Duck with swollen head, feels like half inflated balloon

[jennifleur]

My young drake Hunter has a swollen head. I was out with the ducks for a few hours this evening, towards end of time I started noticing one side of Hunter's head seemed a little lopsided. As I was herding them into the night pen it struck me that Hunter's head was really swollen. I picked him up and felt the area, it feels like a deflated balloon. It doesn't feel like fluid or tight like inflamed tissue. It feels and acts like air, I can see where the skin around his eye is also inflated. That exactly what it feels like, inflated. He is acting normally, eating and pooping. upset about being picked up and messed with but not acting sick. What could this be? I looked up swollen head posts, maybe get a sulfa type med in case of infection? He has no drainage, no wheezing or respiratory type symptoms. It looks really odd. He has been a very healthy duck and no health issues to date other than this. I tried to get a picture but hard to do it one handed with wiggling duck on my lap. Any ideas on what this could be?

 

[Amiga]

My first random thought is - did one of his air sacs burst and the air migrated upward?

Here is a detailed article about air sacs in general.

http://www.thewonderofbirds.com/biology/air-sacs.htm

The more I think about it, the more I think there may have been an air sac rupture. A good duck vet would be best - perhaps someone here has had some experience with that. It may just need time to heal, or it may be that the air needs to be released.

(My nephew got air in his neck from a rupture of his bronchial tube long ago…..)

 

[jennifleur]

Not a good picture, but shows the raised area on the top of his head.

 

[jennifleur]

Thanks Amiga,I'll read it now.

 

[Amiga]

That's all I can think of right now -

 

[Amiga]

I think this may help you … and feel free to PM the people on the thread if you wish

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/889866/is-this-a-ruptured-air-sac

 

[jennifleur]

I think your right, it might be a air sac injury. They are just starting to experiment with flying, running across the grass flapping their wings. He had made an attempt to fly off the edge of their stock tank pool but landed on the pavers instead of the grass. He seemed fine at the time, but it was about an hour later I started noticing the head swelling. He did not hit his head on the pavers, just landed akwardly. We looked up vets in our area just now, it looks like there exotic avian vet in the area. I don't know if I would feel comfortable poking it myself. I'll reread everything again tonight and if its the same or worse in the morning decide than. Thank you for the help.

 

[Amiga]

Hope it all works out easily and well.

 

[Moments]

My first random thought is - did one of his air sacs burst and the air migrated upward?

Here is a detailed article about air sacs in general.

http://www.thewonderofbirds.com/biology/air-sacs.htm

The more I think about it, the more I think there may have been an air sac rupture. A good duck vet would be best - perhaps someone here has had some experience with that. It may just need time to heal, or it may be that the air needs to be released.

(My nephew got air in his neck from a rupture of his bronchial tube long ago…..)

I'm seeing his in my Pekin female right now. She was attacked by a fox and the vet said she may have a ruptured air sac, she hadn't started to swell at the time he saw her though so I'm wondering if that's what might have caused it. It's her face, neck and top of her head. She usually has a very slender appearance in the face

 

[Miss Lydia]

Does it feel like there is fluid under the skin?
@Moments hows your duck?