He won't eat and he is so small...

[-DuckMom-]

Hello, I am new to hatching duck eggs. I just had 10 out of a dozen that hatched. They are now around 4-5 days old and seem to all be doing well except one. He is extremely small compared to his siblings. He is smaller than his siblings were when they hatched on the first day. He is losing weight every few days. He is still active but I'm scared for him. He still drinks but has not been eating. What should I do?

 

[nuthatched]

try sugar water with egg yolk, but so be prepared to put him down. Starving to death isn't ideal.

 

[NatureGirl74]

I don't know anything about ducks, but I had a chick who was exactly like that. She would only eat if I gave her mash with a spoon. After a few days of that she starting eating normal food, and now she's a year old and doing really well.

 

[-DuckMom-]

I don't know anything about ducks, but I had a chick who was exactly like that. She would only eat if I gave her mash with a spoon. After a few days of that she starting eating normal food, and now she's a year old and doing really well.

Thanks for the info! I have been feeding him/her for about 3-4 days every hour or two. He is starting to eat food off of the other messy ducklings. But I still have not seen him eat out of the feeder. He is no longer losing weight but he is not gaining either.

 

[NatureGirl74]

Thanks for the info! I have been feeding him/her for about 3-4 days every hour or two. He is starting to eat food off of the other messy ducklings. But I still have not seen him eat out of the feeder. He is no longer losing weight but he is not gaining either.

Glad to hear he's eating a little! I hope he starts eating better on his own soon.

 

[NatureGirl74]

He is no longer losing weight but he is not gaining either.

My chick was and still is half the size of the others. He may end up being a little smaller.