Overweight Duck???

[4ducksinapond]

Hello! This is my duck Danny (short for dandelion) and I think hes overweight. Hes about 7-8 months old and he's a lot slower than his friends. I dont know exactly how much he weighs but he appears to be bulkier than the other ducks. I dont have his exact weight but I've attached a few photos of him and one of him with everyone else for comparison.

 

[FeatheredFriends&Horses2]

Can you find a way to weigh him, and each of the other ducks? If you have a scale, gently wrap each duck up in a small towel to keep them from flapping around, and place them on it. If he is heavier than the other ducks then he may be overweight. Otherwise, there may be something else going on. When you have him, be sure to feel all over his body, especially his crop, for any lumps.

 

[4ducksinapond]

Can you find a way to weigh him, and each of the other ducks? If you have a scale, gently wrap each duck up in a small towel to keep them from flapping around, and place them on it. If he is heavier than the other ducks then he may be overweight. Otherwise, there may be something else going on. When you have him, be sure to feel all over his body, especially his crop, for any lumps.

He's currently in the pond with his friends but once hes done playing I'll pick him up and feel his neck. I dont know if I'll be able to weigh them but I'll try! Thank you so much for your reply.

 

[HollowOfWisps]

It's actually very rare for a duck to be overweight especially one that is young, in good health and has a decent sized area to forage/walk around. From your pictures he looks like a fairly normal sized male and I would not describe him as large at all. Some males are larger than others of the same breed and some smaller. It's no different then one 6' man having a narrow athletic build and another 6' man having a broad muscular build. The best way to know a ducks weight is to pick up and feel the breast bone. An overweight duck you will either be able to barely feel it or not at all.

As far as walking slower usually the larger the ducks build the slower they will be and the smaller ducks will be faster. However, you may also want to thoroughly examine his feet for cuts or bumble foot.

 

[KaleIAm]

It's actually very rare for a duck to be overweight especially one that is young, in good health and has a decent sized area to forage/walk around. From your pictures he looks like a fairly normal sized male and I would not describe him as large at all. Some males are larger than others of the same breed and some smaller. It's no different then one 6' man having a narrow athletic build and another 6' man having a broad muscular build. The best way to know a ducks weight is to pick up and feel the breast bone. An overweight duck you will either be able to barely feel it or not at all.

As far as walking slower usually the larger the ducks build the slower they will be and the smaller ducks will be faster. However, you may also want to thoroughly examine his feet for cuts or bumble foot.
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Definitely use the body condition score. This is what my avian vets use to assess my ducks.

I was initially concerned that my duck was overweight and I took her to the vet. She was actually underweight and had internal parasites that needed treatment. My vet told me that some ducks just look fluffier and walk with more waddle and that visually even vets have to find the keel bone and feel the breast tissue to determine if they are overweight or underweight.

My ducks have also walked slower for bumblefoot and other health reasons. So check out those feet. Weighing can be great to compare a specific duck's weight to that specific duck's previous weights. I weigh my ducks on a human baby scale.