ducks

[HOMEBODY12]

this is probably a dumb question, but I would like to add a couple of ducks to my chicken flock and need to know, do ducks have to have a pond nearby?

 

[lovin my birds]

They dont have to have a pond. A kiddie pool will make them plenty happy. But be ware it will get messy! If you dont want a pond at all that will be fine to. Just make sure that you have water deep enough for them to clean out their noses.

Ducks are so fun you will love them. And they are not hard to take care of.

 

[Amiga]

ditto lovin my birds

My runners have a concrete mixing pan (22"x34"x10" deep), and last week a friend gave them a 4' diameter blue kiddie pool she had bought for her dogs but they didn't like it.

Just a note about water - many people on BYC have separate waterers for ducks and chickens, because (and it's not their fault they're just built that way) ducks make water very murky very quickly, and chickens get disgusted about it.

 

[m.kitchengirl]

this is probably a dumb question, but I would like to add a couple of ducks to my chicken flock and need to know, do ducks have to have a pond nearby?

a few things to consider:

i housed 3 four week old ancona ducks with my chickens while their pen was fixed & in the 2 days the ducks & chickens were together the chicken coop got SOAKED. they get feed, water & watery poo EVERYWHERE, even with my hardware cloth floor in the chicken coop & run. i was glad when the duck hut was done & they didn't have to share.
also, i am not sure ALL chickens would be this way, but mine are like a gang. they were here first & they let the ducks know several times a day that this is their turf.
the ducks don't suffer at all from physical torment, but they sure do get bullied, when the chickens have a chance.
now that we are in separate pens things are much easier to keep clean & while they share the enclosed yard during the day aside from a few "shake downs" (all the treats belong to the chickens) and some demonstrations of gang solidarity (the whole pack of 6 chickens roost on the pen & circle it while the ducks try to stay out of their way) things are fine.​