Are you keeping, or have you kept, a mixed bird flock? Pro/Con

[woodmort]

There is a thread on mixed breeds of chickens but how about mixing types of birds?

At one time or another I have kept and housed chickens, ducks, geese and guineas together in the same flock. Since my primary goal is chickens I have found that the other birds could cause problems.

I sold off all my ducks after a couple of years because they were just too messy in the coop, especially over the winter. They need a constant water supply which meant constantly cleaning the coop to dry it, Same with the geese which were rehomed after a single season. Whereas chickens tend to stay together in a flock the geese were all over the place and not careful where they left traces. Plus geese were really tough to round up in the evening to force back into the coop.

Guineas pretty much were okay except they will sometimes harass the chickens--when they aren't chasing each other. Also they tend to be dumb about predators making them tough to house at night. Often I have to wait until after dark to close the pop door to be sure that those going in have done so, At one point I had 17 but lost all but one to various predators, most during the night when they decided to roost in trees rather than go inside. BTW guineas are also loud so if you have close neighbors they might not be too tolerant.

Consequently I'm down to just chickens and happier about it.

 

[Roo5]

That’s what I’ve noticed,chicken sare just so simple.Whilist I am keeping ducks,Inlower my numbers to four and nothing more then that,use to have over ten,disaster.I also had geese they were actually great.Simple to put up and Greta grazers and alright egg production,I would get at least two geese again.Never kept guneas but have only heard bad things,I personally want some, just to see if our tick issues really calm down.Have also kept turkeys,only two due tot he size and they made great pets and weren’t all too bothersome nor difficult.
I now have 16 chicks and 4 ducklings and the ducks already have destroyed the brooder within two weeks.

 

[woodmort]

Either we have a real hot bed of ticks or guineas are too busy eating something else but in 4 years of keeping them, I really didn't notice a difference. Cats managed to bring in just as many ticks and I picked up my usually 3 or 4 in a summer until I went to wearing Insect Shield clothing.

 

[danceswithronin]

I've only kept chickens because all of the other poultry has some kind of limiting factor that doesn't work for me as a suburbanite with limited space who is depending on the goodwill of their very close neighbors. Ducks are too messy. Geese are too noisy (and potentially aggressive). Pheasants/partridges are too escapey (and expensive for things that like to escape). Guineas are WAY too loud.

I do really want to do a quail hutch at some point, but my flock of chickens is getting so large I already have to dedicate a lot of time to them, and while I can find people to pet-sit my chickens if pressed, quail are an entirely different matter. The closer a livestock animal is to behaving like a "wild" animal, the harder it is to get someone who is confident enough to take care of it in your absence.

My concern with quail also is that many chicken diseases are communicable to quail, and while chickens have the immune systems to fight them off, they will potentially decimate the quail. So that's something to consider for me, since the only convenient way for me to keep them together would be to literally keep them together (the hutch inside the chicken house or directly behind it in the chicken run itself.

 

[Kuntry Klucker]

Hi, I have a mixed bird flock. For the longest time I just had one breed but as of late decided that I wanted to keep different breeds.

I love the diversity that a mixed breed flock adds to my yard. The different colors and so forth are very pleasant to look at.

I also like the fact that I get to keep different breeds and get to know the differences among them behaviorally.

I guess one of the cons of having mixed breed flock is the special care that some breeds might require. Silkies and Polishes for example. These breeds are very nice, but they do require a bit of special care that say your RIR may not need.

I guess it depends on how involved you want to be with your flock. If you have the time to tend a flock with some breeds that need special care, then a mixed breed is probably a fun idea. If you would rater keep it simple, then maybe pick a breed that is low maintenance.

As for me, I started with Buff Orphingtons and as my hobby grew I wanted to add some more rare and different breeds. I currently have several breeds. Below is a link to my blog and the breeds that I currently have.

https://thekuntryklucker.blog/meet-the-flock/

For me a mixed breed flock is the way to go. I love observing the differences among the breeds and the unique personalities that they possess.

Here is a pic of my chicken yard and all the girls out and about.

 

[50-45-1]

If you are talking mixing breeds of chickens, that is all i have done for 50 years. The only breeds i avoid are silkys(love them but they seem to get picked on alot and have trouble getting up on the roosts) and anything with a top knot. (There limited vision makes them easier prey).
I have guineas now and dont see a day when i dont have them. They really help with preditor sighting and clue my dogs to threts faster.
I have had ducks and geese and turkeys, but enjoy chickens more.

 

[arrowti]

My family keeps ducks and chickens in the same run, but they both have separate coops. I'm an oddball that prefers the ducks over the chickens and if I had to pick just one, I'd pick the ducks. I rarely have any issues with fighting, and usually that's just when I add new birds to the flock that think the ducks are part of their pecking order (and they soon learn otherwise).

Sure, ducks are messy, but they're so much nicer and all get along.