One of our two ducks died. Now what?

[randallt1]

We have had two female Pekins for almost three years now. They are free rangers in the day and fenced after dark. They get tucked into their safe house when we go to bed.

Amelia passed last night after a week of lethargic behavior and little to no eating or drinking. Day before yesterday we thought She had turned the corner. She was back to foraging and drinking and we thought she was going to be fine. But yesterday you could tell she had lapsed back to lathargy. We kept a close eye on Gladys, the other duck, the whole time and she seems perfect. We will keep checking on her for symptoms.

What I would like to know is what should we do about her getting lonely. Should we get her a baby duck? Would she accept it as her own? She is quite the layer and she loves to sit on her eggs and work on her nest. Or should we just let her stay single and give her more attention? The two were almost always together.

Thanks

 

[Orca5094]

She will absolutely be much happier with at least one duck friend. She may love you and enjoy your company, but we as humans can't be with them 24-7 like another duck can.

You can get her an adult duck friend (or two would be better), or you could try giving her a couple ducklings after she's sat on and incubated some of her eggs for a few weeks. That may or may not work though, so you'd need to be prepared to hand-raise the ducklings yourself if she doesn't accept them. It's important that she is allowed to sit on and incubate eggs for at least close to the normal incubation period for ducks or she may become confused and not accept them. They'd need to be pretty young too so you can sneak them under her while she sleeps at night. In conclusion, I think getting her some grown-up friends would be easier and less risky.

 

[randallt1]

Thank you so much. Still pretty heartbroken (the humans). Gladys seems confused and keeps looking for her duck.

 

[Amiga]

An unbreakable mirror in the meantime, perhaps some gentle music. My Runners love music.

Orca5094 has the same thoughts I would have. Ducks are not predictable - in my experience - when it comes to making friends. But they are flock animals. Romy took months to get anywhere back to normal after losing Michele to egg yolk peritonitis. But now, a couple of years later, Romy and Acht are BFFs. I never thought that would happen.

 

[randallt1]

Thank you Amiga. She does have a big window that she sees her reflection in. I've started looking for an adult girl duck for her. Should I stick to a Pekin?
Best wishes
Randall

 

[needlessjunk]

Thank you Amiga. She does have a big window that she sees her reflection in. I've started looking for an adult girl duck for her. Should I stick to a Pekin?
Best wishes
Randall

That is totally up to you. You can get any breed but I would stick with something that is similar in size.

 

[Amiga]

I think similar size is important, I have had two trains of thought about breed…I think it's more the individual duck, based on my experience incorporating and trying and failing to incorporate different breeds. The confounding factor is that the failure involves a drake . . .