Need help identifying 6 week old! Different duck!

[Halion]

I just bought this duckling today from a guy who only had one type. He told me they were mallards, but they all seem way too dark to be mallards. She is extremely skinny and malnourished, should I feed her hard boiled eggs or something else to increase her weight?

What do you guys think? (It's the brown one in the back).

 

[Halion]

Anyone? Or should I try to get a better pic?

 

[Miss Lydia]

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That would probably help.

 

[Halion]

Are these any better?

 

[DuckiesAndBees]

How can you tell she's malnourished? She looks about the size of my 3-week olds and they get 16% feed available all the time, brewer's yeast, and snacks most days. Maybe you just can't see in the pics? As far as breed I'm not sure because I've never had mallards. Maybe she's just not "pure bred?"

 

[Halion]

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My other duckling is a fat beast, can't feel any bones in her body. This brown one is extremely skinny, you can feel every single bone in her ribcage and her spine. The cage I got her out of had no food and dirty water. I bought her from a sidestreet vendor in the middle of nowhere. The guy "won" them at an auction. I'm not sure if he knew how to care of them because they all were skinny and felt the same. He had week old goslings but they were fat as a baseball and his chickens looks in good health.

I'm not experienced with ducks in any way, but my boyfriend's mom used to breed birds and confirmed for me that she wasn't fed enough.

 

[DuckiesAndBees]

I see. Didn't mean to second-guess you, but the in the pics she looks okay. Good for you for getting her out of a bad situation. I would guess maybe she's a mix if she doesn't look pure mallard. Coming from that situation, I wouldn't trust him to be sure.

 

[Halion]

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Oh, no. I totally understand where you're coming from, no worries. I know she doesn't look skinny in those photos and that it's hard to tell. Later today I'll bring out my better camera and have my boyfriend hold her still so I can get better shots of her then maybe it will be visible that she is definitely underweight. She weighs as much as a slice of bread. I've been feeding her 16% non-medicated crumbles and I'm going to put alfalfa pellets in the food soon, as well as a chopped hardboiled egg for additional protein.

 

[desertdarlene]

There is a duck at our lake that is a cross between a Cayuga and a mallard that looks very similar to yours. I'll try to post a picture later. Yours may be a rouen-cayuga cross.

 

[NYRIR]

Sorry...no idea what breed. She DOES look skinny to me too

How awful....so glad you got her...she will be so much happier with you I am sure