Adding a duck! (Or Goose?)

[BantyChooks]

Aren't ducks really messy though?

Geese are too. Dumped water everywhere. If anything, they're worse due to their size.

Muscovies don't like water near so much so they might be a better choice.

 

[chickens really]

This is my take on Keeping the two species housed together..It might not work...My Ducks Hate my Chickens and chase them at every opportunity...I have a mesh fence that separate even during free range time...Ducks are messy, then messy again...Its like a litter of puppies and a bowl of water on the floor...Messy...Drakes have a penis and during breeding season and high hormones, Drakes are not picky....Can kill a chicken if he breeds it..
Have a plan B in place if things go sideways...I almost took in 7 rescue Calls last week that were housed with Chickens that were being pecked...They went to another rescue Lady though...Phew...

 

[Sara Ranch]

I have Pekins and Khaki Campbells. Pekins are louder than the Campbells.

The ducks were very messy when they were inside as young ones. Their poop stinks. I had both chickens and duckie babies in the house in the same room. They had separate spaces. The duck's side was always wet. No matter what I did, they got it WET. Chickens don't handle having wet feet or being in wet conditions well over a long period of time.

I moved the duckies into their own duck house. I have the back 1/3 of the house set up for them with sand. (A 2x4 board holds the sand back there.) The duckies nest and poop in the back 1/3 on the sand. Occasionally, as they are running out of the house, they will poop on the wood floor. Drop a little sand on it, easy to clean up. The duck house does NOT stink or smell badly.

I don't put food or water in the duck house.

After the dogs have made sure the area is clear of predators, I let the duckies out in the morning very close to sunrise. They go back in about 20 minutes before sunset.

They have a 5' pool. This morning they broke the thin layer of ice on the water to go play in the pool. They LOVE playing in the pool!

The duckies free range with 27 chickens. I don't have any problems. When the baby chickens were starting to spend time outside, the ducks were very protective of them. (The babies were in exercise kennels/make shift safe spaces.) The babies would occasionally get out. Ok, my fav little chicken got out multiple times a day and would come looking for me. Ducks protected them, watched over them, and sometimes herded them. The baby chickens are now in their own coop. My duckies go visit with them daily, as well as visit with the other animal flocks. They still free range with the 27 chicken.

** My layers and my babies are in open fenced runs for their protection and so it's not Easter egg hunt every day. They can, and have, gotten out to totally free range. They return on their own and usually prefer to stay with the other girls. The roosters free range.

I don't have any experience with geese other than seeing them at Polyface Farms in VA. They use geese instead of roosters to protect the laying hens. I've heard they are great chicken protectors. (My ducks are too.) I would like to eventually get some geese. I am still learning about the different breeds, care, etc.

Let us know what you decide.

Edited to correct a word and add some clarification.

 

[CarleeAnn]

Ohh ok. By small, how small do you mean? I have the quail run, but it may be too small. I'll tell you the dimensions later.

I wouldn’t feel too comfortable if my ducks had much less space than they do now, so my personal suggestion is any arrangement of a 9x9 (12x6, 18x3....) just be a good judge since you’re only having two! Of course in my run their pond and coop take up space.

I can’t find any “professional” recommendations for sqft pet duck outside, only recommended coop sizes (which is 3-5sqft in the coop). Speaking of that though, I don’t know the exact dimensions of my ducks coop- but ifs it’s big enough for the to stand upright and have a good 4-6 inches between them (even though they typically snuggle together) your coop should be fine, if they free range that is! Of course if they will be in the coop more than overnight you would want to allow more room. Also, in the coop overnight you don’t need to provide food or water to adult ducks.

 

[chickens really]

Ducks don't Roost..Muscovy do though but not needed..I have 7 Call in this shed. it's 8x5 and my run is 10x10..Ducks don't require as much space if allowed free range time..My Ducks do great with confinement..

 

[Duckworth]

I like my Welsh Harlequin duck hens. They are not very noisy and prolific layers. I second the wet and messy part, though with adequate space, it's not too bad.

 

[poultry person]

Sebastopol geese are really friendly to chickens and people.

 

[Coturnix Quail]

After reading through, I have a few questions. I have hawks, foxes, coons, and skunks. I do NOT let my chickens free range. 1, I live near a forest that doesn't have any fencing and I did have one who wandered away once, but she did come back. I usually watch them and let them in the garden for 30 minutes to an hour when the weather is warm. So, if I were to get a duck/goose, would I be able to let them range in the garden without supervision? 2, is sand ok to use as bedding for ducks? 3, do ducks/geese eat scraps like chickens do? 4, should I put up a breed poll? 5, are some ducks/geese cuddly like some chickens? I don't even know where to start, so lets break this into chunks.

 

[chickens really]

Nothing is safe from predators..Ducks and Geese are nothing like Chickens...

 

[poultry person]

I will leave my geese out for as long as an hour unsupervised if they see anything they will honk at it and\or try to scare it away. Hawks won't get them (depending on the size) a fox will try but geese are tough.