Can a Duck and a Rooster Live Together?

[Barry Natchitoches]

Can a duck and a rooster live together in harmony?


I'm thinking in terms of a companion for a rooster who is living alone right now.


No, we cannot give him a hen for a companion. He'd mount her so much that he'd probably injure or even kill her. Roosters need many hens, not a single hen, and we cannot provide that for him.


But I got to thinking -- could a duck provide him companionship without being subject to repeated "mounting?"


Could a duck live with him in his 8 foot by 3 foot by 2 foot high chicken tractor? We let him out to free range in our back yard during the day, and can do that for the duck as well. But at night they would need to sleep together in the chicken tractor. Also, in the worst of winter when it is too cold and wet for the birds to be let out, we would need to confine the two together in the heated chicken tractor together all day as well as night, maybe even for several days in a row. Could a duck and a mild mannered rooster co-exist like that?


And if so, would a male or female duck be a better companion for him?

 

[NanoByte]

Definitely not.

The duck will be bullied by the rooster and will be scared. The rooster will be aggressive.

 

[SeaHen]

I don't understand why you think a duck or drake would make a better companion for your rooster than a hen, and I disagree that a rooster needs many hens as opposed to one or two. With that said, I do have a rooster and a drake that hang out together. I also have roosters living with one another in complete harmony. I've discovered that drakes will mount hens, roosters will mount ducks, and every other variation of that theme you can imagine. I would get the poor guy a friend of his own species.

 

[orionburn]

I think every flock is different. Our pair of Mille Fleur are somewhat unique compared to our other birds. The roo is very protective of her, but he does not over mount her. Since our MF hen hatched out some eggs they've been doing just fine as a little family in their pen. They've always stuck together and roost next to one another in the same part of the coop by themselves. It's going to come down to how aggressive your roo is. If he's mild tempered he might be ok with just one hen, but you'd have to keep a close eye on them to see how he reacts.

 

[Maryvill1996]

How many hens dose a roster need

 

[ChasingChooks]

Around 10, I think