Does lonely duck need a friend?

[Chickiee]

One of our two Pekin ducks (Clyde, a female) was killed by a hawk. Since day-old ducklings, they have been raised with 8 chicks. They are all cooped together. This is my question... Bonnie (the now lonely Pekin duck) comes out of the coop in the morning looking for Clyde. It's so sad. :'( Does Bonnie need another duck to be happy? She is still with the chickens so she's not completely alone, but perhaps lonely... Bonnie with Clyde were like two peas in a pod spending much of the time together. Should we get Bonnie a friend? It's been about 4 days... Will her little duck brain forget Clyde in a few more days? Maybe we should wait until early Spring and get a couple ducks/chickens at the same time and raise together in the brooder and then transition to the coop? I know I can't just put her with ducklings immediately.
Thanks so much!

 

[Kevin565]

Yes she would do much better with another duck friend.

 

[Chickiee]

Thank you... I'll look into getting Bonnie a friend. Would it matter if I got a different duck breed? Maybe a Cayuga or a Buff? Or would she prefer one of her own kind?

 

[Miss Lydia]

Thank you... I'll look into getting Bonnie a friend. Would it matter if I got a different duck breed? Maybe a Cayuga or a Buff? Or would she prefer one of her own kind?

So is Bonnie for sure a duck? reason I am asking is some have posted about their ducks and they have given girl names to their drakes when they thought they were ducks. If Bonnie is indeed a duck[girl] then getting her a friend or a couple in the breeds you asked about would be fine, If Bonnie is a drake then you want to be sure to get a duck or 2 that are built heavy duty like Bonnie because when ,mating ducks of small frames can be injured. Have you looked on Craigslist?

 

[Amiga]

Thank you... I'll look into getting Bonnie a friend. Would it matter if I got a different duck breed? Maybe a Cayuga or a Buff? Or would she prefer one of her own kind?

I agree with Miss Lydia. Be sure of Bonnie's sex before getting friends. And I have found that Romy, my buff, seems to be enjoying the company of other buffs.

We have a flock of nine runners, and we had Romy and Shelly, the buffs, who were bffs. Shelly died, and Romy was grieving. The runners picked on her. So we brought in Carmella, Hazel and Bean. It was not an easy transition for anyone, but now everyone gets along reasonably well, and more and more, Romy hangs out with the other buffs, which is what I suspected might happen.

Some ducks do not care, some prefer ducks that look more like themselves.

 

[Chickiee]

Bonnie is a female (so was Clyde) as we were getting 2 eggs a day on a regular basis. The ducks are/were really more reliable layers than the chickens. Craigs List is a good idea as long as there's not a concern about bringing some weird poultry germ into the coop. I'll look into rescues too. If there's something specific healthwise I should look for, please let me know... besides a basic healthy looking bird. I understand what you two are saying about the duck breeds and size. Very good point and something I had not thought of. It would be great to get another female so that I don't have to worry about a frisky drake trying out the chickens. And, I think another Pekin might be the way to go. Thank you so much for your help! I really appreciate it.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Bonnie is a female (so was Clyde) as we were getting 2 eggs a day on a regular basis. The ducks are/were really more reliable layers than the chickens. Craigs List is a good idea as long as there's not a concern about bringing some weird poultry germ into the coop. I'll look into rescues too. If there's something specific healthwise I should look for, please let me know... besides a basic healthy looking bird. I understand what you two are saying about the duck breeds and size. Very good point and something I had not thought of. It would be great to get another female so that I don't have to worry about a frisky drake trying out the chickens. And, I think another Pekin might be the way to go. Thank you so much for your help! I really appreciate it.

I hope you can find one please keep us updated on search. and a rescue would be a great idea. Ducks don't tend to get sick like chickens can, they have a high body temperature so they can fight off diseases really well. Unless a duck is kept in horrid conditions i don't think you'd have to worry about it bringing something home to your flock.

 

[Enchanted Sunrise Farms]

i'm so sorry about Clyde.

Sincere condolences. i started duck ownership with one lone Cayuga that i hatched. Because a friend had one lone hatchling, he asked if i would want to raise them together. His was a East Indie, big size difference. As they grew together, they were great buddies. My Cayuga turned out to be a female and the East Indie was a male. Eventually my friend wanted his duck, and i felt terrible. They were the best of friends. i ended up ordering 10 various baby ducks from Metzers. Once those ducks were big enough, i gave my friend his East Indie. It took a little bit of time for my Cayuga to develop new relationships, but she eventually did. Now she is best buds with one fawn runner and i think she also enjoys having all the other ducks (all females) as companions. What i can say is that ducks are very emotional critters and really need to have a friend or friends. Ducks grow pretty quickly so ordering ducklings isn't out of the question. Like you, i had concerns about bringing in any possible diseases . . . which has happened before with bringing in adult chickens. However, i think ducks are much more resistant to disease, so an adult duck isn't out of the question.

Whatever you decide, much luck to you and let us know how it goes.

 

[Chickiee]

Thank you so much Enchanted Sunrise Farms! I do feel bad for Bonnie; she tells me her sad story everytime she spots me outside. She keeps calling for Clyde and looking for her. I want to find her a friend and checked a national duck rescue website, but it basically just directed me to their facebook page which I'm not able to type on until I'm "friended". Ugh! I do have a question about introducing a new duck... I would be introducing in cold weather Wisconsin. The last couple days the birds have all stayed in the coop for the most part, with a few minutes here and there for outside fresh air in their dog run. I am wondering how to put a new girl in "cooped" space... 49 sq. ft. coop with approx 10x10 run. I don't think I can just "plop" another bird in there and think everything will be ok. Hmmm...

 

[The Howards]

sorry Bonnie is so lonely. You mentioned getting a rescue, check petfinder.com believe it or not they have farm animals too. In my area alone there are chickens, goats, cows and such. So maybe you could find one on there that needs adopting. Good Luck with your search..