Add two ducks to newly hatch chicks?

[aggiemae]

chicks have hatched in the past 24 hours. Lemon Yellow is still sitting the last two eggs and taking good care of her 4 chicks. Farm store is getting 24 hour old ducks tomorrow morning, can I put them under the hen?

We have a pond and a duck house.

 

[aggiemae]

Well...I guess I'll just pop two ducklings under Lemon and find out by trial...hopefully no error! She's a very enthusiastic mom. I see that one of the final two dark chicken eggs is pipping now, I was worried she would abandon them when i moved the lot into the utility room.

A broody was much easier than an incubator.

 

[aggiemae]

We decided to Acona ducks. We will get three of them at the end of May. Chicks and then are doing great in the utility room. We have six chicks because one egg ( New Hampshire Red?) had twins! The Maran egg did not hatch. Looks like it died at about 16 days... Hopefully we will get some hens...

 

[junebuggena]

Go ahead and try. Just remember that ducklings need a deep waterer so that they can dunk their heads in and flush their nares. A milk jug/carton or plastic coffee can work really well. You just cut in openings at the chest level of the ducklings.

 

[aggiemae]

We have a shallow well established pond. The chickens wade in it then they are hot.

 

[junebuggena]

We have a shallow well established pond. The chickens wade in it then they are hot.

Ducklings should not have access to a pond unless they are being raised by a duck. They will instinctively go swimming, but they don't have the abilities to produce the waterproofing oils yet. Momma ducks oil up their ducklings before taking them for a swim. Chickens don't have the instincts or abilities to do that.