Duckling with ducks?

[Emmeline]

Hi I had 3 duckling but one of them recently died (fox) and I was thinking of getting another duck but wanted to get an adult instead of a more vulnerable duckling would this be ok? Would they fight? My ducks are now approximately 7-10wks old - they have all their feathers

 

[Miss Lydia]

Hi I had 3 duckling but one of them recently died

(fox) and I was thinking of getting another duck but wanted to get an adult instead of a more vulnerable duckling would this be ok? Would they fight? My ducks are now approximately 7-10wks old - they have all their feathers

Welcome to BYC.. any duck is going to be vulnerable to a fox whether adult of duckling, they have no means to protect themselves, it's up to us to protect them. Getting an adult would be fine but you'll have to introduce slowly, most of us use temp fencing to keep newbie separate from resident ducks once they have been side by side for a week more or less then we start letting them have some supervised time together, I like to make it during snack time so everyone is intent on getting treats instead of chasing down the new comer or vise versa. usually it doesn't take long before they have accepted each other. But if your thinking of getting a drake then your going to have to keep him separate until your ducks are of mating age for their own protection.

 

[MsPoultry]

If you get a duck older then them the older one could get overly aggressive and injure and kill the younger ducks.You would have to slowly introduce the ducks and supervise.

 

[Emmeline]

Ok thanks

 

[khawdashhtchngs]

I raise, breed and sell Ancona ducks. I let my younger ducks out with the other ducks when they are 3 weeks old and I have never had any trouble because I have a big enough areas where they can stay pretty separate but they do not fight just chase one a few feet once or twice. I put them in with the adult ducks in a coop when they are 8 weeks old, by that time they can hold their own and I have never had any problems at all.