Under normal circumstances, ducks will walk around with their bottoms aligned with the rest of their bodies. If a duck starts dragging its bottom this will not only look odd, but it will also be worrying.
This article looks into why your duck may be dragging its bottom when walking around.
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Duck dragging bottom:
There are some behaviors that seem quite odd to us but are quite normal and even healthy to ducks.
On the other hand, there are some behaviors that are both not normal to ducks and seem very odd to us, like the duck dragging its bottom.
Here is why your duck may be dragging its bottom:
She’s about to lay eggs:
Duck bodies change when they are about to lay eggs, one change that you may see in ducks who are about to lay some eggs is the bird’s bottom being lower than how it usually is.
If the bird hasn’t already started laying then she will start laying very soon. This posture usually develops in ducks that are about 11 months old
The lowering of the bottom is called an egg pouch and can sometimes mean that the bird will be a good layer
You’ll know that the bird is fine if she is acting normally, if she is happily running around, pooping, eating, and generally acting as normal and isn’t showing any signs of distress.
What to do:
You don’t have to do anything in this case, it is normal for female birds who are about to lay to look like this.
You can make sure that the bird is ok by feeling her abdomen. If the abdomen feels like there is compacted air inside then the bird should be fine and you don’t have to worry.
Egg bound:
Another reason why your bird may be dragging its bottom may be that the bird is egg-bound.
This happens when a duck produces an egg, but the egg cannot pass through the oviduct. The egg rather stays in the lower part of the oviduct causing the duck’s bottom to lower or drag along the floor.
A bird who is having a hard time laying eggs may develop this condition and this may also develop in birds who are new to laying eggs
Other signs of an egg-bound duck include spending a lot of time sitting down, her tail will also bob up and down.
What to do:
You could help the bird pass the egg by bringing the bird into a warm environment which will help the muscles pass the egg.
You can also help by spreading an oil, like vegetable oil at the bird’s vent to help the bird pass the egg.
Giving your bird calcium supplements is also recommended. The bird needs good quality calcium daily in order to lay eggs properly.
If this doesn’t work then you’d need to take the bird to the vet. The vet will break the egg, while it is in the bird’s body, and will remove the contents of the egg as well as the shell.
It is not recommended that you do this at home as the shell may cut the bird’s insides and an infection may develop in the bird
If you enjoyed this article then you may also be interested in other bird related articles. Here are some articles that you may be interested in: Duckling Foaming At The Mouth, Duck Not Cleaning Itself, Duck Has Mucus Coming Out Of Mouth, Yellow Mucus Coming From Ducks Mouth, Why Does My Duck Sound Congested?,