Ducks hardly eating their food

[BelovedBirds]

My girls are mid moult currently, not laying, and just growing in new feathers now. Their appetite has shrunk pretty hugely over the past few days, they'll eat treats but only nibble at their food. I'm being left with essentially a full bucket of feed in the evenings.
Is this normal during moulting? I would've thought they'd need extra protein, but since they're acting a bit lethargic I'm giving them mealworms twice a day which they'll eat most of.

I've never seen this before and these girls are 3.6yrs old- but this is also their first proper autumn (ish) moult, they've only ever had little ones before. This one is a proper full feather replacement and ceased egg production.

 

[ruthhope]

In my experience ducks can be completely miserable, and or crotchety, or they can sail through moults without batting an eyelid. I give mine extra protein treats when they are miserable.

My whie muscovy, Butter, isn't a cuddly duck at the best of times but he has no time for any of the rest of the flock when he's moulting. He either refuses to come out of the coop or he comes out and goes behind the shed to sit on top of the compost pile all day. Either way he is eating very little. If I go in to the coop and sit with him, he bends my ear about something (probably how rotten he is feeling and what a horrid lot of meanies that he lives with. This is an annual performance with him. My muscovy Daffy, who is two years older than Butter, has done it once and I was very worried about him. I nearly brought him into the house. It's a good job I didn't as either he would have refused to leave, or it would have become an annual performance with him, too. My other muscovy O Pato has no problems moulting. Or perhaps as he is cantankerous all the time and occasionally psychotic, I just haven't noticed. The many pekins in my life also have had no problems moulting..

Bear with your girls, give them extra protein and love. They will come through and be beautiful and happy again