What to do if your duck is sportin' the "wet look"...Thanks y'all!!!

[big brown horse]

Ever since our deep, deep freeze ended last week my Rouen drake looks wet. I changed his pond water and he is taking his baths and preening, it looks like his oil gland may not be in working order, clogged or something like that.

Have you delt with this before? HELP! :/

ETA: he is eating and other wise looks and acts normal.

 

[Blackbird]

By looking wet do you mean like thoroughly soaked wet..?

This happened to one of ours this year, on bottom of the chain. Had a hard time drying up and preening and getting her feathers sorted.

Do you have someplace dry and warm for him to go in..? Maybe pen him up with bedding until he's looking better..?

 

[Wolf-Kim]

Any changes in diet?

What are you feeding him? I know with other animals, suppementing with black sunflower seeds helps their coat, maybe it would help your drake. Please research ducks and sunflower seeds directly before doing this, I know chickens can have them, not sure about ducks.

 

[big brown horse]

Thanks you guys!

He and his wife both get B.O.S.S. daily and fresh greens daily in the form of romaine or kale. (I also give them protein in the form of a good quality, high protein cat food.) This of course is served along with their normal duck mash. On top of all this they free range my one acre back yard with the chickens.

Their diet hasn't changed.

It looks like where his oil gland is, some feathers are missing and a little white down is left. Like he has been over preening that spot.

I just went and checked on him and he seems dryer already. I'm going to force him (and "the wife") to sleep in a crate filled with fresh straw. They normally have a choice of sleeping where they want when they get locked up in the run at night. (I have a pond and a "house" in there too, they just don't go into the nice dry house...now they have no choice.)

Again, thank you all who responded here and via pm.

 

[Wifezilla]

He could be getting ready to molt. Their feathers don't seem to hold the oil correctly after a while.

Can you pick hm up and check the oil gland? Is it enlarged? Hot?

 

[Dace]

I hope your little guy gets back to normal quickly. It is always a bit unnerving when they are not quite right.

 

[big brown horse]

Thanks Dace! I really appreciate that.

Wife, I'm going to check his oil gland right now. BRB.

 

[Blackbird]

You have an email Sally.

 

[big brown horse]

Thank goodness he is so sweet, I had my daughter bring him right into the kitchen (the FDA disapproved kitchen) and we gave him a thourough exam in the kitchen sink. His oil gland isn't hot, it feels normal. (He nibbled my sweat shirt zipper while waiting for us to finish. hee hee.)

I'll bet ya he is about to molt. I hope that is all it is. His wife also "looked wet" earlier in the week but a nice bath in fresh water did the trick for her. That is why I worried it had to do with his oil gland.

Thank you all! I'll keep you updated.

 

[Dace]

Where is a duck's oil gland?