Can chickens and ducks be raised and/or kept together?

[chickens really]

Very sorry it turned out that way......Strange and aggressive attack on your poor duck....I really hope she is okay?

All I can say is what has worked with my Ducks....

Could of been because yours still peeps and does not quack yet...? Chickens respond the same.....

 

[azjustin]

Could of been because yours still peeps and does not quack yet...? Chickens respond the same.....

Not all situations end up the same, we've tried many with all different types of poultry.

No, she quacks like a duck. Sounds like an old man yelling "WHAT?".

She did peep, I waited for the intro until she quacked (and was certain she was a she). Chickens peck and harass, this introduction was brutal and bloody.

 

[Ravynscroft]

I raise ducklings with chicks all the time... and have many odd BFF groups... 1 duck has a guinea and 2 Araucana pullets as her best friends... it can certainly work out fine, just as it can certainly not... never know until you try it... just as long as you watch out for any warning signals it should be fine...

 

[donrae]

I say brood them separate. Ducklings are such messes. Damp can be deathly for baby chicks.

After they're coop age, we've combined ducks and chickens with minimal problems. Now, I have a large coop and run, so there's no space issues. Feed is in the coop, water is out in the run. So, I don't have Wet Coop Syndrome or anything like that.

We used to have a kiddie pool for the ducks. Had one for years and no problems.

I don't know what it was about the chicks this year, but they were dumb little things I guess. I lost I think 4 to drowning

. Put a ramp in there, etc. So, out went the kiddie pool. We're down to one hen duck now, and she does just fine with a large Little Giant gravity waterer. I guess the pan is deep enough she can do her thing. She does make the pan very dirty, though.

Our ducks usually prefer to sleep in the run. I have 24/7 access between the coop and run, they decide where to sleep.

Ducks overall are more aggressvie than chickens. Drakes can be quite aggressive to other birds, and can even drown hens when trying to mate. That's unusual, but it can happen. So can a drake damaging a chicken hen when trying to mate. None of my roosters have ever stood up to a drake. I have enough space the chickens can run away, and enough duck hens to satisfy the drake.

If you're tight for space, I'd reconsider keeping them together. A separate pen may be best.

 

[MeepBeep]

Drakes can just be very aggressive...and then there's that drake anatomy thing that can cause problems.

This, they can be kept together and many people do... But, that doesn't mean it's always in harmony... A drake can cause serious injury to chicken hens if they attempt to mate... Male chickens aka cocks actually lack the body appendage of the same name, there is no penetration when chickens breed, it's all rub and bump, and thus hens bodies are not designed for penetration... Drakes are very, very well endowed (Google it up) and this can cause sever internal damage to hens, over and above being roughed up by the drake...

Ducks need water deep enough to rinse their nares(nostrils) swimming is a luxury.

The wet mess duck/lings make can be detrimental to chickens.

X2 the open water needs of ducks does not mix well with chickens... Ducks are beyond messy, they will splash water everywhere and do the mouth full of food swishing around the water leaving a ton of food particles in the water, this is not healthy for the chickens and can be a nightmare if you live somewhere that has freezing temps in a mixed coop...

 

[lazy gardener]

Could of been because yours still peeps and does not quack yet...? Chickens respond the same.....

Not so much. Many of us are finding that it's far easier to integrate chicks while they are still peeps. At that young age, they do not pose much threat to the pecking order, so are more often ignored after a cursory reminder of social protocol.

 

[chickens really]

Not so much. Many of us are finding that it's far easier to integrate chicks while they are still peeps. At that young age, they do not pose much threat to the pecking order, so are more often ignored after a cursory reminder of soc