Adding ducks to chickens?

[xx4truexx]

I have two very nice black sexlink hens, they are a year old. I just got two baby chicks(not to sure on what kind) and two Peking ducklings. What should I know about introducing ducks to the older hens and new chicks to the older hens? I know I should wait until they are bigger and try and keep them in a separate run to play in during the day so they can see each other. The hens free range the yard. I have already built the ducks house for when they are ready to move outside. The ducks are growing so fast! I hope to have them all eventually free ranging the yard. Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks

 

[Haunted55]

I have all kinds of ducks and chickens here. For the most part, the ducks stay with the ducks and geese and the chickens stay with the chickens and turkeys. Different priorities, lol.

For introducing the chicks to the older hens, your best bet is to have an area or dog crate, whatever, where you can house the chicks with the hens as soon as they're old enough to go out. While the hens are ranging, have the chicks out in the chicken run, then returning them to their enclosure before the hens come in at night. It can take a couple of weeks to get them familiar with each other and there can still be the 'pecking order' to get through once you add them in.

I do have a concern about the ducks. Pekins are for the most part a ground bird. They can't fly even as well as a chicken. Because of this, they are prime predator bait. I let my chickens out to range when I am home and can be there to keep an eye on things. The rest of the time they are in a roofed run with a dusting box. It keeps them happy and safe. My ducks and geese on the other hand are never allowed out of their covered enclosure unless I can be right there in the yard with them. Hawks, coyotes, dogs, you name it, they all like duck. I've had quite a few close calls with hawks during this past year even being right there with them. I would urge you to rethink allowing the ducks out unsupervised. It really is an accident waiting to happen.

 

[xx4truexx]

hey thanks for the info! I never planned on letting the ducks free rang until they were pretty much full grown, and only during the daylight hours, I have a duck house to put them in at night that can be locked up, but if that might still be a problem then maybe I will have to make a permanent run for them...thats not a real problem, I just want them to have plenty to explore if they can

 

[jdywntr]

Did you buy sexed ducklings or straitght run? My concern is that you will end up with one or two drakes and with such a small number of birds, any drakes will, most likely, try to breed with your chickens which is dangerous/deadly for the chicken.

Introducing slowly by allowing the older birds to see the younger is best. Within sight but no contact.

Okay, your in NPR ( I moved from Pinellas about a year ago) but are you suburban so you just have a "yard" or do you have more land available for them?

If it is a yard and you have a good amount of shade trees, I would be less concerned about winged predators. If whatever area they are in is open, I'd be more concerned and offer them a good amount of covered area. I'm in the country now and I have my Pekin growing out with some chicks outside. They have about 1/3 acre with a bit (closest to their house/coop) covered with bird netting. In my experience, winged predators can vary greatly in their boldness. Here, the hawks do not come close to the coops but I have lost chickens out in open pasture and 1 along the tree line. I have heard that suburban hawks tend to be more bold in their attempts. So, you'll need to watch that.

Again, my biggest concern would be potential drakes.

 

[xx4truexx]

well I do not know if they were sexed, I got them from Animal House in st pete...I did not plan on letting them out until I knew that much and until they were almost fully grown, I am in between rural and suburbs, I have 1/2 acre of fenced in yard...the older chickens have never had a problem out in the yard during the day, and we put them up at night. The only thing we have had is one chicken got killed one night cause something got in the coop, we think it was an opossum...since then we have re enforced the coop. I have a duck coop already built for the ducks when they are ready for night time, I see hawks around here but they have never bothered my girls. My cats are out in the yard too but have never bothered with the chickens. Right now I let the ducks play in a temporary pen i threw together while I watch over them for some outside fun time.
...here is a pic of them in it, haha the tire stack next to it has the baby chicks in it...and here is a pic of the house I have made for them...
and the top part is the chicken coop...
and here is where I keep the babies inside...
they can swim around in the cat carrier part, this keeps their splashy mess contained and its easy to clean...i just dump the water in the garden...and here are the chicks...
in a fish tank for now hehe

 

[xx4truexx]

while they are in the outside pen the older chickens like to dust themselves in the sand right next to the pen, they dont seem to pay them any attention, they do how ever puff up when they hear the chicks peep

 

[Haunted55]

hey thanks for the info! I never planned on letting the ducks free rang until they were pretty much full grown, and only during the daylight hours, I have a duck house to put them in at night that can be locked up, but if that might still be a problem then maybe I will have to make a permanent run for them...thats not a real problem, I just want them to have plenty to explore if they can

Oh they will love to be outside with you. Lol. The attacks I have had, have been when I have been right there with them. Not 10' away, not sitting on a deck or porch and them in the yard....right there amongst them with my staff in hand. Now my situation is probably different than yours, I live in the middle of the woods. My closest neighbor, my son, is 1/4 mile down the hill from me and the next is 1/4 mile away from him. We are in the boonies. I have hawks, bear, coyotes, raccoon, fishercat, owls, eagles....you name it I got it, lol. Lions and tigers and bears, oh my! the normal calling between my ducks seems to be a dinner bell for whatever is closest. Fortunately, there are laws that protect these predators. Yes you read that correctly, even if one of these happens to grab one of my birds, which did happen here not too long ago, https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/759665/name-that-bird Something like this leaves you shaking for a long while afterwards, believe me. Take a real good look at the claws on that bird.....that is what you are up against and if I hadn't 'swung it and wung it' as I did, those claws could have been either killing my bird or tearing my face apart as happened to a friend of my husband. And yes, I was entirely within the law with my actions.

Did you buy sexed ducklings or straitght run? My concern is that you will end up with one or two drakes and with such a small number of birds, any drakes will, most likely, try to breed with your chickens which is dangerous/deadly for the chicken.

Introducing slowly by allowing the older birds to see the younger is best. Within sight but no contact.

Okay, your in NPR ( I moved from Pinellas about a year ago) but are you suburban so you just have a "yard" or do you have more land available for them?

If it is a yard and you have a good amount of shade trees, I would be less concerned about winged predators. If whatever area they are in is open, I'd be more concerned and offer them a good amount of covered area. I'm in the country now and I have my Pekin growing out with some chicks outside. They have about 1/3 acre with a bit (closest to their house/coop) covered with bird netting. In my experience, winged predators can vary greatly in their boldness. Here, the hawks do not come close to the coops but I have lost chickens out in open pasture and 1 along the tree line. I have heard that suburban hawks tend to be more bold in their attempts. So, you'll need to watch that.

Again, my biggest concern would be potential drakes.

Oh...I agree with this so very much!!! Too many drakes can be a huge problem, whether it is with chickens or ducks. If you hit it right and have a duck and a drake, you will still need to watch and stop any 'bad' behavior. Pekins are, shall we say...over sexed? I've had a really bad experience with Pekins here because I was ignorant of their needs. Don't get me wrong, they are a fun and great duck to have, but you need to be aware of their idiosyncrasies and have a plan in waiting,

 

[xx4truexx]

 

[Haunted55]

Sweet babies! Those look like the Grand Pekin duck. They are going to get big, almost double the size of the regular Pekin. For right now, it may be okay, but later on you will see that you'll need to have seperate housing and areas for them.

 

[xx4truexx]