Can ducks and poults share a brooder?

[Happy Camper]

I know ducks and poults should not eat medicated chicken starter and that need the same feed for the first weeks, but ... does this mean they can share a brooder?

I will have them hatch together and if I could have them together in the same brooder that would be great!

 

[JuicyFatHead]

I had this same question as this is my first year with turkeys. I read that poults are more fragile than chicks and ducklings. I would be worried about the poults getting too wet. I also read they are a bit slow to learn to drink and eat on their own at first. Some people raise meat chicks with the poults because they can learn to eat/drink that way. I plan to raise my male chicks with them as an experiment and see how it goes. I'm going to use one large tupperware ( I always use for the ducks) and separate the ducks from the rest. Two heat lamps. That's how I'm planning to work it out. Hope that helps!

 

[Happy Camper]

I had this same question as this is my first year with turkeys. I read that poults are more fragile than chicks and ducklings. I would be worried about the poults getting too wet. I also read they are a bit slow to learn to drink and eat on their own at first. Some people raise meat chicks with the poults because they can learn to eat/drink that way. I plan to raise my male chicks with them as an experiment and see how it goes. I'm going to use one large tupperware ( I always use for the ducks) and separate the ducks from the rest. Two heat lamps. That's how I'm planning to work it out. Hope that helps!

The thing is that I feed all my chicks medicated chick starter and neither ducks or poults can it medicated feed... I thought about then using non medicated for my chicks and having them coach the poults, but it would be too much of a risk for my chicks since the summer is coming and is the pick season for diseases where I live. I am hatching chicken, duck and turkey eggs at the same time.

I will probably end up separating the three in 3 different brooders (3 lamps

)...

 

[Happy Camper]

I had this same question as this is my first year with turkeys. I read that poults are more fragile than chicks and ducklings. I would be worried about the poults getting too wet. I also read they are a bit slow to learn to drink and eat on their own at first. Some people raise meat chicks with the poults because they can learn to eat/drink that way. I plan to raise my male chicks with them as an experiment and see how it goes. I'm going to use one large tupperware ( I always use for the ducks) and separate the ducks from the rest. Two heat lamps. That's how I'm planning to work it out. Hope that helps!

By the way... I have to mention you my FAVORITE show is Alaska the Last Frontier!!! My hubby and I can't get enough of it!!!! We love ALL Alaska and have learned a lot from that and other Alaska shows.

I have never seen snow (hahahaha) so the scenery just amazes me!!!

 

[Speceider]

I don'tb understand.....medicated starter is fine for ducks if it is amprolium...

 

[jdywntr]

I don'tb understand.....medicated starter is fine for ducks if it is amprolium...

Most people, myself included, don't recommend medicated feed for ducks because:
1: medication in feed (in the US) used to be dangerous to ducklings so it has been commonplace to say no medicated feed.
2: ducks are very unlikely to have a problem with coccidia (the target of the medication) unless they are kept in filth so why medicate if you don't need to.
3: this forum has members from around the world so knowing what type of medication is in the feed available to someone else is impossible so simply saying "no medicated feed" is easier.

 

[Mike Fronczak]

We did it for a week or two this spring. Problem I had is the ducks are messy brooder was constanly wet, I ended up seperating them before the chicks got sick. Moisture & heat lamp warmth seems like a good combination to breed issues.