catherine96821:
OH! I just found this! thanks for the feed tips. She IS beautiful! Does your duck get lonely for other ducks? What about the mess? My dog and the duck get along fine too.
She's actually fine without other Pekin ducks. The other ducks we have are all boys and a different species although they still sometimes go after her...since they're boys, lol. She just runs from them or goes for the pond since my other ducks are not pond ducks. She's got so many other critter friends here that I think she's just fine. When she's not hanging out with the rooster or the dogs, she hangs out with one of my potbellied pigs. She seems to be more of a "people duck" and is very happy. She actually doesn't like the other ducks here, I'm assuming because they aren't the same species.
We have wild mallards that land in our yard every day and hang out for a few hours. They know where to find food I guess. It's usually a male and female always together out there.
Your duck might get lonely in the future without a mate of the same species. She/he might also fly away to look for a mate once the hormones get going. Or she might be so happy that she'll never want to leave. I personally would think about finding a duck friend for her but, it's kind of hard to tell what sex your duck is at this time. The only way to find out (from what I've learned) about sexing a duck is if they were a day or two old. You'll know when the feathers start coming in which will be soon. If you want a male and female without the ducklings, just collect the eggs before they become a clutch of 6 + eggs. Once there's a clutch, the female will start "setting" to hatch.
Hate to say it but, ducks do make a mess, especially on concrete but, can be manageable with a hose. The bigger they are the bigger the poop. With one duck it wont be as bad as having a few. I live on ranch property with a lot of dirt. The area I have a problem with is when my duck sleeps on the back porch at night and leaves me a few trophies for the morning.
Notice how when she's in the pool the first thing she does is poop? It's a duck thing. Not sure what that's about but, it happens.
Oh...also go to the grocery store and see if you can get some "free" day or so old green leafy lettuce. They'll just throw it out anyway. Your duck will LOVE it. Not iceberg...it's not nutritious enough.
Be careful of the dog food. Your duckling is going to want to eat any kibble. Make sure it's not big kibble or choking could happen.
Post more pictures soon!
Lori