I only have one duckling what should I do!?

[Abbyb]

i agree as why i said supervised visits. but imo keeping a duck by itself is neglectful. just my opinion maybe rehoming is the best bet..

I didn’t intend to keep her by herself there was a problem with the incubator and the timing of hatching other ducklings was too long. Trust me I definitely didn’t want her to be alone and I was very worried about this from the beginning

 

[Abbyb]

I'm glad this goes okay for you, but it doesn't change the fact that it is dangerous. Hens who are not yet sexually mature are at fairly high risk when housed with drakes. Especially if there is only one other hen, as with OP's circumstances. It is out of ratio, and the drake could greatly harm the duckling.
Some take those risks, but its important to understand them. Especially when it comes to much loved birds. Its not worth the risks of things going wrong in my view.

I agree with you. This was my worry with my ducks. When I got them I was supposed to get three or four but the owner had a problem and only two made it. They just happened to be 1 male and 1 female. I’ve wanted to get more females but call ducks can be hard to find (especially just a female). The adults are only two years old, and last year she tried hatching ducklings herself. Sadly only three hatch but two were suffocated by her and the other I believe was killed by the drake.

So this is the first time I’ve been able to get more ducks for them, but unfortunately only the one hatched. And one very worried for her. Thank you for you advice I am definitely going to try separating them.

 

[deer trail duck farms]

I didn’t intend to keep her by herself there was a problem with the incubator and the timing of hatching other ducklings was too long. Trust me I definitely didn’t want her to be alone and I was very worried about this from the beginning

i apologize if you took what i said to heart against you. i in no means was saying you meant to or your neglectful. we all have our opinions on things. stuff like this happens and its tough. i personally would rather seperate my males. for a few weeks so ducks can live with ducks its just my thoughts.

 

[Duck Dreamer]

I could definitely try setting up a division in the coop. I have a small coop the ducks are in, and a much larger coop for my chickens. The ducks run is touching the chickens run (so they can always see each other). I may be able to set up a division in my chicken coop. My only worry is how much she will be upset if I leave her out there

She will adjust, especially if you put her division between the chickens and ducks. Then hopefully she will make a friend.

 

[Dfarley14]

Hey! I know the dilemma your faced with all too well! First of all, do not stress or worry too much. Your baby, with patience, understanding, and lots and lots of time will adjust to "duck life" at some point just fine. My female call duck, Fuzz, (my son named her) was an only hatch and the same scenario played out. At about 4 or 5 weeks I was able to locate and bring home 3 ducklings that were slightly younger. She HATED them. Lol. The poor babies would follow her everywhere and she couldn't stand it in the beginning. But I digress. I'll get back to that later. Ok the first thing you need to do is make sure you get her outside everyday around the same time each day. Someone already suggested a separate run that she can be near the others but not get hurt and vice versa. That suggestion is an absolute necessity. She needs to spend as much time as possible in there and make it something she can look forward to by maybe only offering her favorite foods to her with the first feeding of the day once she's inside her pen. The protected space has to have her own personal swimming pool of sorts which could be made out of whatever you see fit. I like the mortar mixing tubs from home depot. They're under 8 bucks and they're a great size for smaller spaces. I'm not sure what kind of set up the other ducks have but I had one big area fenced in 6 ft high with the deer needing covering the top and a section off to the one end with an actual roof. So I used chicken wire to make a section just for her. I use to let my ducks free range but learned the hard way that it's not an option for where I live. The predators are just too abundant unfortunately. Especially the ones in the sky! Ugh... Anyway... if you are able to give her a spot sectioned off where the other ducks are that would work best imo. While she is out there, try to distance yourself little by little as each day goes by until eventually you can go inside or even a quick trip to the store without much of an issue, then one day she'll be ok with seeing you come and go My girl cried for me as soon as she'd realize I wasn't there. Then I'd go back outside as soon as i heard her and just talk to her and tell her it was OK, she is safe, and not to worry etc etc. Id say All kinds of stuff. Haha. At first she'd come back in for lunch time and then take a nap in my bedroom where she had her own personal cubby to sleep in... yes, it was like that. Lol. Then the same just before sunset but wouldn't sleep outside and I didn't want her to by herself anyways. She hated all the other ducks. She was convinced that she was of no relation whatsoever to any duck. Haha. OK so back to the other 3 ducklings. I had to supervise their time very closely. She attacked them every chance she got at first. I had to give her time outs. Tell her no and make her sit in the corner. Haha jk on the last thing, but no seriously i had to put her by herself where she couldn't just walk back over to where we were and keep telling her no, not nice, bad girl, be nice... etc... all while still able to see me with the others going about our day without her which would totally piss her off. but I had to do it. Usually for 10 to 15 minutes at a time. Gradually she tolerated them and stopped attacking. Then it just got better and better with the occasional time out of course. Now they're all great friends. Uhmm ... they are 1 yrs old this month! It was a daunting mission to undertake last summer. One i definitely wasn't expecting, but with persistence eventually just like my duck, yours too will realize that she's a duck and not a human. Now when i say time, i'm talking months of working with her probably. Like 3 If I remember correctly. HOWEVER, yours is still very young so she may take to eveything much faster. I didnt start this with fuzz until she was 2 or 3 months old!!! I forgot to mention as soon as the other three feathered out they went outside no problem but she remained in the house with me for some time before I began integrating her to starting a life outside. Just know that even if momma duck was caring for her she would still be crying for her as well at this age so its natural for her to need you right now just a little while longer. A decent consistency with the routine, gradual detachment and not caving everytime she cries out will definitely paid off. Since late fall of last year, Fuzz had successfully graduated into being a fully fledged DUCK!!!! I must tell you that your duck will always hold you in high regard and that's definitely something you will enjoy about her once she's acclimated to a ducks life. She needs friends her age too I think but that's not totally necassary. Just an opinion.... good luck and don't worry! You got this