- May 1, 2014
- 101
- 4
- 78
hi all,
I'll apologize now for the essay!!!!
I'm planning on getting 12 chickens and 4-6 ducks (was going to be 2 at start but the whole duck math thing as already kicked in,
) next month, i'm hoping to get 6 diffferent hybrid chickens (2 of each) and 2 khaki campbells and 2 aylesbury ducks.
My run for both ducks is about 1/4 of an acre and i've used 5ft chicken wire around it, i have them set up in two different houses, the chickens have coop that is 11ftx7ft with 4 different nest boxes but i still need to add the roosting poles, i've made up a automatic door for the chickens with a calender built in so that the door opens and closes a certain time after sun rise and a certain time before sunset, still need to work on the times to make sure they suit the chickens daily routines as in they are in before it closes.
The duck run is a 4x5 foot basically box that is 4-5 ft high sloping from front to back with an opening in the front and a small ramp up to it, i wasnt planning on having a door to close it as i was going to put a completely secure run around the duck house. it will be completely wired on all sizes and top and bottom. i was going to cut a 2.5ft blue barrel in half length ways but at a diagonal and sink this into the ground, cutting it as a diagonal so that there will be a shallow and deep size to their pond. i will place one of these in their mini ponds and one outside in the big run.
it is hard to explain what i mean about cutting it diagonally but it the barrel is standing in front of you i will cut from the top left to the bottom right leaving a lip on the short sides, - i'll add photos later.
ok i'll come to the point of my post now - the questions....
How should i introduce both the ducks and chickens to the run - i'll be getting both on the same day, do i need to keep either in the coop of a couple of days until they accept this as their new homes, should i let both have free access to the full run at the same time, should i give the chickens full access to the big run and keep the ducks in their small run for a couple of days. just to help with this one, all the birds will be females, no roosters and no drakes, and all ranging from about 18-22 weeks old,
Will the chickens get on alright together from the start even if i get them from different suppliers??? say 4-6 off one 2-4 off another and 2-4 off a third.
I've kept chickens before am totally new to ducks so if there is anything i'm missing please feel free to add it in, i've done a lot of reading on here all ready so i've probably included a lot more i havent mentioned here but would be great if anyone sees any gaps i'm missing.
Feeding-
i was planning on pretty much starting the chickens on layers pellets as i dont think they will be too far away from laying, will also add in some treats here and there but not sure what yet,
The ducks i'm not too sure of what to feed just yet, i'll be giving them some sort of poultry feed, as well as some grain - i know its not good for the chickens so was planning on feeding the grain in a bucket of water, grain at the bottom with a few inches of water on top to put the chickens off eating it.
i know both chickens and ducks need grit but is it ok to provide both with the same type of grit or is there anything individual needs for each.
Are the ducks ok being in the secure run without their coop being closed at night, i think i've read that they are fairly weather hardened but just want to check,
I think that is all my questions for now, i'll add photos over the next week or two and of course next month when i do pick up the birds and they are all settled in.
Oh and as for bedding, was planing on using straw for the ducks and the chicken nest boxes and peat moss for the rest of the chicken coop, is this ok?
Oh and to help with any of my questions i live in Ireland, lows of -2 to -4 during the winter, rarely above 25 in the summer.
I'll apologize now for the essay!!!!
I'm planning on getting 12 chickens and 4-6 ducks (was going to be 2 at start but the whole duck math thing as already kicked in,
My run for both ducks is about 1/4 of an acre and i've used 5ft chicken wire around it, i have them set up in two different houses, the chickens have coop that is 11ftx7ft with 4 different nest boxes but i still need to add the roosting poles, i've made up a automatic door for the chickens with a calender built in so that the door opens and closes a certain time after sun rise and a certain time before sunset, still need to work on the times to make sure they suit the chickens daily routines as in they are in before it closes.
The duck run is a 4x5 foot basically box that is 4-5 ft high sloping from front to back with an opening in the front and a small ramp up to it, i wasnt planning on having a door to close it as i was going to put a completely secure run around the duck house. it will be completely wired on all sizes and top and bottom. i was going to cut a 2.5ft blue barrel in half length ways but at a diagonal and sink this into the ground, cutting it as a diagonal so that there will be a shallow and deep size to their pond. i will place one of these in their mini ponds and one outside in the big run.
it is hard to explain what i mean about cutting it diagonally but it the barrel is standing in front of you i will cut from the top left to the bottom right leaving a lip on the short sides, - i'll add photos later.
ok i'll come to the point of my post now - the questions....
How should i introduce both the ducks and chickens to the run - i'll be getting both on the same day, do i need to keep either in the coop of a couple of days until they accept this as their new homes, should i let both have free access to the full run at the same time, should i give the chickens full access to the big run and keep the ducks in their small run for a couple of days. just to help with this one, all the birds will be females, no roosters and no drakes, and all ranging from about 18-22 weeks old,
Will the chickens get on alright together from the start even if i get them from different suppliers??? say 4-6 off one 2-4 off another and 2-4 off a third.
I've kept chickens before am totally new to ducks so if there is anything i'm missing please feel free to add it in, i've done a lot of reading on here all ready so i've probably included a lot more i havent mentioned here but would be great if anyone sees any gaps i'm missing.
Feeding-
i was planning on pretty much starting the chickens on layers pellets as i dont think they will be too far away from laying, will also add in some treats here and there but not sure what yet,
The ducks i'm not too sure of what to feed just yet, i'll be giving them some sort of poultry feed, as well as some grain - i know its not good for the chickens so was planning on feeding the grain in a bucket of water, grain at the bottom with a few inches of water on top to put the chickens off eating it.
i know both chickens and ducks need grit but is it ok to provide both with the same type of grit or is there anything individual needs for each.
Are the ducks ok being in the secure run without their coop being closed at night, i think i've read that they are fairly weather hardened but just want to check,
I think that is all my questions for now, i'll add photos over the next week or two and of course next month when i do pick up the birds and they are all settled in.
Oh and as for bedding, was planing on using straw for the ducks and the chicken nest boxes and peat moss for the rest of the chicken coop, is this ok?
Oh and to help with any of my questions i live in Ireland, lows of -2 to -4 during the winter, rarely above 25 in the summer.
