Solo duckling

[Ashchisam]

We hatched an abandoned mallard egg successfully two days ago. We are planning to move the duckling to a farm in two weeks. I was planning on getting the duckling a friend duckling from a feed store so they can bond together before the move. Our local feed store has 1-2 week old runner ducklings. Is that age difference too big ?

 

[Miss Lydia]

You’d have to introduce gradually at first the tiny Mallard will really be tiny in comparison but i’ve done it by making 2 spaces in the brooder the older on one side youngest on the other shared heat. Then daily with supervision I let them visit it only took a couple of days till they could be together.

 

[ruthhope]

I don't think a 2 week old mallard will be ready to transfer to a farm, even with runner friends. 2 months old is more realistic, but perhaps 6 weeks

 

[Miss Lydia]

I don't think a 2 week old mallard will be ready to transfer to a farm, even with runner friends. 2 months old is more realistic, but perhaps 6 weeks

Hopefully they mean the ducklings will still be in a brooder since they will still need heat.

 

[Bubblesduck]

We hatched an abandoned mallard egg successfully two days ago. We are planning to move the duckling to a farm in two weeks. I was planning on getting the duckling a friend duckling from a feed store so they can bond together before the move. Our local feed store has 1-2 week old runner ducklings. Is that age difference too big ?

If you get a duckling from a store like tractor supply it’s going to be a Peking…they are huge and if you mallard is a female the male Peking will hurt the mallard when trying to mate - I had this happen when I rescued a Peking that had been dumped in a friends home pond…I ended up moving the Peking to another friend who had a large domestic duck pond…

So if you want a friend for your mallard, my advice is buy a Call Duck (if you raise it from a duckling they are amazing pets), or just get two mallards from Metzer Farms

 

[deer trail duck farms]

If you get a duckling from a store like tractor supply it’s going to be a Peking…they are huge and if you mallard is a female the male Peking will hurt the mallard when trying to mate - I had this happen when I rescued a Peking that had been dumped in a friends home pond…I ended up moving the Peking to another friend who had a large domestic duck pond…

So if you want a friend for your mallard, my advice is buy a Call Duck (if you raise it from a duckling they are amazing pets), or just get two mallards from Metzer Farms

you can get multiple different breeds from tractor supply. not just pekins. the only ones i have not seen at tcs is muscovy.

but as everyone else has said runners are bigger. from the get go. but id still get one or 2. if you have them in a large enougn brooder they should be okay.

 

[Luv Ducks]

If you get a duckling from a store like tractor supply it’s going to be a Peking…they are huge and if you mallard is a female the male Peking will hurt the mallard when trying to mate - I had this happen when I rescued a Peking that had been dumped in a friends home pond…I ended up moving the Peking to another friend who had a large domestic duck pond…

So if you want a friend for your mallard, my advice is buy a Call Duck (if you raise it from a duckling they are amazing pets), or just get two mallards from Metzer Farms

It must depend on your location of where you live because our TSC has had Rouen, Runner, Black Swedish, and some others along with the Pekin. They come from Hoover's Hatchery and there is a list of breeds you can look up on what they send to TSC. They used to make us buy 6 though here in Ohio and just changed it to 3 recently.