Underweight pekin

[Kmoreau]

Thank you, that is kinda what I was thinking. She had a pink peachy colored beak and feet, and has a different stance then my male. He had the typical dark orange beak and feet. I always thought she was a mix or a different type. When I called the feed store to ask what kind of ducks they had, the girl replied " um... The white ones, what other kind is there" so I should have know, even though the gentleman at the store was much more informative and told me she was a Pekin.

Next question, should I be concerned about my drake at 9 pounds trying to mate with her? He seems really gentle, and has never tried, he is kinda clueless I think but you can tell he really loves her.

 

[Kmoreau]

Also, can magpies fly? What colored eggs with she lay, I hear magpies lay green or light blue whereas pekins lay solid white. Would that help tell?

 

[mickeymousears]

This may or may not be helpful: I don't know if this applies to ducks- I assume it can apply to any bird but having not studied specifically duck anatomy idk
Anyways I am familiar with parrots -ive owned parrots I started school as a vet major for exotic animals and I've worked with exotic animals vets. So the proper way to judge weight is by their kiel- breastbone. If its sharp and indents along the. SIde of it- underweight. If it hard to feel or bows out along the side of it- overweight. I've never actually felt my pekings bone so no clue if this works.

BUT with that said here's a story- which I think may be helpful (I feel like a golden girl telling a story to help):
So awhile after I got out of the vet thing my cockatiel decided to drink from a glass that had an avocado seed growing in it (my fault I should've known better than to have that in the house) -avocados are poisonous to birds FYI- he went down hill pretty fast sitting on the bottom of his cage in a little fluff ball. When I held him he sat very still even when I did things he would normally love/hate -he looked like he was knocking on deaths door. My normal vet wasn't available but another clinic said they saw birds and could get me in so off I went. As soon as I got there it was pretty apparent- to me- that they exaggerated their bird knowledge AND the nurse was afraid to hold him (even when he's well he's a very friendly bird- I take him to work with me around little kids) so they eventually decide blood test and take him to the back. Anyways -cut to the chase here- when they brought him out they said he was really underweight because her book said tiels weigh between x and X and he weighed Y. First I wasn't there to have him weighed and 2nd I KNOW he's not underweight.

So the moral of the story: just like with humans weight is not an exact number. If human doctors said all ppl who are 5'4" should weigh 125 wed be in trouble! and I think doctors who aren't really familiar with birds don't get that. With dogs/cats you typically judge weight based on appearance (kinda like humans) combined with the number. But I've never heard a doctor say your dog is underweight because this books says labs weigh between x and x. And if your familiar with that breed you know there can be a huge variation I've personally owned a lab who was 65 pounds on the heavy side and a lab who was 125 at a healthy weight. So if she is eating/drinking/acting normal I wouldn't worry about it. Just make sure she has access to a proper healthy diet.

 

[mickeymousears]

Ok I just felt my pekings keil and yes it does apply. If say mine is a bit overweight LOL oops.

 

[DB_Tex]

Egg color should help tell the tale, and from what I have read magpie are flightless. *I* wouldn't be worried about the drake as your girl is on the medium size, but I'm just a novice in duck-land. Maybe someone with more cross breeding experience can tell you.

 

[Oregon Blues]

A normal weight duck has a wide and rather flat looking chest. The breast bone will be recessed and you'll see a line down the chest from the neck to the bottom of the breast area. Like they have a crease down their middle.

A fat duck feels gooshy when you pick it up. I've never had a duck that was eating a normal diet be too fat, except for Pekin. Pekin will pack on a lot of fat, unless they are fed a balanced diet and get plenty of exercise.

Corn will put fat onto a duck, so I only feed corn to ducks that I want to grow some fat. Otherwise, no. Not to my permanent residents.

 

[LemonDoodles]

I have a Pekin drake that is 4.8lbs and has been holding steady there for 2 months, he's almost 5 mo now. He eats great, very healthy, looks all Pekin (bright orange bill) just tiny. I would think that some just happen to be smaller than others but are still healthy. He's not bony, just slighter boned than his "brother" who is at 7.5lbs.

 

[DB_Tex]

K,
Does she look like these guys? I found this pic of "Stanbridge Whites" (what they call a white magpie) on the web. May be good for comparison.

 

[Kmoreau]

Yes, but so does my Pekin drake hahah!! No she defiantly does have the stance of the one on the right. She is a little more upright then my drake, and also much faster ( but not like a runner).

 

[DB_Tex]

I'd say it's safe to make a conservative claim that she is in fact a stanbridge white in that case