Cleaning my duck

[Kewtq]

Hello all, I actually have 2 duck questions if anyone can help.
First can I bath my duck somehow? She has a pool to swim in but she stinks a bit from getting poop or whatever else sometimes. Can I use a mild soap like baby shampoo to just clean her up?
And the second question, my call duck who is 5 months old constantly is losing feathers and getting news ones it's never ending. I looked for any mites and saw none but I do see new feather growth and wonder does it ever end

 

[cheezenkwackers]

Do not use any kind of soap on your duck. Soap removes oils and the oils on a duck are what make their feathers waterproof. If you did wash her with shampoo her feathers would get soaking wet when she swims, a condition called “wet feather”. This could really harm her. Ducks just have a ducky odor. Giving her lots of space in a clean environment will help some.

As for your second question, I do not have experience with mites but my ducks lost a lot of feathers when they were young. I would just keep an eye on it. I think swimming would help. Do they have a water source to swim in most of the time?

 

[MGG]

Hello all, I actually have 2 duck questions if anyone can help.
First can I bath my duck somehow? She has a pool to swim in but she stinks a bit from getting poop or whatever else sometimes. Can I use a mild soap like baby shampoo to just clean her up?
And the second question, my call duck who is 5 months old constantly is losing feathers and getting news ones it's never ending. I looked for any mites and saw none but I do see new feather growth and wonder does it ever end

Can you get a couple pictures of her? One overall picture and one of her vent. I had a chicken with vent gleet once, and she smelled awful. I didn't notice anything until I looked at her vent. It was literally matted with poop. I'm not saying that's the case with yours but you never know. It's always the first thing I think of when I hear about a bird smelling. Ducks keep themselves very clean and shouldn't smell. Is the pool water cleaned frequently?
Your call duck is most likely molting. All birds are molting right now, and some birds molt slowly. It can take several months for all feathers to regrow. I like to supplement protein during this time to help them grow their feathers in. It takes a toll on their little bodies. Just a small handful of mealworms tossed in their water is all I do for mine.

 

[Kewtq]

Do not use any kind of soap on your duck. Soap removes oils and the oils on a duck are what make their feathers waterproof. If you did wash her with shampoo her feathers would get soaking wet when she swims, a condition called “wet feather”. This could really harm her. Ducks just have a ducky odor. Giving her lots of space in a clean environment will help some.

As for your second question, I do not have experience with mites but my ducks lost a lot of feathers when they were young. I would just keep an eye on it. I think swimming would help. Do they have a water source to swim in most of the time?

I do know the soap would remove the oils for a day or two but I don't really need to bath her I was just wondering others experiences or thoughts were if I did because she gets covered sometimes lol. Yes, she has a very large pool to herself and often swims completely submerged. I figured the feather thing was normal it just seems never ending .....they are healthy and soft tho. Thank you for you answer

 

[BabyGotQuack]

We have a small pool for ours just so we can dump and fill with clean water everyday. I notice if we don’t dump & fill with clean water they do smell but very little.