How to tell if ducks are underweight?

[Kayla_and my ducks_4]

i think one of my ducks is underweight? how can I tell for sure?

 

[casportpony]

What breed?
What age?
What sex?
How much does it weigh?

 

[Kayla_and my ducks_4]

What breed?
What age?
What sex?
How much does it weigh?

Mallard
7 months
Male
And Im not sure, I don’t know if there is way to tell without weighing him.

 

[casportpony]

Mallard
7 months
Male
And Im not sure, I don’t know if there is way to tell without weighing him.

Do you have more than one male mallard?

 

[Kayla_and my ducks_4]

Do you have more than one male mallard?

Nope we have him and a cayuga female, golden 300 lady, pekin lady.

 

[casportpony]

Nope we have him and a cayuga female, golden 300 lady, pekin lady.

Do you have a food scale that you can weigh him on?

 

[Percipen]

There must be some kind of avg weight chart for different ducks. Did you do an internet search?

 

[Kayla_and my ducks_4]

Do you have a food scale that you can weigh him on?

I can try weighing myself and then weight myself with him and subtracting that. I’ll try tomorrow because it’s super cold outside and I don’t want to bring him in because the temp change will be super drastic! I heard something about feeling their keel bone or something the bone the runs along the middle of their belly. Idk if he’s just normal and my other ducks are chubby but I can feel his a lot more.

 

[tielie135]

feel the keel bone, it should be rather hard to feel under the fat and the breast meat should feel full and plump. if the meat is caving in then they are underweight.
if the keel feels "sharp" he is underweight too. the keel should be flush with the meat.

 

[casportpony]

I can try weighing myself and then weight myself with him and subtracting that. I’ll try tomorrow because it’s super cold outside and I don’t want to bring him in because the temp change will be super drastic! I heard something about feeling their keel bone or something the bone the runs along the middle of their belly. Idk if he’s just normal and my other ducks are chubby but I can feel his a lot more.

A young mallard will feel thinner than a domestic breed, but you can try the keel method.
http://www.poultrydvm.com/topics/poultry-body-condition-score-charts