do ducks need another duck?

[Silkie-Feet]

so, i bought a female mallard and i thought she could be put with 3 other silkies and a bantam cochin. will this work?

 

[sheila3935]

We lost a duck this year due to a raccoon attack. The one remaining stayed with our barred rocks til we could get her a friend. It was really cute she would even roost with them. But personally I think they do need a friend of their own kind.

 

[duck walk]

it will be okay but she would be much happier with a companion of her own species...

 

[Silkie-Feet]

well my aunt has a male and each spring we plan on reuniting them for them to have chicks. will this work?

 

[ChickieBooBoo]

Why dont you keep them together all the time?

 

[pascopol]

Ducks are very social birds even more than chickens.
Buying and keeping just one duck is selfish and cruel (to the duck).

 

[MysticalMom]

Yeah. Ducks are social flock animals. Get her some friends.

 

[duck walk]

yes, they are very social and depend on one another...if I open the day yard gate and they all stampede out while a duck is in the nest laying about 75 yards away and the drake, her drake, realizes she is not with him, he panics, leaves the group and sprints back to the duck house to find his babe...groups that grew up together, remain in their family groups...I have four family groups...they move together in a large groups with four smaller groups bill to butt or wing to wing within their particular family group...they recognize individuals and like I said, if there is a seperation, they go quacking and hunting for the missing member...fascinating little guys they are...the geese are the same...and they are the leaders of the flock...the ducks take direction from them...I am down to 12 geese and 45 ducks and I just can not break up the families and sell any...I had a duck limping and acting a bit loopy a few nights ago so I caught her and pulled her out of the group...I think she may have been trampeled in the "stampede." I put her in a kennel run beside the flock's night yard where she could see and hear everyone but recover in safety...she slept in the dog house for a little while and by morning she was fine...but her family, especially her drake, spent the night at the fence as close to her as they could get...by morning she was out of the dog house at the back of the run as close as she could get to her family...they kept calling to each other...it was kind of sad...when I took her back out to the main yard to rejoin the flock she kept calling to her family and they had their heads and eyes up calling back and were millling around not sure what to do...when I set her down she ran like hell to get back to her family and they all gathered around and chattered and chattered...they they went off to look for bugs and whatever browsing duck do on grass...they are very social and they bond...a duck alone is not a happy duck...they need their own kind...

 

[awesomefowl]

Why not get another duck? please post photos!!!

 

[sydney13]

my duck doesn't live with another duck but she does have a goose who she sees as mom. my goose lives with the chickens and duck but she is imprinted on me and gets lots of attention so she's not at all lonely. I think 1 duck and a few hens would work but its not great especially since they were never raised together. id try to buy her either a duck or a goose friend.