Reviews by magicdave

Raising chickens involves 99% common sense. Chickens kept for eggs need to free range. They need to eat "bugs." Chickens are NOT herbivores. They are essentially a Carnivous omnivore. Mostly animal protein. They are afterall "Jungle Fowl." As soon as my chicks are fully feathered and they are really well imprinted on the sound of my voice they are allowed to run free with their "Mom." She teaches them how to survive. How to hide from the Red Tailed Hawks. How to outrun predators etc.
I saw a comment about insulating a coop that the chickens promptly ate. I live in Central Upstate N.Y. Winters here are long, snowy with often subfreezing temps and wind chills as cold as -30. My girls live in their coop that is all 3/4" plywood walls, floor, roof. No insulation is necessary. They are very hardy birds. If they need heat they are no use for me. My girls lay eggs year round and tgey are all Heritage breeds.

It has been my experience that mixing ducklings in with adult chickens may not work but raising chicks and ducklings together works. It is a good idea to pay close attention as the ducks normally grow much faster than the chickens. Aggressive ducklings may damages chicks. I use a broody hen to hatch fertile duck eggs. The very first brood that my hen "Sally" hatched out was interesting. She seemed to know they weren't chickens. Now 2 years later she still knows that those 4 Ancona ducks are her "children" and they recognize her as "Mom." Sally was really upset when 4 of her "children" were lost to a weasel. I am rebuilding my flocks. My Ancona ducks will be hatched in an incubator. My Speckled Sussex chickens (new breed for me) will be "1 day old" from a hatchery. I do plan to keep a Sussex rooster and incubate more Speckled Sussex that will be imprinted on me. Then my ducks and chickens will be very well imprinted on me. I will then sell my original chickens from the hatchery. It's just my preference. I know people that want socialized chickens that are already laying eggs so selling the adults will be easy. I enjoy training them to come when I call. That makes it easy to put them in their roost. It also allows "mobility" in case becoming nomadic is necessary.
My Ancona ducks come when I call. They are very tame to me but not other people. My chickens love all humans. They are shameless beggars but very friendly.
It is my opinion that recommended space requirements are absolute minimums. My duck house is 240 sq.ft.(12'x20') It houses 20 ducks and 4 drakes. Adding more ducks would be crowding them. I do not believe in crowding them. My 30 hens and 3 roosters have a coop that is 148 sq.ft.(12'x14') They have less space but are actually not crowded. When it is well below zero and the wind is howling it doesn't really affect the ducks but the chickens aren't happy. They huddle together to stay warm. My pasture is not really bug enough for 57 birds but the fence is only 40" high so the chickens free range the "neighborhood" which consists of huge pastures where black angus graze and huge hay fields. They automatically go to their roost late in the day but not the ducks. I have to walk them to their house and sing them a James Taylor song. The ducks are confined to a pasture that is approximately 6000 sq.ft. and I wish it was bigger. Space is really important for keeping really healthy birds. I eat raw eggs and raw duck meat often so free ranging and bug eating is absolutely necessary for my birds. Eating bugs prevents Salmonella. That's my story and I'm sticking to it .
Peace!
MagicDave
PS "Sally Two Toes" is still laying an egg every day year round at 5 years old. She is a Golden Comet.