Just bought some winks to take blood and Iorn out of the front of a wood ducks breast feathers. How much should I use and will it hurt the color of the other feathers? How long should I leave the bird in the winks also? Thanks for the input
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Rinse the bird real good in cold water first and ring it out. Then squirt whinks on the affected areas. Rub it in a little. Let it sit for maybe a minute. Then rinse w/ cold water again. It won't hurt the other feathers.
Not that I'm doubting it, but since wood ducks are acorn and grain eaters, I find that unusal. You "bird brains", help me out here.
That's something about those birds that hang out in impoundments...they can have terribly "rusty" bellies.
by my house Im not sure its iorn but his breast is lightly rust colored.And Ive washed him twice in soapy waster.
Yes George Iron Oxide. I have one in the freezer that has so much rust you can't see any white on the breast. TR
MR Ducks!
Since woodies love the backwaters that are usually high in tannic acid (from decaying leaves) the rust stains are actually quite common. Maybe not as common as in coastal marsh pintails but still quite common.
this wood duck already falls apart if i sneeze to hard.
It is better not to get Whinks on the skin any more than you have to. It will make it swell up and become spongy. If you DO get it on the skin you should neutralize it with baking soda asap.
The best time to use it is before you skin the bird. That way all of the feathers are still in alignment and you won't miss any little spots. If it has bloodstains just scrub them out temporarily with soap and a toothbrush before you apply the Whinks.
I get the bird totally saturated and then apply the Whinks full-strength.
Whinks isn't all that great for blood stains. It will bleach out the iron and leave the protein part behind. That means that the feathers will still be stiff and dull but the problem will be harder to find.