Thinking about getting ducks

[sailorscowgirl]

Hello! New to BYC and thinking about getting Ducks. Live on a small farm with 7 chickens. I have a few questions for you experts. Never had ducks before and want really laid back breeds. Think we'll start with 4. So here's my questions.

1- chickens free range all day with access to feed and water. Kept in a coop at night. Hens are a year old. Can I put a ducky house in their existing coop? Will the hens and ducks get along? They're pretty nice and docile chickens.

2- thinking about 1 khaki Campbell, 1 welsh harlequin, 1 pekin and 1 Swedish. Is it ok to mix breeds like this? Want to try a variety. Also are these docile?? I don't like aggressive birds! Also I don't want breeds that will fly off or anything.

Thanks so much! And any other tips would be appreciated!!!

 

[jannakaye]

As long as you don't get a drake chickens and ducks go fine together.(if you do get a drake, I recommend separating them. If the drake tries to breed with the chickens he could hurt or even kill them.) I have a pekin and he follows me EVERYWHERE! They're also incapable of flight, so no flying south for the winter! I've never had any of the other breeds listed, but I think it would be fine to mix them. I've got a pekin and a muscovy and they get along great. Do you have a pond? If not, they'll need a kiddy pool or two to keep them happy. Good luck!

 

[jannakaye]

Oh, and welcome to BYC!

 

[Amykins]

Cayugas are known for being pretty chill. Call ducks are beyond adorable, and have been bred to be super-friendly and tame! ...But I'm obviously partial.

 

[Amiga]

For me, I would want to have ducks similar in size. I agree, I would not want a drake if you have chickens. With ducks, I have found they have their own personalities, and there are no guarantees if and how they will get along. At the same time, most flocks seem to work things out quite well.

 

[tnewton]

We have a mixed breed flock - one each of Welsh Harlequin, Black Swedish, Peking, Golden 300, Black Runner and Cayuga. They get along well together. The Peking and Black Swedish are larger than the others, though none of them are aggressive towards us. It seems that if you provide a comfortable place and lots of love, they are happy ducks!

 

[Ducks-love-me]

I have a swedish black duck with two mallards. Anyone considering getting ducks should defiantly go with a swedish black duck. They are so cute and super friendly!!!

 

[TLWR]

My ducks were afraid of the chickens. Now that it just one chicken, they get along much better now and they don't automatically get up and run when the chicken approaches. They are in the same pen during the day, but the chicken usually sticks reasonably close to the ducks when they are free ranging.

 

[Beratzlaff]

Anyone who is thinking about getting duck, I say YES! I love my ducks. They are adorable and super nice. Mine follow me around my back yard and come running across the yard when I feed them every morning. They can't fly so I just let them roam around my fenced half acre. I have a flock of mixed breeds and they all get along great but I agree with trying to get the ducks to be around the same size. I have 3 Cayugas, 1 Swedish blue and a khaki Campbell and the poor little khaki gets left out of the group a lot. Ducks are also super winter hearty but you do need to have enough water for them to be able to bathe in. If they cannot clean their faces they can suffocate on the oils that get built up in their nose.. and they get stinky and oily if they cant clean off under water. Some people will say that ducks are very dirty, yes and no. If they live on grass all their poop is very water soluble and what your sprinklers don't wash away you can just spay down and tada... you just fertilizer your yard. So overall, yes! Buy some ducks! You will love them and duck eggs and way better for you than chicken eggs!