by Rex Trulove

Created on: November 02, 2008

Many disabled birds can be difficult to care for, however ducks are among the easiest since they seem able to handle adversity better than most animals, including other birds. Of course, knowing how to care for the duck is most of the battle.

Two very important things to note right from the beginning are that the term 'disabled' is so broad it can mean nearly any infirmity or illness, and that in many areas, it is unlawful to care for a wild disabled bird or animal without special credentials, generally as either a vet or wildlife rehabilitator. If the duck in question is from the wild, be sure to check local laws before endeavoring to care for the animal, except for temporary care until you can get the bird to someone with the credentials that allow them to give the required care.

How to and the amount of care the duck is going to require will have a great deal to do with what is wrong with the bird. The duck may be missing flight feathers, have a broken wing, have a broken leg, have shotgun pellets embedded, may be coated with oil, may have puncture wounds, may have various illnesses, and so on. Each of these would qualify as disabling the duck, but some are far easier to deal with than others.

Missing feathers are easily regrown it just takes time. That just means giving the duck plenty of good food, shelter, fresh drinking water, and a place to swim until the feathers have grown back.

Broken wings or legs usually require splinting and wrapping. Done properly, the duck will recover well, if they are kept warm and their other needs are seen to.

Chronic illnesses are even more difficult. We had four moscovie ducks that all had chronic problems with their leg joints. For those who don't know the breed, Moscovies are huge ducks that look like a three way cross between a duck, a goose, and a turkey. When I say huge, I mean it. Both drakes weighed over 25 pounds, and the hens were 'only' 20 pounds.

Since the bone structure is heavier for moscovies than with most other ducks (and many geese as well), that much weight on the joints would cause swelling and pain. Treatment was actually pretty easy, though it did take a little thought. We got a large children's swimming pool they could get into easily, and filled it with water. The ducks would spend hours on end, just swimming. They'd get out occasionally to dry off, but it wouldn't be long before they were back in the water. Since the water buoyed them, there was no weight on the joints, so pain and swelling went down.

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