My pekin duck has stopped eating

[Quack a lack]

He was eating and just stopped it’s been a few days since he’s eaten anything except the bugs or worms outside and plants, I’m suspecting that he still needs to eat his feed right? He feels lighter than before and is loosing a lot of his feathers. He doesn’t seem sick and poop seems fine just more watery because he hasn’t really eaten anything, I’m not sure if maybe he just doesn’t want to eat his food anymore because I’ve been giving him a lot of fish worms and insects a couple weeks ago and now he’s a picky eater? or if it’s something else. I saw a thing of nutri drench for poultry. Does anyone know if this will help. I live in California and it’s gonna be winter soon. Is this normal ?

 

[nuthatched]

What's his age? Normal diet? Is he molting?

 

[Quack a lack]

I think he is around 6 or 7 months, their diet consists of worms and crickets and duck purina feed, sometimes lettuce and minnows. I recently haven’t been giving them minnows or crickets etc, except for worms and their duck feed. And yes he is molting

 

[nuthatched]

I think he is around 6 or 7 months, their diet consists of worms and crickets and duck purina feed, sometimes lettuce and minnows. I recently haven’t been giving them minnows or crickets etc, except for worms and their duck feed. And yes he is molting

He likely feels lousy from molting, I imagine it's like a bad sun burn mixed with poison ivy and some aches

 

[Quack a lack]

What would you recommend i do? He hasn’t eaten in almost a week. Except for the bugs outside and the occasional snacks I give him. Is that nutri blend a good thing ?

 

[Miss Lydia]

Go with Rooster Booster "Poultry Cell" it's better than Nutri Drench and you may want to consider tube feeding until he begins eating on his own. Especially if he is losing weight. That's a long time to go without getting proper nutrients. Be sure it says Poultry Cell on the bottle.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/tube-feeding-ducks-updated-5-7-2020.1211994/
Tube feeding saved my Runners life.

 

[Quack a lack]

Go with Rooster Booster "Poultry Cell" it's better than Nutri Drench and you may want to consider tube feeding until he begins eating on his own. Especially if he is losing weight. That's a long time to go without getting proper nutrients. Be sure it says Poultry Cell on the bottle.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/tube-feeding-ducks-updated-5-7-2020.1211994/
Tube feeding saved my Runners life.

I finally saw him eat right now but very little, also at night I always put them in a small medium bin with food and water and today both food bins were empty but I couldn’t tell if it had fallen on the ground so I’m not sure if maybe he is eating? Would you still recommend I tube feed him for a few days and then see when he eats as he would back then ?

 

[Miss Lydia]

If he has lost weight and you are actually not seeing him eat then I think it would be a good idea sometimes all they need is a small boost to get back started, I had to tube feed my Runner for 7 days before she was eating enough on her own to stop.

 

[Quack a lack]

Thank you !! I was gonna go buy the supplies to tube feed but he’s starting to eat again so I think he will be fine but thank you!! Now I know next time something like this happens , I will need to tube feed them

 

[Miss Lydia]

Do you have any idea why he stopped eating? I know when mine go through molt it is rough on them but haven't ever had one stop eating. I am glad to hear he is eating again. That is good news!!