Duck swimming with tail down, flat on water.

[DaringDucks]

I had 3 new hens join my flock recently, and after some time to integrate, I noticed something about one of them. All my other ducks (mallards) swim with their tails perked upright and out of the water. However this lil lady is an odd one out. She doesn't lift her tail. It lays flat against the surface of the water. (The pic shows her furthest from the camera)

Any ideas as to why that might be?

I'm wondering if it might be a deformity or an injury or other possible causes, I should keep an eye out for. Since I got them from someone else, I don't have a ton of history to go on. However they are only a few months old (hatched in May), so I don't think it's related to egg laying yet.

I don't want to count out any possibilities or skew people's feedback, but I did have something else that might be applicable. A day or so ago while I was cleaning their pond with a skimmer, I did scoop out a staple I've never seen before, not have I used before. It had white plastic between two little metal prongs (pictured below). However the prongs were SEVERELY rusted away, and since I have never used such staples, and it was at the bottom of my completely enclosed pond, the only way I can think it got there was that one of the new hens had eaten it before I bought them and she pooped it out in the pond. This worries me, especially if it was the hen who swims with her tail flat who may have eaten it, that she may have damaged herself upon passing it.

Could swimming with a flat tail be a sign of injury from ingesting hardware like that?

Other symptoms: for a while as I quarantined the hens, I did notice someone in the trio had extremely bright green poops, almost neon in color. But they were all eating well and soon I was only seeing normal brown and white.

They were also fairly skinny when I got them, but have since put on some weight, so I wonder if they might have eaten hardware out of hunger at their previous home.

It is all pretty concerning.

EDIT:
I was able to find the hardware staple in question. It looks pretty bad.

 

[Jenbirdee]

I had 3 new hens join my flock recently, and after some time to integrate, I noticed something about one of them. All my other ducks (mallards) swim with their tails perked upright and out of the water. However this lil lady is an odd one out. She doesn't lift her tail. It lays flat against the surface of the water. (The pic shows her furthest from the camera)

View attachment 3960680

Any ideas as to why that might be?

I'm wondering if it might be a deformity or an injury or other possible causes, I should keep an eye out for. Since I got them from someone else, I don't have a ton of history to go on. However they are only a few months old (hatched in May), so I don't think it's related to egg laying yet.

I don't want to count out any possibilities or skew people's feedback, but I did have something else that might be applicable. A day or so ago while I was cleaning their pond with a skimmer, I did scoop out a staple I've never seen before, not have I used before. It had white plastic between two little metal prongs (pictured below). However the prongs were SEVERELY rusted away, and since I have never used such staples, and it was at the bottom of my completely enclosed pond, the only way I can think it got there was that one of the new hens had eaten it before I bought them and she pooped it out in the pond. This worries me, especially if it was the hen who swims with her tail flat who may have eaten it, that she may have damaged herself upon passing it.

View attachment 3960701

Could swimming with a flat tail be a sign of injury from ingesting hardware like that?

Other symptoms: for a while as I quarantined the hens, I did notice someone in the trio had extremely bright green poops, almost neon in color. But they were all eating well and soon I was only seeing normal brown and white.

They were also fairly skinny when I got them, but have since put on some weight, so I wonder if they might have eaten hardware out of hunger at their previous home.

It is all pretty concerning.

EDIT:
I was able to find the hardware staple in question. It looks pretty bad.
View attachment 3960727

wow yes that’s concerning. the only time i had a duck with tail down was when she had a reproductive system infection called salpingitis and antibiotics helped her feel better but then she got worse again and eventually after three times of antibiotics and getting a little better each time she started dying. She was eight years old so she had a good life, but it was still really sad. let me tag some people who might know more than I do and hopefully they can help you. @Miss Lydia @Callender Girl @ruthhope @Luv Ducks @KathiQuacks

 

[Luv Ducks]

Sorry I have never seen a duck do that before. If she did expel that staple she might have torn something coming out and it feels better to have her bottom in the water rather than more exposed. That is just a wild guess. As long as she is eating well and drinking I would just keep a close eye on her. Sorry I am not much help on the subject.

 

[Jenbirdee]

@muddy75 @SwampPrincessChick @Tookie

 

[SwampPrincessChick]

I am not educated on ducks, but since ducks often have the same health issues as chickens, I know it definitely would have hurt to have to pass a staple if that really happened to her. Does her vent look as if it is damaged any, or does her abdomen area look swollen?

If the former is true, she may just feel more comfortable holding her tail down because holding it up could cause her to feel pain where the staple injured her vent.

If the latter is true, then she could have salpingitis like @Jenbirdee stated, which is a deadly infection in the reproductive system that is unable to be cured. Most hens, both chicken and duck, who have salpingitis will pass away, as it spreads rapidly and is hard for their immune system to fight off. The reason a hen's abdomen would look swollen when she has salpingitis is that the infection would cause her reproductive system to inflate to a very large size, even to the point where it hits her lungs and makes it hard to breathe (that is one reason salpingitis is such a killer－it causes them to suffocate).

Has she been acting more slow, and has her vent been leaking any kind of strange stuff? Those are both signs of salpingitis. Be sure to check all nesting spots that your duck hens lay in, as hens that have salpingitis lay (a) lash egg(s). These are not actually eggs; they are instead a waste material made up of the Salmonella and E. coli causing them the infection in an attempt to rid their system of it.

I wish the best for your hen and her flockmates, and hope that her problem is not severe!

 

[SwampPrincessChick]

wow yes that’s concerning. the only time i had a duck with tail down was when she had a reproductive system infection called salpingitis and antibiotics helped her feel better but then she got worse again and eventually after three times of antibiotics and getting a little better each time she started dying. She was eight years old so she had a good life, but it was still really sad. let me tag some people who might know more than I do and hopefully they can help you. @Miss Lydia @Callender Girl @ruthhope @Luv Ducks @KathiQuacks

I am sorry for your loss! Salpingitis is definitely a killer and cannot be fully cured with any kind of medication－antibiotics can make her better like you said but it is up to her own immune system to fight off the infection.

 

[DaringDucks]

Thank you all for the feedback. I have been watching her like a hawk, and I think it is a matter of vent damage from passing the staple and holding her tail flat was due to pain. Since posting, after finding the staple, the hen in question is improving; she now swims with her tail up, but she does have an odd swagger to her step. I'll definitely be keeping an eye on her for signs of further illness!

 

[Tookie]

Thank you all for the feedback. I have been watching her like a hawk, and I think it is a matter of vent damage from passing the staple and holding her tail flat was due to pain. Since posting, after finding the staple, the hen in question is improving; she now swims with her tail up, but she does have an odd swagger to her step. I'll definitely be keeping an eye on her for signs of further illness!

Glad to hear she's improved! Definitely be keeping an eye on her. I'm sure she'll recover swiftly.

 

[Luv Ducks]

Thank you all for the feedback. I have been watching her like a hawk, and I think it is a matter of vent damage from passing the staple and holding her tail flat was due to pain. Since posting, after finding the staple, the hen in question is improving; she now swims with her tail up, but she does have an odd swagger to her step. I'll definitely be keeping an eye on her for signs of further illness!

I too am glad that she is improving. It may take some time but hopefully she will make a full recovery. That had to surely hurt coming out. I wish you the best with her.

 

[Callender Girl]

I don't have any useful advice -- never encountered anything like this!

But, I'm glad to hear your girl is improving; best wishes for a complete recovery!