Duck hardiness

[Foxy10]

How long can a duck live without food? We have a duck that doesn't want to eat.

 

[Kessel23]

I had a sick muscovy hen go without food for a while, I want to say around 2 or 3 weeks without eating before she died. I am not sure why she went off food and at the time I did not know about this site. I just tried googling stuff and asking people. I never found an answer.

 

[Miss Lydia]

How old is your duck and what symptoms besides not eating are you seeing? And how long has this been going on?

 

[Miss Lydia]

They can go down hill pretty fast if a vet is an option especially if this has been going on for a while, tube feeding would be an option and antibiotics if there is an infection present is your duck male or female @Foxy10

 

[chickens really]

What's happening to cause it to not want to eat?

 

[casportpony]

They can go down hill pretty fast if a vet is an option especially if this has been going on for a while, tube feeding would be an option and antibiotics if there is an infection present is your duck male or female @Foxy10

@Foxy10, they can go many days without food, but only a couple of days without water.

Some questions for you

• Is a vet an option?
• What does her poop look like?
• Where do you live?
• What do you normally feed?
• When did she lay her last egg?

If a vet is not an option for you I would suggest that you start tube feeding her, and I can teach you how to do it. I know it might sound scary, but I promise it is very safe and easy. If she were mine I would probably start her on antibiotics too, maybe Baytril.

 

[casportpony]

I had a sick muscovy hen go without food for a while, I want to say around 2 or 3 weeks without eating before she died. I am not sure why she went off food and at the time I did not know about this site. I just tried googling stuff and asking people. I never found an answer.

So sorry for you loss Have you learned how to tube feed yet?

This thread shows how successful tube feeding can be:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/help-ducks-attacked-by-mink.1294178/

It's a long thread, but very educational.

 

[Kessel23]

So sorry for you loss Have you learned how to tube feed yet?

This thread shows how successful tube feeding can be:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/help-ducks-attacked-by-mink.1294178/

It's a long thread, but very educational.

I will look at it, thank you!