r/BACKYARDDUCKS

I took this photo in Matlock Derbyshire yesterday

Hello! My 11 month old duck Harrowhark unfortunately got chased and injured by a new dog at the home. She normally lives in the backyard with her two sisters, Gideon and Ianthe, roaming the garden beds. The dog escaped and wreaked havoc but now is secured inside.

The injury took place on the morning of Saturday, May 9. I took her to the vet emergency room and they took an X-ray reporting a broken leg bone (I am trying to find the paperwork to see if they noted above or below the knee). They put a splint on it and wrapped it as you can see in the photo above. They recommended repeat X-rays and replacing the splint every week but I really can’t afford that (the initial emergency vet visit was SO expensive). They also prescribed antibiotics that she has now completed and some meloxicam and gabapentin.

I have been watching videos and planning to replace the splint myself with the assistance of my boyfriend. I’m nervous about it— probably going to replace it for the first time on Thursday when we are both free. So far I have kept her in a large dog crate with minimal movement. I’ve been taking her outside in the crate to hang out with her sisters. Today I put her in a fenced pen for an hour or so.

I’m hoping for advice about doing the splint replacement, how to increase her activity, how long to keep her in the splint (I’ve seen up to 6 weeks recommended), and other advice that I might need!

First a successful nest! Didn’t exactly plan on it, but her hard work paid off. Any tips?

Wondering what everybody thinks? Tractor supply Ducklings we’ve had them for a couple weeks now. They seem to stand pretty upright . Thank you !

First duck! What should i name him?

Hello! One of my ducks suddenly developed this issue last night; crooked bill, having trouble breathing, barely moving, I have no idea what could be wrong. Have any of you ever seen this before? I have no vet nearby that sees ducks, and I really don't want my duck to die

It was sold to us as a Cayuga but it's around 1 year old by now and only some parts darkened a tiny bit. Research didn't really help me figure out when they're supposed to go black. The other 3 were sold as Swedish Blue and are roughly the same age. AI suggested she's actually an Indian runner (which we also had for a short time) but she doesn't run/move upwards as the runners if that makes sense? 🤔

Our Swedish ducklings enjoying some time outside

Chickens, ducks, alpacas, goats, cows, etc are all welcome as backyard pets if you’re lucky enough to grab one of only a couple County-designated homes here in LBC. Sad, really; I think county planners need to build in 6,000 sq ft farm lot every X (reasonable acres apart) from any other and allow residents to be in touch with nature and livestock and animal husbandry, bee cultivation - etc. the more we rely on government, the farther away we get from our ancestors.

My duck is a little over a month and just started getting her big flight feathers in and just saw this today what is it!

A family friend fell on one of our 10 ducks. He wasn’t trying to be harmful and wasn’t being reckless, just lost his footing while helping us wrangle them to put them away. Well now she has a broke wing. We took her to the vet and they did X-rays. Our options are basically amputate or euthanasia. There is no real way to fix it. Amputation was quoted at $1800 at the top end. We think we have another vet who can get it done just below $1000. There are not a lot of vets in our area who will even take a duck as a patient, so our options are pretty limited. The part that is super hard for us is there is absolutely nothing else wrong with her, and for such a freak accident, it feels like such a shame to put her down. I also acknowledge the road to recover, even with one wing, is a long one filled with potential complications, isolation, and constant care. We don’t really have a ton of time to make this discussion as the bone has penetrated the skin. She is currently stable with a wrap, pain meds, and antibiotics, but she’s not comfortable. $1800 is crazy and way outside the realm. We aren’t made of money, but I could feasibly afford the $800-$900. This happened a few days ago and we are just super torn. Any sort of help or guidance would be appreciated.

What type of Crested Duck is this? Bird ID says white. But could he possibly be lilac Ancona? Or type of runner? He has like brownish feathers mixed it, also has a dark olive green with black stripe down the middle beak.

Also curious how old it would be roughly?

My guess is it’s female, as there isn’t the curl for a drake.