any help with my dumb questions?

[ChucktheChick]

Ok, new to ducks. Hopefully my questions are ok! Any help? Thanks y'all!

When do ducks start laying?

When do ducks start getting grown up feathers in?

When can you tell a boy (drake?!?) From a girl (hen?!?)

How can you tell the difference between gender?

Can I keep my chickens and ducks together?

Thanks everyone. I appreciate it!

 

[Chicken Master1]

yes, you can keep chicks and ducks together or at least I could. To tell a male from a female type in "How to tell the sex of my chicks." That will show you but I'm getting ducklings this year too and other than that thats all that i can tell you. I hope this helps.

p.s. the video you will watch might shock you at some points.​

 

[SD Bird Lady]

Ok, new to ducks. Hopefully my questions are ok! Any help? Thanks y'all!

When do ducks start laying?
Around 7 months depending on the breed/ individual
When do ducks start getting grown up feathers in?
By about 6 weeks they are feathered enough to be outdoors as long as they have shelter
When can you tell a boy (drake?!?) From a girl (hen?!?)
By about 5-6 weeks you can get a pretty good idea by the quack. Girls have a very loud QUACK while boys sounds low and raspy. Hard to describe but when you can compare the two it is pretty obvious.
How can you tell the difference between gender?
The Drakes will get a curl on their tail the females will remain straight.
Can I keep my chickens and ducks together?
Yes, however ducks are very messy so I recommend brooding them seperate and not keeping water inside the coop only outside where it can be muddy and dry easier.
Thanks everyone. I appreciate it!

Hope this helps, this is all for mallard derived breed not muscovy.

 

[ChucktheChick]

Thank you so much SD Bird Lady! As you said it is for mallards, I have a khaki Campbell, a cagya (sp?) And an anacona. Will this apply to them too?!? As I said, I am very thankful for your reply.

 

[SD Bird Lady]

I have Cayugas as well They are wonderful birds. Yes, everything will apply to all 3 of those breeds. Also, with the Khaki Campbell you will be able to tell its gender by the coloration.

 

[jdywntr]

Ok, new to ducks. Hopefully my questions are ok! Any help? Thanks y'all!

When do ducks start laying? 6-7 months typically but it depends on time of year. If they are very young now you may not get eggs until spring as they usually won't start laying during the short days of late fall/winter.

When do ducks start getting grown up feathers in? They will start growing in at 1-2 weeks and should be fully feathered by 8 weeks.

When can you tell a boy (drake?!?) From a girl (hen?!?) Yes, drake and hen (some say duck). Voice at 3-8 weeks but not 100% accurately because they can both make similar sounding noises until they are a bit older. Drake feathers (tail curls) will come in at 4-5 months and is the only sure way with some breeds as there is not a great difference in appearance. Males will be larger.
How can you tell the difference between gender?
See above. You will want to have a plan in mind in case you end up with more than 1 male. 2 males and 1 female is not a good ratio to have and can be dangerous for the female.
Can I keep my chickens and ducks together?
Maybe. Have a back up plan. I agree they shouldn't be brooded together. They can be next to each other and seeing and interacting will help with transition. A lot will depend on what genders you end up with. Drakes will try to breed chickens if there are not enough ducks available. This is dangerous/deadly for the chicken as they are not anatomically compatible.
Thanks everyone. I appreciate it!

Thank you so much SD Bird Lady! As you said it is for mallards, I have a khaki Campbell, a cagya (sp?) And an anacona. Will this apply to them too?!? As I said, I am very thankful for your reply.

Khaki Campbells, Cayugas, and Anconas are all derived from mallards.

 

[ChristineR]

I personally wouldn't keep ducks and chickens together, but some people do. They really have different needs and to accomodate both, I think you have to make compromises that aren't in the best interests of one or both of them.

In an ideal situation, ducks need deep enough water to dunk their whole head to clear their nares. They can get eye infections ("foamy eye") if they don't have clean water to dunk their heads, too. They make a big mess with water. Chickens should be kept in a drier environment.

There is also the disease factor to consider. Someone else on BYC recently wrote a good article about her experience with that:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/just-the-facts-avian-influenza

 

[SD Bird Lady]

I think keeping them together depends a lot on how many you have. I have 10 chickens with 3 ducks and havne't had problems. It is a compromise but mine are all free range so only really sleep together at night. The ducks get a baby pool, which the chickens do drink from too (they have fresh but seem to prefer the tainted duck water). They could possibly drown, but I have a pool for the kids anyway so any chicken that is going to drown in a pool doesn't need to pass on their genetics. The ducks sometimes get pooped on at night but that is nothing water won't fix. In the winter I set out a heated dog dish and they all use that ( we acutally have 3 around the yard for cat, dog, chickens, or ducks)The ducks do make a mess now and again but it is outiside for a reason. As for feed I tend to change from layer pellets to all flock depending on sales. Some will not agree on that but they eat mostly what they find roaming around and it is just to fill their bellies and possibly even out some vitamin deficiency. I always figure variety is the spice of life and by not changing their diet at all they do become sensitive to change. I also have a rooster and drake and don't want them on layer feed all the time. I have not had any problem with soft or weak shells. In the summer I also put minnows in the baby pool it is comical!