injured Chameli
Poor little Chameli! We had a duckling emergency this morning due to one of them getting pecked on the head by an adult male drake. Yes, Mortimer did it. I don’t hold it against him at all, considering these ducklings are new and he’s very, very territorial. He even challenges our dog, and runs up and down the fence to challenge him. It’s my fault this baby was injured. I should have placed cardboard or small-holed wire all around their pen. They moved outdoors on Monday into a large, steel dog pen. It’s what we used for the baby chicks in Spring and it worked perfectly. I assumed the ducklings would be fine, but the holes are large enough for the babies to barely squeeze through, and Chameli got stuck. While stuck, Mortimer started pecking away at her head and she couldn’t get away. By the time I stepped outside this morning she was a bloody mess.
Daniel and I cleaned her up in a bath, then held her in a soft blanket for thirty minutes and compressed the wounds. The bleeding stopped, but the skin is open in two places and we don’t know if they will heal correctly. I keep applying antibacterial ointment. If anyone is experienced with this and has any suggestions, I’d love to hear from you. You can see one wound we couldn’t wrap up, and the other larger wound is under the tourniquet. She’s grooming herself, but hasn’t eaten yet. She’s resting quietly, alone in an indoor cage away from her sister. When I walk up to her she’s very needy- she comes to me and wants to nestle. I’m praying the wounds scab over so the skin can grow back.
river of love urban farmstead 
Grooming and coming to you are very good signs. I’m sure she will heal quickly. Drinking is more important than eating. If she won’t drink on her own, you can tip her head up a bit, pry open her beak gently, and use a dropper or needle-less syringe (I’ve got spares) to put water in her beak. A trace of salt and some molasses in the water will provide electrolytes and energy, if she won’t eat. You can also put tiny bits of moist bread in her beak to tempt her, followed by water. The bandage may inhibit normal eating motions and healthy air flow; I would take it off once the bleeding has stopped. Main thing to watch for is fly and fly eggs. I would use tamed iodine–once– rather than antibiotics meant for people. Not all species can have all antibiotics. After the iodine a beeswax based herbal salve (comfrey-goldenseal?) would help keep flies out in lieu of the bandage. You are right to keep her inside until it scabs.
Blessings,
Natalya
Thanks Natalya. She’s doing very well. Eating and drinking, and behaving as if nothing happened. Although, she has two large chunks taken out of the top of her head. The kids kept asking if that’s her brain they can see (the tissue on her skull), so it’s pretty gory. I’m wondering how it will heal shut, and if it does will she have feathers there? The holes appear to slowly be getting smaller and she has a clear coated looking scab over the holes. I’ve had her outside today all day, and no sign of flies bothering her. She was THRILLED to see her sister! She’s still in a separate cage, but they can see each other, and her sister, Adelaide, won’t leave her side.
I’m learning so much about animals and their need for socialization. Probably a huge plus for Chameli’s healing process š