A few days ago I spotted that one of our drakes was looking very muddy and not very happy. Ducks and drakes usually keep their feathers in good order. They preen themselves constantly and secrete a saliva from their bills that waterproofs the feathers and keeps the bird in good health. The drake in question was probably overwhelmed by the amount of mud we have due to the exceptionally heavy rain recently.
I brought him back home and cleaned him in the bath. He particularly liked the shower! We managed to get rid of the mud and we have been keeping him in the cage in the back garden for a few days so that he can thoroughly preen himself and get his feathers back into good shape. This needs to be done before he is back in the mud on the allotment. He is now in good shape and tomorrow he goes back home.
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