-tips to assess it as it’s pretty sensitive for him. There are little yellow deposits around it and coming out of it, almost like little pieces of cracked corn.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Hopefully @Miss Lydia or @Qwerty3159 can chime in.

Hard to see the gland itself. Yes, the gland is very sensitive even if nothing is wrong.
The yellow looks like dried oil stuck in the feathers.
If you press lightly on the gland, does a small amount of clearish oil come off on your finger?

Does the gland itself seem red and angry - again, it's very hard to see in the photos, if you can get clearer well lit photos, those would help.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Better pictures would be good. When one of my Muscovy females was having preen gland trouble I use warm water compresses on it worked great.

 

[HarveysMom36]

Hopefully @Miss Lydia or @Qwerty3159 can chime in.

Hard to see the gland itself. Yes, the gland is very sensitive even if nothing is wrong.
The yellow looks like dried oil stuck in the feathers.
If you press lightly on the gland, does a small amount of clearish oil come off on your finger?

Does the gland itself seem red and angry - again, it's very hard to see in the photos, if you can get clearer well lit photos, those would help.

Sorry I was trying to hold my phone to take the photo without alerting Harvey I was messing with him lol. I’ll try to get better photos this evening. I first noticed it only because of the little yellow pieces. When I moved the two pieces away from the gland, more pieces came out. I think it probably is just dried oil? I could mash them on paper. I definitely feel oil around the gland. Harvey is a special needs duckling and can’t groom himself well. I don’t know if that’ll change as he grows, but he turned 10 weeks old today. I put him in the bathtub to paddle around for 5-10 minutes a day and pat him dry with a towel after.

 

[HarveysMom36]

Better pictures would be good. When one of my Muscovy females was having preen gland trouble I use warm water compresses on it worked great.

The black area in the gland appears to be hair-like. Is that normal? I’m not terribly familiar with this gland, but all the photos I see on Google show just the gland with nothing sticking out of it.

 

[HarveysMom36]

Better pictures would be good. When one of my Muscovy females was having preen gland trouble I use warm water compresses on it worked great.

These are the best photos I’m going to get I think. So if this is the gland, it looks more like a small cyst with hair coming out of it. It’s round, raised, and yellow under the skin.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Yes, it's normal for there to be tiny feathers or down on the preen gland.

I'd watch to make sure it's not getting a gunky buildup since he's not able to preen very well, but if it's not swollen or an angry red, then I think it is o.k.