Am I inviting trouble?

[Bark-Loud]

I was at home depot yesterday and I scored an 8 by 10 shed for an awesome price so I am going to build that and a large fenced in area for my girls instead of the small tractor coop I have now. We have the gravel laid for the new shed foundation but won't get to building it until next weekend. I suspect it will take at least a week to build. It won't be beautiful like the coops on here but hopefully it will be safe and spaceous! We currently have one Hamburg hen and one Rhode Island Red hen living in a tractor coop. The indoor tractor space is 4 by 4 by 4 high with a perch raised up 2 feet and a lower perch 6 inches off the ground and a nesting box. The outdoor fenced area is 8 by 4 by 2 high. I wheel it to a fresh patch of grass daily, and could move it twice daily if it would help.

A local lady is selling her male and female muskovy ducks and so I was thinking of adding them to my flock as I would love to have some baby ducklings! My only concern is that this lady would like me to pick up the ducks this week and I won't have the new coop built for at least 1-2 weeks. I only have the tractor coop to house them in until then. Does anyone have any thoughts on how it might go to have the 2 ducks added in with my Hamburg and Rhodie? I don't want them fighting and am worried it will be too close quarters....
If the consensus is I could give it a go I will try the hanging cd trick and placing a pop can in the coop for the hens to keep them distracted from picking on the ducks. If the consensus is not to risk it I will just wait and find other birds to add to the flock once the new coop is built...any thoughts would be appreciated.

 

[TheChips]

When you bring new members to your flock its best to keep them separate for observation to make sure theyre not sick.

Putting them into a small space with your hens will cause a fight and can be very dangerous. I think its best to wait til your shed and run are ready.

Some flock owners let the new and old members get acquainted with each other by keeping them separate for a few weeks. Putting food and water on opposite sides of the coops (if you have a smaller one you can put somewhere in there. Then have supervised visits frequently all together. Then when its ready for them to all be left alone, they can figure out the pecking order in a more specious environment.

Dont let the lady's eagerness hinder your decision on whats best for the ones you have now. It will be worth the wait.

I also bought a large shed for my chickens from Home Depot it is very specious 8 x 10. It can fit two coops in there (the ones they sell at tractor supply) and still have space to do what they do. And also have enough room on the floor to walk around. My husband put chicken wire under the foundation so predators cant get in. Out in their run there is 2-3 feet of chicken wire under the ground and all around. Its 98% safe.

I hope it works out for ya, keep us updated

 

[TheChips]

I hope i made sense, I got 5 hours of sleep last night and im running low on energy lol! This website can keep me entertained for hours there is so much to read! You will love this website. So many knowledgeable members on here, ive learned so much during the time ive been here

 

[Bark-Loud]

Thank you for the advice! You function well on limited sleep I told the lady with the ducks that I didn't feel safe bringing them home until the new coop is ready. I'm excited to get to building the new shed coop. Silly work taking up all my time!

 

[TheChips]

Post some photos when youre done! We'd all love to see it