How can I help my duck lose fat when she has an infection?

[Drowsy_808]

Ducks are messy birds, and they are supposed to have unlimited food and water all day long. No eggs and tomatoes are not a sufficient calcium source. If she is underweight and only getting fed a little bit every six hours and not on duck feed at the moment, I would think all those would contribute to not laying. She needs a calcium source aside from duck feed, like crushed oyster shells, you can find that at the local feed store. You said you don’t want her to overeat, well ducks will eat what they need, and right now she will probably try to eat a lot since she’s probably quite hungry since she’s not getting fed what she needs. And if you are concerned about bugs in the house because you have to leave food for her all day, I suggest moving her outside then into a coop or something made for her. And if she is eating dog diapers, I would say try something else since that’s not healthy. They make duck diapers. Ducks are messy, and in my experience, they have to be to be healthy. I have twelve ducks, and they get unlimited amounts of food and water, and they are the happiest and helathiest they could be. I want you to know im not trying to be mean, I'm just concerned for the health of your duck.

That’s true. We plan to get her a Waterer and feeder soon.
Is half a bowl not the right amount to give an adult duck every four to six hours? Pardon this question, but we’ve never had a duck before them so we don’t know what she needs very well.

Are crushed oyster shells from stores usually okay for ducks to consume?
I’ve heard others mention it in the replies but I’m a bit concerned as to whether it’s clean or not. I don’t know what they are, so there’s also a good chance they’re perfectly clean, but I believe some shells aren’t the cleanest and probably aren’t good for consumption. I’ve been told egg shells aren’t very clean by the babysitter, so we refrain from giving her egg shells when we can. Is she supposed to eat them?

Unfortunately, moving her outside isn’t an option since we live in apartment.
Even so, we’ll try to get some people to get rid of the bugs after sometime. We’re usually by her side to take care of her and play with her, so it should be fine once we get her duck feed and buy a feeder and Waterer.

Thank you for the suggestion.
Thankfully, we usually watch her, so she doesn’t get to eat it often if at all these days. It does still happen occasionally though.

I’m glad to hear that.
I understand, please don’t worry about that. I came here hoping for advice to help improve her health. I’m also concerned for her health, but it’s my first time having a duck and my first time taking care of an animal myself in general so I don’t really know much about taking care of them. That’s probably why I’m making a lot of basic mistakes, so I apologize for that. I appreciate the help. Thank you.

 

[Drowsy_808]

We try and be good companions for our ducks but we just aren’t ducks and having a friend for her and her to be outside is best.

That’s right, I agree. We plan to get her a friend once she’s completely better and we’re settled down. Until then, we plan to play with her and keep her company as often as we can. Unfortunately, we live in apartment, so her staying outside isn’t an option. Thank you though.

 

[Drowsy_808]

Is she eating the egg shells too?

Egg shells are made of calcium. If she is eating the shells of three or more eggs per day, she might be getting enough calcium (maybe, maybe not). If she is not eating the shells, she is definitely not getting enough calcium, no matter how much she eats of the tomatoes and the insides of the eggs.

Until you get oyster shell, I suggest you offer her the shell of every egg she eats, and every egg that anyone else eats. She may or may not eat them, but offering them at least gives her the option of eating them.



Here is a page about what ducks need to eat:
https://grubblyfarms.com/blogs/the-flyer/backyard-ducks-diet

Here is one quote: "Most ducks thrive on a diet of about 1,300 calories per day for adult layers, composed of 16% protein."

You can go add up the calories of what she is eating right now (calories per egg, calories per tomato, how many eggs and tomatoes.)

If she is getting very much less than 1300 calories, give her MORE FOOD. Duck food normally contains quite a bit of grain, and eggs and tomatoes have no grain at all. So I would try adding something that includes grain: maybe bread, or rice, or breakfast cereal, depending on what you have available. (For an idea of how much, read the labels and see.) Most sources recommend not feeding things like bread to ducks-- that may be generally good advice, but in this particular case I think it could be helpful until you are able to get the right duck food again.

Once you have the duck food again, you can adjust how much she gets to try to get her at the right weight. Or you can provide it free choice, as other people have suggested. But for now, you should at least make sure she gets enough food that she doesn't lose any more weight.

Edit to add: I see in one of your other threads that the duck was getting eggs, tomatoes, and corn until someone else told you to cut out the corn. I think you should continue the corn until you can get the proper duck food for her.

She isn’t, we’ve been told egg shells aren’t very clean, so we’re worried she’ll feel unwell if she consumes them.

I see, thank you for telling me.
Are oyster shells clean and healthy for ducks? I apologize if this comes off wrong in any way, but I’m told certain shells aren’t very clean and safe to consume. I have no idea what oyster shells are, so they might be clean and edible, but just in case. Do ducks usally eat this? Are they healthy afterwards or are there some kind of side effects after?

Thank you.
Someone who helps take care of her also recommended I add rice, so we did. Thankfully, she should have consumed around 1,300 calories everyday. We give her A LOT of eggs and tomatoes since they’re considerable healthy foods. We’ll stop giving them as meals and start giving them as treats once her feed arrives.

Thankfully, she hasn’t been losing much weight. She’s actually been gaining more weight than before. She gained two pounds in the last month and a week or two.
Truthfully, the vet she sees also said it’d be best not to give her corns since it isn’t good for her, so we don’t plan to anymore.

Thank you for the help, I appreciate it. It helps a lot.

 

[NatJ]

She isn’t, we’ve been told egg shells aren’t very clean, so we’re worried she’ll feel unwell if she consumes them...

Are oyster shells clean and healthy for ducks?... I’m told certain shells aren’t very clean and safe to consume. I have no idea what oyster shells are, so they might be clean and edible, but just in case. Do ducks usally eat this? Are they healthy afterwards or are there some kind of side effects after?

Ducks and chickens do just fine when they eat eggshells and oyster shells. The oyster shells that are sold at the store, labeled for chickens, are also fine for ducks. Yes, they are safe.

If they were wild, they would be eating bugs and worms and bits of dirt and rocks and lots of other things that we humans would not eat. Domesticated ducks and chickens also eat all of those things when they have the chance. They do just fine.

A duck may not need oyster shell or eggshell if she eats only layer pellets. But if she is eating anything else, she should have oyster shell or eggshells available to munch when she feels the need. And having the shells available when she eats layer pellets will not hurt her either.

Thank you.
Someone who helps take care of her also recommended I add rice, so we did. Thankfully, she should have consumed around 1,300 calories everyday. We give her A LOT of eggs and tomatoes since they’re considerable healthy foods. We’ll stop giving them as meals and start giving them as treats once her feed arrives.

Thankfully, she hasn’t been losing much weight. She’s actually been gaining more weight than before. She gained two pounds in the last month and a week or two.
Truthfully, the vet she sees also said it’d be best not to give her corns since it isn’t good for her, so we don’t plan to anymore.

Thank you for the help, I appreciate it. It helps a lot.

Sounds good!

it’s my first time having a duck and my first time taking care of an animal myself in general so I don’t really know much about taking care of them. That’s probably why I’m making a lot of basic mistakes, so I apologize for that. I appreciate the help. Thank you.

Does your duck have grit available? Grit is small rocks. The duck swallows them whole, then those rocks sit inside the gizzard and grind up the food the duck eats. The gizzard makes the rocks & food rub and squish against each other until the food is all ground up.

Ducks can often get grit by picking up rocks from the ground outside, but since your duck is indoors you should probably buy some for her. Grit labeled as being for chickens ("layer" or "pullet" size) is probably good for your duck as well. Grit sold for canaries, finches, chicks (baby chickens) or other small birds would be too small to be useful for an adult duck.

Is half a bowl not the right amount to give an adult duck every four to six hours? Pardon this question, but we’ve never had a duck before them so we don’t know what she needs very well.

Check the label on the bag of duck food. It probably says something like "provide free access to feed." That means leaving it available all the time.

If you cannot leave it available all the time, maybe try offering it every hour or so during the day, and let her eat as much as she wants each time.

People and dogs usually eat a few meals each day, and go quite a while between meals. But ducks normally eat small amounts, many times each day.

Since your duck is not used to having feed and water available all the time, or oyster shell, or probably grit, she may seem to overeat when she first gets the chance. This should settle down as she gets used to having them available, and realizes that she can have more any time she wants. For now, when food only gets offered rarely, she thinks she has to stuff herself as full as possible, because it will be a long time until she can have more.

 

[Drowsy_808]

Ducks and chickens do just fine when they eat eggshells and oyster shells. The oyster shells that are sold at the store, labeled for chickens, are also fine for ducks. Yes, they are safe.

If they were wild, they would be eating bugs and worms and bits of dirt and rocks and lots of other things that we humans would not eat. Domesticated ducks and chickens also eat all of those things when they have the chance. They do just fine.

A duck may not need oyster shell or eggshell if she eats only layer pellets. But if she is eating anything else, she should have oyster shell or eggshells available to munch when she feels the need. And having the shells available when she eats layer pellets will not hurt her either.


Sounds good!


Does your duck have grit available? Grit is small rocks. The duck swallows them whole, then those rocks sit inside the gizzard and grind up the food the duck eats. The gizzard makes the rocks & food rub and squish against each other until the food is all ground up.

Ducks can often get grit by picking up rocks from the ground outside, but since your duck is indoors you should probably buy some for her. Grit labeled as being for chickens ("layer" or "pullet" size) is probably good for your duck as well. Grit sold for canaries, finches, chicks (baby chickens) or other small birds would be too small to be useful for an adult duck.


Check the label on the bag of duck food. It probably says something like "provide free access to feed." That means leaving it available all the time.

If you cannot leave it available all the time, maybe try offering it every hour or so during the day, and let her eat as much as she wants each time.

People and dogs usually eat a few meals each day, and go quite a while between meals. But ducks normally eat small amounts, many times each day.

Since your duck is not used to having feed and water available all the time, or oyster shell, or probably grit, she may seem to overeat when she first gets the chance. This should settle down as she gets used to having them available, and realizes that she can have more any time she wants. For now, when food only gets offered rarely, she thinks she has to stuff herself as full as possible, because it will be a long time until she can have more.

Thank you, much appreciated. I appreciate the information.

Grit? I’ve never heard of that for ducks before, so that’s a surprise. Thank you for telling me the definition. Wouldn’t eating rocks be unhealthy or unsafe for her though?
Rocks are pretty hard and they usually aren’t consumed as food.

We’ll try to leave food out for her more often while we buy her a feeder and Waterer. Thank you. If I may ask, how often and how much do ducks usually eat? When food is left near them, wouldn’t they overeat? I posted a thread asking this before, but I didn’t get any answers so I just assumed six hours for half a bowl was a good amount. She usually stops eating around half a bowl and leaves happily so I thought it was a fine amount to feed her now that’s she’s an adult.

Thank you for telling me.
I’ll probably stop her from eating too much even after I put the food down. I wouldn’t risk the chance of her overeating, so I’ll try to calm her down as much as I can and keep her occupied until she calms down and eats a normal amount.

I’ve been wondering, but wouldn’t the food be unfresh or maybe even unclean if it’s placed there for hours? Since there’s bacteria.

Also is six hours for half a bowl not a good amount?
It seems okay to us since the bowl is a normal size for humans, but it seems like some people might feed their ducks more, so I was just wondering whether the amount we feed her is unhealthy. Are ducks supposed to eat a lot more?

Thank you for the help, I appreciate it.
I truly care plenty for them, but it’s my first time having them and I’ve never learned much about ducks or even birds, so there’s likely a lot I’m unaware of despite the research I’ve done. That’s why I might be oblivious to the basics. I’m sorry about that and thanks for the advice.

 

[Yardmom]

6 hours is to long to go in between feedings. She is probably eating her food very rapidly because she is starving. This also explains the rapid crop growth when she eats. It would be easier to leave the food with your duck all the time, but if you can't please feed her every hour. Leaving food out for the day is the way many keepers feed their ducks. In one day duck food will not go bad because of bacteria and if bugs go in it, that is just a tasty snack for your duck. Leaving food out is also easier with processed poultry feed.
Birds need small rocks sold as grit to grind their food in their gizzard. This is part of their digestion system instead of teeth. They just swallow the small rocks to go to the gizzard.

 

[NatJ]

Grit? I’ve never heard of that for ducks before, so that’s a surprise. Thank you for telling me the definition. Wouldn’t eating rocks be unhealthy or unsafe for her though?
Rocks are pretty hard and they usually aren’t consumed as food.

Eating rocks would be unhealthy for a person or a dog.

But eating rocks is normal and healthy for birds. Their bodies work VERY differently! They have no teeth to chew their food into little pieces, so the rocks in the gizzard do it for them. They swallow the rocks whole, and the rocks just sit in the gizzard rubbing together to grind their food. Eventually, the rocks grind each other into small pieces, and the duck poops out those little pieces. Because the rocks wear out, the duck needs to eat some more every now and then. If you just keep a bit of grit available, the duck will probably eat them at about the right rate to replace the ones that wear out.

We’ll try to leave food out for her more often while we buy her a feeder and Waterer. Thank you. If I may ask, how often and how much do ducks usually eat? When food is left near them, wouldn’t they overeat?

No, they usually do not overeat. Duck food is usually designed so a duck can eat as much as it wants, and get just the right amount of everything.

She usually stops eating around half a bowl and leaves happily so I thought it was a fine amount to feed her now that’s she’s an adult.

If you just leave the bowl there, she will probably come back and nibble every now and then, instead of going without for 6 hours and then stuffing herself again. Try it one day and watch what she does-- it's the easiest way to learn what this specific duck does when she's given the chance.

Thank you for telling me.
I’ll probably stop her from eating too much even after I put the food down. I wouldn’t risk the chance of her overeating, so I’ll try to calm her down as much as I can and keep her occupied until she calms down and eats a normal amount.

If she usually stops at a certain point (like half a bowl), then it's probably fine to just leave it down and watch. I wasn't sure if she was used to eating until the bowl was empty, or if she was used to stopping at some point when she got full.

I’ve been wondering, but wouldn’t the food be unfresh or maybe even unclean if it’s placed there for hours? Since there’s bacteria.

If it's dry duck food, it would be fine. Just like it's fine in the bag for days and weeks, it is fine in the bowl for however many days it takes for her to eat it.

Things like eggs and tomatoes do have some risk of going bad, but even they should be fine for at least a few hours.

Also is six hours for half a bowl not a good amount?
It seems okay to us since the bowl is a normal size for humans, but it seems like some people might feed their ducks more, so I was just wondering whether the amount we feed her is unhealthy. Are ducks supposed to eat a lot more?

I don't know how much of a bowl is right for your duck. And I don't know how often she needs to eat. So I really think you should put down a bowl of duck food (as soon as you get it) and watch what she does. Most ducks do just fine at self-regulating their food if it is always there. They tend to eat frequently, but not as much at a time. So she might eat 1/10 bowl every hour, or maybe be 1/6 bowl every two hours, or some amount that is different yet. You won't know for sure until you give her a chance to see.

The real way to tell what amount is right for her: when the vet says she is a healthy weight, and that weight stays fairly consistent. Whatever amount of food she is eating at that point is right. But her needs will change at different times: more food when laying, less when not laying, probably in the middle when molting. If you just let her choose, she will probably eat more food or less according to what she needs.

I truly care plenty for them, but it’s my first time having them and I’ve never learned much about ducks or even birds, so there’s likely a lot I’m unaware of despite the research I’ve done. That’s why I might be oblivious to the basics. I’m sorry about that and thanks for the advice.

Yes, it can be hard to learn everything from scratch. Many books and other sources assume you know certain things, so they don't bother to say them. But if you don't know, then you have to learn it somewhere!