Runner Duck's sunken chest? Fighting?

[biscotti]

This morning I noticed my one boy Runner's chest was looking different than normally and more obviously concave at the top. I'm still so new to owning ducks or birds in general, so sorry if this is a bit of a silly question.

I kept an eye on him and he's eating and acting normal, but is the way his chest looks here "normal"?

I know Runner's can have more pronounced duck cleavage (I don't know the proper term for this lol), but I'd rather be overly cautious than not. My 4 boys live pretty harmoniously together, but lately they do get rowdy sometimes in the water when they haven't had a swim in a while, as its winter where I live, so I've only been letting them swim supervised. I did noticed it looked like he'd had a few nibbles on the back of his neck as well, but nothing that looked worrisome. Could fighting cause this? Will his chest recover by itself? Or is it normal for it to change appearance sometimes. It stayed looking like this all day. He is the thinnest of the bunch, but always has been since a duckling. I don't think he's lost his appetite. His chest normally has a light crack down it, just not as pronounced as this

Thanks for reading this! (And happy new year too)

 

[Miss Lydia]

I'd weigh him and another and compare him to the others he may have lost weight and this is what your seeing becasue of it. It is really hard to tell how thin they are under the feathers.

 

[Jenbirdee]

I now put food and water in 4 different places in my duck/chicken yard because the bullies try to keep the weaklings from the food. Do you have a few food locations in case the others arent letting him eat much?

 

[Miss Lydia]

I also have 4 feeding stations

 

[biscotti]

I now put food and water in 4 different places in my duck/chicken yard because the bullies try to keep the weaklings from the food. Do you have a few food locations in case the others arent letting him eat much?

No, I do not! I hadn't even considered this to be honest. That's a great idea and I can make another food area today when I get home. I only have 4 ducks, so I hadn't considered needing another, but it might help.