Why are my ducks not waterproof!!??

[Marwan]

Hi its me again with donald and daffy and i was wondering neither of them seem to be waterproof. every time i put them to swim they come out completley soaked and look really weird unlike other ducks which seem to stay rather fluffy donald and daffy just seem to absorb the water. anyone have any suggestions on this? any help would be greatly appretiated

 

[PetesMom]

They could have "wet feather" my muscovies are like this

 

[MAHorsegal]

how old are they? Mine didnt get their waterproof feathers until they were at least 10-12 weeks...

 

[PetesMom]

[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]I copied and pasted this from another thread....[/FONT]


Common cause for wet feathers is a clogged or infected oil gland, heavy
> mite infestation, or foreign substance in swimming water. Oil gland is
> located at the top base of the tail. Little feathers there should look
> very oily. If gland is clogged, massage gently several times daily with
> warm compress. Oral antibiotic may be Rx'd by vet for infection if
> present.

> To prevent above cause(s) provide clean fresh water for swimming to
> prevent mites and foreign substance from getting on feathers.

> Other cause(s):
> Duck has been washed with or been in water with soap, this removes the
> protective coating and disturbs barbs of feathers; not allowing them to
> hold air.

> Duck has not been allowed swimming water, thus is not preening to keep
> feathers supple.
> Barbs get broken or are pulled apart.

> Corretion- Time, for both causes above the duck will preen and get
> feathers into shape

> Ducks feathers are worn from an abundance of treading by drakes.

> Massive mite infestation.

> Correction- Time, for both causes above feathers are damaged beyond
> preening repair. Duck must molt to regain good feather structure. See
> Vet for mite infesttion if mites are present. Look for tiny spots on
> feather shafts and or skin. Check duck house for tiny red mites at
> nite...nests are best place to look for mites if you have em.

> Note- waterfowl feather structure: Each feather is connected together
> sorta like a zipper. The zipper or barbs can be zipped back together if
> not damaged. This is what waterfowl do when they preen. The barbs must
> be keep soft and supple, this is what the oil from the oil gland does.
> (like putting hand cream on so ones hands so they don't get chapped) If
> the oil gland isn't working or duck is not afforded swimming water (bird
> won't preen much), feathers become dry, brittle and break. Once damage
> occurs to the barbs the duck will no longer be "water proof" no matter
> how well the duck has oiled and or preened. Air held in by the feathers
> is what keeps the duck "dry" not the oil. The oil gand works on supply
> and demand. If no water to swim in...no need to preen, no oil is made or
> gland gets clogged from under use.

> Hope this helps

 

[Marwan]

They are 11 months old and as much as i try they hate swimming. they just wont go into the water no matter what unless i put them in it and in that case they just jump out :S

 

[70%cocoa]

What about making them have a daily supervised swim in your bath (cold water)? They may find it harder to jump out of that.

Or else you could mist them a few times a day with a mister bottle - just the kind you use to mist plants. I use one of those at shows to mist my ducks to get them to preen and straighten up their feathers after getting them out of their travel box.

 

[Marwan]

yh i occasionally do that with the mister and they get a weekly sim in the bath where i try keep them in there for at least an hour and then have to blow dry them because they get soo soaked and take ages to dry themselves

 

[70%cocoa]

Could be worth trying daily short swims (with peas to dive for) rather than long, weekly swims. Would that fit in with your daily routine?

 

[70%cocoa]

Also, your guys should be due for a moult in a couple of months. They'll get nice new waterproof feathers then Once they do I'd mist or bathe frequently to keep the new feathers in good condition.

What about showering with your ducks?

 

[Marwan]

yh they are in molt now. there are feathers everywhere. when i bring them the preen their feather and it goes everywhere. im going to try more swimming after the molt ends, any idea how long it takes to complete a molt? id like to make a pool for them but im going to have to get them to enjoy the water first then ill try and put some sort of pool in. also ill make sure i mist them more to keep them preening