Skinny Ducks? Thoughts?

[Kangasox]

We have a flock of 14, and I may be crazy, but I feel like some of them look skinny, and maybe feel thin when we hold them. I had a fecal/gram stain done today at the vet (a mixture of 4 different duck's poop), and it was negative/all good. They are all eating, I feed 18% feed, fermented in the morning and night, and some veggies/fruit, and they forage all day. Is it a molting thing, summer thing, or what? Is there anything else I should be looking for? I don't want to ignore a problem.

 

[learycow]

Do you leave food out 24/7?
Are they molting?

Here (Maine) they don't tend to eat as much this time of the year due to the heat, and they always lose weight right before they molt.

I feed 16% layer with whole corn (this helps put weight on and helps them keep it on) year round and increase the corn in Sept to get them ready for the snow and cold season. They are usually round little tubbies come December when they need the extra weight.

Foraging/free ranging helps too as it allows them to eat what they want and pick through bugs and grass/grains to eat what they feel they particularly need

 

[The Duck Ladie]

We have a flock of 14, and I may be crazy, but I feel like some of them look skinny, and maybe feel thin when we hold them. I had a fecal/gram stain done today at the vet (a mixture of 4 different duck's poop), and it was negative/all good. They are all eating, I feed 18% feed, fermented in the morning and night, and some veggies/fruit, and they forage all day. Is it a molting thing, summer thing, or what? Is there anything else I should be looking for? I don't want to ignore a problem.

Do you know what kind of ducks they are?

 

[Kangasox]

Do you know what kind of ducks they are? 

Mostly Ancona (9), 3 Cayuga, and 2 Welsh Harlequin. The cayuga seem the skinniest.

 

[The Duck Ladie]

Mostly Ancona (9), 3 Cayuga, and 2 Welsh Harlequin. The cayuga seem the skinniest.

Hmm... Well I'd follow learycow. Make sure they have food 24/7 and hopefully it's because it's hot and because they're about to molt. Do you have a picture of them, so we can see how skinny they are?
-The Duck Ladie

 

[Kangasox]

Do you leave food out 24/7?
Are they molting?

Here (Maine) they don't tend to eat as much this time of the year due to the heat, and they always lose weight right before they molt. 

I feed 16% layer with whole corn (this helps put weight on and helps them keep it on) year round and increase the corn in Sept to get them ready for the snow and cold season. They are usually round little tubbies come December when they need the extra weight.

Foraging/free ranging helps too as it allows them to eat what they want and pick through bugs and grass/grains to eat what they feel they particularly need

I think they may be starting to molt. This is our first year with them as adults, so wasn't sure when the molting would start (last year was getting duckling feathers, etc).

We feed in the morning and evening only, we had bug in coop issues last year so took it away 24/7. Plus I hate feeding squirrels all day while they are out foraging

.

It's been SO HOT here, I didn't know own if that had something to do with them not eating as much and I hadn't noticed. I overworry!

 

[Kangasox]

Also @learycow, I thought of you the other day, because all my 8 year old wants for her next birthday is a Call duck.

 

[The Duck Ladie]

Also @learycow , I thought of you the other day, because all my 8 year old wants for her next birthday is a Call duck.

Smart girl!

 

[learycow]

Haha, I can make that happen

 

[AimToMisbehave]

I have the exact same thing going on with my flock (9 runners, 10 months - 1 year old) and I kind of figured that since there's been so much heat and so little rain lately, they haven't been able to forage as much as usual. They spend a lot more time lounging in the shade now, and at least two of them are molting for sure. I started giving them extra feed at dinner, and they seem to be doing much better!