Know anything about ducks?

[Becky10]

I am having some troubles with my duck and figured maybe someone here might have some know how. Any duck-talkers out there?

[brier patch charlie]

About the only thing I know about them is, number 7 1/2 load will knock them out of the sky, and after you pluck them it's best to use some small torch to burn off the pin feathers. And cook om medium heat!

[Bonny Pearl]

I think MacLaren has ducks.... Try sending him a PM as I haven't seen him on the boards lately.

[Becky10]

About the only thing I know about them is, number 7 1/2 load will knock them out of the sky, and after you pluck them it's best to use some small torch to burn off the pin feathers. And cook om medium heat!

I got the same reply from my dad. Minus the pin feathers...

Thank you Bonny I'll try sending him a PM!

[The Scotsquatch]

We raised a duck, Daphne, that some of you are familiar with.  We recently found her a new home with a good family because ducks just don't make the best RV pets in the world since they certainly can be on the messy and stinky side!  Plus my wife is Mother Goose at the Carolina Renfaire, the Arizona Renfaire, and the Georgia Renfaire.

All that aside, yes we know a lot about ducks.  And if you really want an expert, talk to Al Townsend, who plays Father Goose with my wife at said faires.  He and his late wife Nancy have raised and loved many geese and ducks over the years.  You can contact him at www.thegoosesmother.com .

Kev

[Becky10]

Thanks for the contact Kev i just shot over a quick message.

And I just know figured that I should probably put down some info (duh).

I have a 4 year old female Pekin who lives outside and this last week she has been very reluctant to eat and remains in the corner of her cage. All i can get in her is some hard boiled eggs which is a recent improvement. Things can go in just fine and they are certainly coming out so I am fairly confident shes now blocked up. All i can think of is about three weeks ago i found a green egg she had been hiding and sitting on ( stopped laying about a year ago) so i removed it before it broke and she seemed upset which has never happened before. I made a surrogate for her but she seems uninterested in it. I have no idea what to do now and i am worried about making  a trip to Dr.V our "exotic" vet as hes almost 2 hours away.

[meauho]

I may be able to help.  Used to raise ducks, geese, and chickens for about 10 years.  It got a little unmanageable, so we cut it down to a "reasonable" number; about 80 ducks (started with over 1,500), 12 geese (from 600), and about 50 chickens (from 10K-ish).

We haven't had any for about 8 years since we moved back to Texas, but it isn't like you forget.
This information comes from personal experience and the experience/ education of my step-father: a wildlife biologist who wrote his thesis migratory animals of the north slope (Alaska)

On to the info:
It is not uncommon for ducks to experience depression - especially when you only have one.
Most people who haven't had a lot of experience with them don't realize that ducks are extremely sociable animals.  It is generally recommended if you are going to have a duck for a pet you have at least 2, male and female, and close to the same age.  If you only have 2, they can be different types, but it is generally better to have the same type.

If you have more than 2
1. 5 to 10 is generally best - generally even male/female ratio.
2. They MUST be the same type (Mallard, Khaki Campbell, etc).  If you throw one Khaki in with 5 or 6 Mallards, the Khaki will be ostracized and it will take forever for it to integrate (if ever).


Unfortunately, there is little that can be done to overcome depression for ducks.  The most common is for a female duck to lay eggs.  Beyond that, it generally requires more ducks.

Occasionally, spending more time with your duck will help.  Play with it, pet it, hold it.
It may sound weird, but try treating it like you would a depressed dog.

I do NOT recommend releasing it into the wild.  People think that they are doing the ducks (or other migratory birds) a favor by doing this.  However, even if it integrates, they rarely survive the first migration.

Hope everything works out.

[Becky10]

I got  message back from Al and he said he thinks she may be eggbound, which is not good  .
I tried soaking her in a warm bath but it didnt do anything. On sites about eggbinding they talk about being able to feel the egg in the abdomen, what does this feel like? It all just feels like duck to me...

[meauho]

Egg bound:
Generally, she would show signs of constipation as well.
Is there any bloating around her lower stomach/ egg vent?
When feeling around, you can generally feel the eggs if she is egg bound.

If you do feel the eggs, some other things than soaking to try:

1. lubricate her vent - this will often help her pass the eggs.
2. force feed via small syringe or eye dropper - you can put the food in a blender to make it small enough to go through the syringe.
3. if she cannot pass them, and a vet really isn't handy
You can with a very long needled syringe, empty the egg, and collapse it to be passed.
This is VERY DANGEROUS for the duck - if any egg shell is left inside, it can cause internal bleeding and be fatal.

[The Scotsquatch]

If you had your duck for 4 years, did you raise her from a duckling?  If so, then she won't even know she's a duck and getting another duck is far from a good solution...lol!  Our Daphne hated other ducks and birds!  She thought she was a human and liked our dogs and cat, but she didn't like other birds at all at all.

If it is just depression, then spend lots of time with her.  Put her in your lap, hold her and hug her gently, let her hug you back...they will lean their body into yours and put their neck and head on your shoulder.  Just spend some time with her until she snaps out of it.

When she was laying eggs regularly, could you tell when she was about to lay?  Did her little tummy, just forward of her cloaca (opening back there...lol) get bigger?  Did she hang a little lower to the ground before she layed?  You could tell with Daphne...some ducks you can't.  If you suspect she is egg bound, don't wait too long!  You can try lubricating her cloaca with KY or the like, but do not try to extract the egg yourself unless you have no other choice!  Most veterinarians can at least do an egg extraction of what is considered a livestock bird, even though she isn't livestock, she's your pet.  OR, even better, call around or look in your phonebook for livestock vets...they will definately know how to do it safely!  You really don't need to go to an exotic species vet...a livestock vet is best, and most regular vets should be able to do it.

Hope she's well soon!

Kev and Patti

[Becky10]

If you had your duck for 4 years, did you raise her from a duckling?  If so, then she won't even know she's a duck and getting another duck is far from a good solution...lol!  Our Daphne hated other ducks and birds!  She thought she was a human and liked our dogs and cat, but she didn't like other birds at all at all.

Very true, she thinks she is a scottie dog and i had to rescue a sparrow from her that she managed to catch.

I was feeling around on her and couldn't feel anything abnormal or like an egg. Its hard to tell with her when she is getting ready to lay because she is odd shaped. She has a very large top and a fluffy bottom and a thin waist i am thinking she may have been a mix.


Giving her baths in the tub ( boy was the family not happy with that!) and having her in the hallway looks like it might have helped, shes eating more now and is standing longer, she cant reach down to fluff her belly feathers though. I am thinking maybe because she hadn't seen the scottie dogs for a while she was getting depressed and not eating which was making her weak but i am going to keep an eye out on her.
Thank you guys for the help!

[xavierzsada]

What ever you decide to do, do it quick.  I had a friend who had an eggbound Iguana and it was misdiagnosed and it was VERY expensive because the ig got sick after that from infection related to the surgery.  The good news is that the ig is healthy now, does still have constipation issues though on occasion.  I regular farm vet should be able to work on her.  I would have suggested getting a fake egg, as a 'surrogate' to replace the one you disposed of.  Also, I think that if you introduced her slowly to another duck that she may enjoy that.  You don't have to throw them together right away, but it would be the same thing as having a real baby and getting the sibling used to it, or getting a new puppy for an older dog.  Just make sure if it doesn't work out that you have a home lined up for the other duck.

[Becky10]

I have been feeling around the last couple days and there is no egg or squishiness(like fluid build up) that I can feel. She is now standing and walking and eating like a beast. I did try a surrogate egg, she rolled it out of the nest and rolled her baseball back in  . As for friends i think were going to stick to the little dogs for now she had a teen goose visit her and was not happy what so ever and bit me on the arm after it was gone ( i have a red mark!). This is why most of my animals are boys 

[Auryn]

I have had chickens, ducks and geese and let me tell you,
I always used to think chickens were silly birds but nothing beats the idiocy of a guinea.

Anyway, I had a duck once that was raised with baby chicks- all of the ducks clutch mates didn't live past 2 days past hatching.
Well he had no idea he was a duck until he was about 1 yr old. He seriously though he was a chicken- crazy bird.

If she is doing better than it was definitely depression.
I am glad she is doing better.