Can you have different breeds of duck housed together?

[transformerchick]

We have runner ducks and ducklings and I am wondering, if like our different breeds of chickens, can I add a different duck breed to the mix? and specifically, can we put muscovies with the runners or could there be problems because of size difference? If they shouldn't be put together are there any suggestions of a different duck breed that can mix with the runners? thanks in advance for your advice!

 

[jdywntr]

The biggest problem with muscovy and runners would be the size difference. If you had a muscovy drake and runner hens, he could injure them with mating as he will be 2-3X their size. If you were to get muscovy females, it may work.

Similar size breeds are what is improtant.

 

[The Howards]

I have no experience with runners but maybe this can help anyways. We have a completely mixed flock. 7 different breeds of chickens (1 of each all different sizes), 3 Rouens, 2 Muscovys, and 1 Pekin. Ours all live together in a large pen. Currently 5 chickens have a house all alone, the Rouens and the Pekin have a house, and 2 chickens (bantams) and 2 Muscovys share a house. At then end of this week they will all be living in the same house together. The 4 ducks sleep on the floor but the Muscovys like to perch sometimes to sleep. Luckily for us we have all girls. I have read the drakes can be kind of aggressive with their mating so this would be the only thing I would think you might have problems with.
I would not add ducklings into the flock until they have some size on them and can defend themselves against the others. Chickens and ducks can go after babies, killing them. If you have a broody that will take the babies under her wings then she will protect them. I can tell you that it seems, with our flock at least, it took the ducks a lot longer to be accepting of new additions than it did the chickens. Ducks by nature seem (to me) to be very nervous of new things and slow to adjust, but there are always exceptions to the rules...

 

[transformerchick]

Thanks for your answers and it was as I thought - if I keep them together it should only be females as the muscovies would be too big.