Why is my duck burping?

[luskylove]

I have a Khaki Campbell drake and he just recently starting making a noise like he is burping. I read somewhere that it could be his mating call, but he is 6 months old and just started within the past couple of weeks. It's like he puffs up all his feathers, stretches his neck, makes a burping sound and then quacks after.

 

[CuzChickens]

Hello Luskylove! I just found an old thread with somebody dealing with the exact same thing, you might like to read through it, but it looks like they came to the conclusion that nothing was wrong. Have fun with your ducks, and Welcome to Backyard chickens, I saw you are new!


https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/685488/burping-ducks/10

 

[lovemy mallards]

My drake does the same thing, from what I've read it's just because he's going thru puberty and it's mating season. It's hard to explain the sound .

 

[luskylove]

My drake does the same thing, from what I've read it's just because he's going thru puberty and it's mating season. It's hard to explain the sound .

Yes that's what I was thinking too. He is my only duck and it kind of scared me when I first heard him make the noise because I was scared he was having problems swallowing.. but the puberty thing sounds more like it since he just recently started biting at my dashund like he wants to mate lol

 

[lovemy mallards]

O yeah my drake does it alot. He's just about 7 months old now. But he's got to were he bites me and my daughter. But we love him anyway lol.

 

[CuzChickens]

My drake bit me allll the time, I did not mind, but he finally gave a 3 yr old girl a black bruise, so we gave him to somebody that had a bunch of ducks and he has been good there.

 

[luskylove]

My drake bit me allll the time, I did not mind, but he finally gave a 3 yr old girl a black bruise, so we gave him to somebody that had a bunch of ducks and he has been good there.

Yeah mine doesn't bite me so much as he does my mom.. I guess he thinks I'm his mommy lol but I don't mind. He doesn't bite too hard so it's okay!

 

[Amiga]

Yeah mine doesn't bite me so much as he does my mom.. I guess he thinks I'm his mommy lol but I don't mind. He doesn't bite too hard so it's okay!

Sounds like he's a real romantic!

 

[jacquelyn4653]

I have the same thing happening to my ducks. They all started doing it around the same time. I think somewhere near the age of 4 months old. I have a hard time thinking it is puberty because I have four different kinds of ducks and they would mature at different times. I thought it was perhaps a response to a change in the food or a supplement that changed the PH of the body. So in addition to the symptoms you listed, I would say, their breast is puffed up and they look uncomfortable. They also race around a short distance after doing it. I just know it is not good whatever it is. I wish I knew more about about ducks and chemistry. It is coming to winter and It is not easy being uncomfortable in the cold... Perhaps too much grain, or soy, or lead poisoning from hoses or galvanized steal?? Perhaps we can all put our heads together and find a common denominator. I have both male and female doing it. The females are more of a chirp and seem less bothered.

 

[Bills vs Beaks]

Calm down. It's probably just a mating thing. They just act stupid in front of the girls, and they think theyre being totally cool. It like "Waaah, lookit me puff up so big an go runnin, chicks, er, ducks"
Now I'm guessing the girls wave their heads around diagonally, and make a "kah eh kah ehck eck" machine gun noise too?
Different breeds of ducks mature at different times, and it might just be a spectacular coincidence. If they are active, eating, friendly and alert, walking normally, and mating as usual, you have nothing to worry about.

See if you can get a vid though. We can start a duck afv.

Edit: remember, ducks have the original down coat. They also have a very high body temp(duck chemistry fact: ducks body temp is around 100). They are warmer than you might think.