Brand new to ducks

[wwarren8200]

Im thinking about buying some ducklings this spring. What all do I need to know? Breeds? Coops? Etc. also can I keep them with my chickens?

 

[needlessjunk]

What do you want ducks for? Pets, eggs, ducklings, looks? There are some people that keep them with chickens and others that think it's a bad idea. It depends on your setup and your ducks and chickens. Have you checked out the sticky? That is full of information. I would also suggest getting a book on ducks.

 

[Jessica89]

I would also suggest buying a book.. it has been a big help for me!
I love my ducks, I have two Cayuga's and two Saxony ducks. I personally love the Cayuga breed.
I had them from a few days old so they are friendly and not too noisy!

Ducks are a lot messier tan chickens.. I have to clean their coops every day or every other day as water and poo goes everywhere!
I wouldn't be without though!

 

[buff goose guy]

Well you'll need a water source and if you get medium to heavy weight ducks and have more than 6 I'd recommend a pond but some people use kitty pools, but that means you have to clean it everyday.

Ducks are messy and do best in wet environments like literally wet all the time. with this you have healthier ducks and healthier eggs. Id recommend a large coop if you dont get bantam ducks . what ever you get some chicken feed isnt good for ducks, ducks need duck food not chicken food. youll need to have them up at night becuase sometimes ducks can get loud and they can attract predators.

 

[jtn42248]

I have two flocks of ducks. One small (4 ducks) that share a range area with my chickens with no problem. In fact, they are afraid of the chickens for some reason. My other is a larger breeding flock of 16 Cayugas that are in an area of their own to prevent cross breeding.

If you can not get duck or waterfowl feed you can use chicken feed but make sure it is NOT medicated. Try, if no duck feed is available, to get a mixed flock poultry feed. Most feed stores, Tractor Supply, etc. have at least one brand available if not more.

As others have said, ducks are messy. They need water available any time there is food available. They really should have something they can swim around in (pond, large kiddie pool) they need shade in the heat of summer and shelter in the cold of winter and they need a pen/coop to be in at night to keep them safe from predators. They love to muck down into any little puddle that exists so your run/range will rapidly begin to resemble a lunar landscape. They poop out anything they eat within 20 minutes of eating it and their poop is not like a chickens...you can not just rake it up.

Most importantly they need the companionship of another/other ducks. A lone duck is a very lonely creature indeed. If you get more than one plan/manage your flock. One drake to at least 4 females is most comfortable. If you have not seen duck sex look at some YouTube videos first. Duck sex is not pretty and they are often referred to as the rapist of the bird world. Two drakes will fight one another no matter if there are ample females or not. It is something they do. So get more than one duck but plan what you get as best as you can.

And good luck to you. I love my ducks. They are silly and sweet. But, knowing what I know now about ducks I am not really sure I would not have gotten more geese instead.

 

[wwarren8200]

Thanks for the help!

 

[smonkeySK]

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/750869/raising-and-caring-for-ducklings

Usefulness in this thread

The easiest way to keep chucks and ducks together is to raise them together from hatch - but this isn't easy as ducklings are very messy and soak everything with water in the blink of an eye! Not good when chicks can get seriously ill from those conditions.
Basically it boils down like this - it's possible, but you have to clean and dry the brooder a ridiculous amount every couple of hours.
Now that you've been put off - I've done it myself and it's something I would do again as having one happy group is better than having West Side Story with poultry!
The only real no-no's are letting your drake mate with chickens as his tackle can do them serious damage.
Separate coops are the best way!

Whether you keep them together or separately; I heartily recommend ducks - especially if you are getting them as pets, though many duck breeds are more proficient layers than chickens to boot (my Campbells lay practically all year round, rarely missing a single day - it's a ruddy big egg too!)