Backyard ducks?

[islandgal]

Hiya!

I'm hoping to get a few hens to keep in a chicken tractor in the backyard (they would be let out to forage when I'm around) and am seriously tempted to get a duck as well. Have any of you kept chickens and ducks together- how did it go? I would get all the chicks/ducklings at once and raise them together. Duckies would have access to a kiddie pool when in the yard.

What breed of duck would be good for the suburbs? Calm, quiet, friendly, etc. I don't want to irritate the neighbors.
If I only get one duckling with my few chicks, will it socialize with them, or do I need to get two? I don't want it to be lonely. Are drakes noisier, if I decide to get two ducks? I won't have a rooster- they're allowed, but I am trying to stay low on the neighbor-irritating scale.

What other advice would you give to a first time duck owner, mixing them with chickens, in a small backyard?

Thank you so much for your help!

~IslandGal~

 

[FCFarms]

I'll let others chime in on this too but in my personal experience it is not ideal to keep chicks and ducks together when they are little because ducks are very messy when they are little and even more when they get bigger. You can put them together once they start getting bigger but for brooding I would never keep mine together. My ducks and chickens usually get along, if they don't it's the chickens bothering the ducks and not the other way around. In terms of neighbor friendly ducks your best bet is going to most likely be muscovies. They are pretty big but they are very very quiet (boys sound like they are hissing all the time) and they don't need a lot of water like other ducks do so your water source doesn't have to be as big and won't get as dirty since they won't be mucking it up constantly. I would make sure to have 2 ducks as well in case things don't work out with getting along with the chicks.

If you do muscovies for your ducks you may be able to get away with brooding them together since they are not as water obsessed but you would have to keep an eyes on things and make adjustments if you need to. I hope others chime in as we have had ducks for many many years but only recently acquired 2 muscovies. They are pretty cool though!

 

[cluckcluckluke]

I had many chickens then thought.....DUCKS!.lol.

I have only had them for a short time but they get on fine, no fighting. The ducks get their own sleeping coop and they have a small pond which they love. I put water in feed in a bowl for the ducks and some feed to the chickens. The chickens and ducks eat what ever they feel like.

 

[eggorthechicken]

This is my first year with ducks and chickens together. They have intermingled well and hang out together. I have anconas and they are pretty calm for ducks I think.

I didn't brood mine together because they ARE messier...they like WET and they don't need the heat like chicks do. They get big quick too so they were ready to go out in a few weeks. They sleep on the lower part of the coop and the chickens are on the top. So far so good. I would have more than one duck though...they stick together pretty tight.

They aren't loud...my hens are definitely louder. I LOVE to watch my ducks! They love to be squirted with the hose and come running when I turn the water on. They are so funny!

 

[islandgal]

I hadn't considered mucovies because they are in the "large" class. My chicken tractor is going to be a 4x7 coop on top of a 4x7run. They would be allowed to roam the fenced yard whenever i was home, but not more than that. Can a muscovy fit comfortably in that?? Especially if I need two of them, along with 2-3 chicks.. ayyayay. I need a bigger yard!

I was tentatively thinking the "light" class welsh harlequin. Are they fairly calm?

And- If I need to get two ducks, is one male one female okay, or will he pester her too much? I'll have 2-3 hens but no rooster.

Thanks for all the advice! Y'all are awesome!

 

[Miss Lydia]

I hadn't considered mucovies because they are in the "large" class. My chicken tractor is going to be a 4x7 coop on top of a 4x7run. They would be allowed to roam the fenced yard whenever i was home, but not more than that. Can a muscovy fit comfortably in that?? Especially if I need two of them, along with 2-3 chicks.. ayyayay. I need a bigger yard!

I was tentatively thinking the "light" class welsh harlequin. Are they fairly calm?

And- If I need to get two ducks, is one male one female okay, or will he pester her too much? I'll have 2-3 hens but no rooster.

Thanks for all the advice! Y'all are awesome!

You do not want to keep a drake in with chicken hens, when he becomes sexually mature he will mate with them and it is a death sentence for the hens, ducks and chickens are not made to mate but someone for got to tell the drakes.

 

[islandgal]

Haha. Poor things. I will try to get only girls, then. ..Are girl ducks called hens too? Hmm.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Haha. Poor things. I will try to get only girls, then. ..Are girl ducks called hens too? Hmm.

Some call them hens but actually it's drake= male duck and duck for female.

 

[islandgal]

Thanks miss lydia! Interesting trivia. I wonder why they don't have a unique term.

 

[TLWR]

I have a welsh harlequin - she is pretty laid back considering she was raised with 2 slightly nuts runners. She's pretty quite too. But then, mine are typically only loud if the food bowl is empty.