Ok i need some duck info.

[Cheekon]

I was wondering if you can keep ducks with chickens and if they need water to survive or can they live without it. Also, dose a ducks diet differ from a chickens or can they eat the same food?

 

[Stormhorse23]

I dont have ducks, but this is what people have told me. You can keep them together, they need water deep enough to dip their heads in, having swimming area is better. I have no clue about food

 

[Katy]

I feed my ducks and chickens the same food, but I don't keep them together because the ducks are just too messy. Ducks need water deep enough to submerse their whole head in. I keep kids wading pools in their pens in the summer and in the winter I use big feed pans for their water. They need bathing water to help keep their feathers in good condition.

 

[Moonwalker]

If you keep the babies together, you have to make sure ducky has enough water to dunk his head, but the chicks dn't drown. Balancing act. Adul chickens ormally don't try to drown themselves,so you can have a pond, kiddie pool whatever then.

 

[Cheekon]

Quote:
So i can have a kiddie pool without my chickens drowning?

 

[Stormhorse23]

My chickens are stupid enough to jump blindly into 5 gallon buckets...

 

[birdnutz]

A kiddie pool shouldn't be deep enough for a chicken to drown. A 5 gallon bucket would be. I have a concrete pond and 2 kiddie pools,never lost a chicken.But did have one drown in my ornamental pond. Sides too steep and to deep. My ducks and chickens free range together. Some of the ducks choose to go into the house,but most choose the covered pond for bedtime.

 

[MissPrissy]

You would save yourself a lot of trouble by just keeping the ducks with the ducks and the chickens with the chickens. Ducks are water fowl chickens are not. Ducks are super messy. The wet and the water all the time. I won't do them again until I have a real pond. Cleaning a kiddie pool daily or every other day becomes a PITA. It also stinks. Nasty stink. Ducks love to poop in the water. Poop and poop and poop. i wouldn't want to eat my chickens or their eggs if they were drinking the duck pool water.

If a male duck takes a liking to your hens he will be relentless in his mating.

I would never put them together.

Just my 2 cents for what it's worth.

 

[greyfields]

I would brood them together for up to two weeks, then separate.

My ducks are trained to "go to bed" into a house at night. I just let them wander during the day and shut them in at night for their protection. I can't imagine training chickens to do the same.

 

[chickenranchwife]

I keep my ducks with my chickens and not a problem here.