SapphireHill
Chirping
- Feb 28, 2022
- 47
- 34
- 64
We have a 4 month old Rouen/Swedish Blue duck who since the first day of hatch has done this weird thing with her neck. It’s a very slow, non stop up and down motion making her look like an animatronic robot duck as she also has unnaturally large protruding eyeballs.
I’ve attached a video link: Duck Slow Head Bobbing
She is very sweet and her big eyes make her look so expressive. But she’s either not very bright or has possibly eyesight/neurological issues as she is always last or far behind her little flock when they travel in their line and has issues following them.
She will veer off in another direction and get “stuck” for example when they’re heading into their pen or run. She’ll then stand there, sometimes facing a wall calling out until the others call back and she can figure out her way towards them. This also happens if they’re being chased by the older male ducks her last minute veering often directly into a wall or plant.
Other than that strangeness she eats, forages, swims, preens & poops normally. No lumps or odd feeling elements to her neck or body.
Something to note is her flock was incubated and she was the very last to hatch. She struggled a bit and had to be assisted. Her extremely large eyes were very distinct then as well as the slow neck bobbing that began almost immediately. She has receive niacin supplements as well as selenium/vitamin e/naicin (B3) but it’s never changed anything.
Her name is Silly Goose
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FYI I am a backyard chicken educator and rehabbed but this is only our 2nd year with ducks. Unfortunately like in most states the vets in our area are seemingly untrained and not very knowledgeable on poultry, sometime ridiculously so. For example one once prescribed medicated cream and antibiotics to a client’s chicken for an “unknown skin issue” which literally was just a broody hen plucking her under feathers, another was stumped on another client’s hen’s daily neck swelling - it was their crop :q!?!
I swear if I win the lottery I’d donate to a veterinarian college to create a poulty-specific course.
I’ve attached a video link: Duck Slow Head Bobbing
She is very sweet and her big eyes make her look so expressive. But she’s either not very bright or has possibly eyesight/neurological issues as she is always last or far behind her little flock when they travel in their line and has issues following them.
She will veer off in another direction and get “stuck” for example when they’re heading into their pen or run. She’ll then stand there, sometimes facing a wall calling out until the others call back and she can figure out her way towards them. This also happens if they’re being chased by the older male ducks her last minute veering often directly into a wall or plant.
Other than that strangeness she eats, forages, swims, preens & poops normally. No lumps or odd feeling elements to her neck or body.
Something to note is her flock was incubated and she was the very last to hatch. She struggled a bit and had to be assisted. Her extremely large eyes were very distinct then as well as the slow neck bobbing that began almost immediately. She has receive niacin supplements as well as selenium/vitamin e/naicin (B3) but it’s never changed anything.
Her name is Silly Goose
- - -
FYI I am a backyard chicken educator and rehabbed but this is only our 2nd year with ducks. Unfortunately like in most states the vets in our area are seemingly untrained and not very knowledgeable on poultry, sometime ridiculously so. For example one once prescribed medicated cream and antibiotics to a client’s chicken for an “unknown skin issue” which literally was just a broody hen plucking her under feathers, another was stumped on another client’s hen’s daily neck swelling - it was their crop :q!?!
I swear if I win the lottery I’d donate to a veterinarian college to create a poulty-specific course.
