Does my duck need a friend?

[Ray584]

Hello,

I am fairly new to raising ducks. I bought 2 runners and 2 mallards, but recently a neighborhood dog tried digging into their enclosure and the two mallards got frightened and flew away. One of them came back, but the other is still gone so now it's the one mallard and 2 runners. So my question is, should I get another mallard to keep her company, or will she be happy with the runners? I know they are social creatures but I wasn't sure if any old duck is fine, or if they prefer to hang out with their own breed. Any advice would be appreciated. Thank you!

 

[Twistedfeather]

Not necessarily her breed but her size will work fine. So you might want to consider another mallard. Because the other two bantam ducks are smaller than a mallard.

 

[Ray584]

Thanks for the reply!

 

[veronicasmom]

I would be more concerned about the sex of the ducks than anything. If you have three females then you can add another girl or a boy. Or you can leave the mallard to live with the runners if the ratio of male to female is right. They don't have to be paired by breed, I have two flocks, a mixed flock and a Muscovy flock.
But if you have two males and one female currently, then you need to get a couple of females. You don't want the males to outnumber the females or you may have some issues with overbreeding and possible injuries or death.
Sorry you lost your mallard, I hope that she finds her way home. If your pen is secure, you can clip the wings so they cannot fly off.

 

[Ray584]

Thanks for the reply! The three I have are all female. I'm still hoping she comes back too. I know I should have had their wings clipped, they just usually don't go very far from the runners so I didn't think it would be a problem.