Introducing ducks to a chicken flock

[vermontgal]

How does this go - the introduction of one or two ducks to a chicken flock? Some folks say they keep a couple ducks with their chickens (I'm aware of the challenges regarding moisture). Is there any hope they would get along? I'm looking at Khaki Campbells or Indian Runners. I have 3 chickens about 1 year old.

A couple options I have:
• Adopt a couple of adult ducks, maybe even a mating pair.
• Wait

and get baby ducks next spring along with a couple new chickens.
• Get baby ducks now and introduce them when they are old enough to hold their own.

How would the addition of 2 ducks affect how much space I would need in my coop?

 

[Little Ameraucana Mom]

I wouldn't keep ducks in with my chickens. Ducks make alot of mess, play in the water ect. Everyone I know keeps them separate. But I dont' have ducks, so maybe someone else will jump in here with experience.

 

[gdana2]

I currently have my ducks with my chickens. I am in the process of seperating. It started with 4 Runners and now it is 5 Runners, 3 Rouens and 1 Pekin. The ducks sleep outside and don't bother the chickens. The ducks have their pool and the chickens like to scale and stand on the sides. So far no one has fallen in. I will be seperating the ducks this weekend because of the quantitly of ducks not becasue of behavior issues.

 

[gdana2]

I currently have my ducks with my chickens. I am in the process of seperating. It started with 4 Runners and now it is 5 Runners, 3 Rouens and 1 Pekin. The ducks sleep outside and don't bother the chickens. The ducks have their pool and the chickens like to scale and stand on the sides. So far no one has fallen in. I will be seperating the ducks this weekend because of the quantitly of ducks not becasue of behavior issues.

 

[vermontgal]

I would be most interested to hear from people on the question I asked above, namely how to best introduce.

Thank you for the feedback so far, but I am not really interested in learning more about people's opinions that it is better to keep them separately. I do not have an option to keep the ducks separate. If it is a disaster, then one of the two species will simply be leaving the premises.

 

[horsejody]

My vet gave me a pekin duckling recently. I wasn't looking for a duck, but it was a rescue situation, and I'm a sucker for a hard luck case. He was 6-7 weeks old at the time. I put him in a separate pen with my quietest hen. She adopted him. I gradually added my young (3-5 month old) chickens. I then added some other quiet hens. So far there has been no incidents. The duck has become best friends with a young golden cuckoo marans roo. They are inseparable. The duck does seems to be confused about why none of his friends will get in the pool with him.

 

[PeepsInc]

Some times drake ducks will go after chickens,aspecially younger ckickens. Drakes can be protective of there hens. As stated above,Ducks are messy critters. You'll find yourself cleaning the chicken coop daily instead of weekly. Then again you'll have to keep the duck box clean daily too. I keep mine togeather like one big happy family.

 

[One Acre Wonder Farm]

We bought adult ducks this spring. They are housed separately from the chickens. When the chickens first saw them they looked at them curiously and then went about their business. The ducks we'd gotten had been raised w/chickens so the introduction was really a non-issue. The free range together now, but the ducks keep to themselves, as do the chickens.

Vermontgal - I have some super cute 4-week-old Swedish ducklings if you are interested with three more in the incubator due in 3 weeks. PM me if you'd like!!

eta: ducks require about the same coop space as chickens, min 4sq ft.

 

[chixie]

I have all my ducks and chickens together in a large pen...don't have any problems... I even have my ducks pool in th

 

[vermontgal]

Quote:
You mean I'm supposed to clean the chicken coop?!