Can you keep chickens and ducks together?

[Panhanle RIR]

as long as you have a rooster to protect the hens from the Drakes

my friend lost 2 hens to a Drake durring breeding season he tried to mate them

but then again i have an adult Chinese Gander in my flock and he dosent bother any chicken even the babies i think he thinks he is a chicken

 

[Cat Water]

Quote:
When you say "lost," do you mean he killed them? That would make me not want ducks anymore if they will kill my chickens!

 

[ShrekDawg]

I dont really know much about this stuff but they should be alright. Also, as to Panhanle RIR's post (and Cat Water's question), I think it does mean killed but I think they should be ok, just don't get a drake and/or have a roo to protect them and they should be alright... good luck!

 

[gryeyes]

Chickens don't have "parts" for mating; they just touch vents and insemination is accomplished.

Ducks have "parts" and if a drake attempts to mate with a chicken hen, he can seriously hurt her. So it's important for there to be a rooster to protect her, OR have one or more lady ducks to keep the drake happy with his own species.

So far, my solo drake is only interested in mounting his one duck lady friend.

 

[maple]

I have chickens, ducks, and 2 turkeys together. They free range in the day and put themselves away at night. One turkey did not come in one night and a coyote got him and my property butts up to a subdivision but the front of my property has pasture, feilds, and then woods off in the distance....so, though I thought it may happen....it never did during the 7 or so years I've had them up until a week or so ago. Goes with the territory though.

But anyway, I have a rouen drake, pekin female, thier offspring, and 3 mallards females and my drake rouen has mounted the pekin obviously, and now the mallards and also my chickens but all that's happened is some missing feathers like an rooster would do.

I have 3 kiddie pools for them and one of them I made an island with bricks (mostly when they were real little and wanted them to be able to get rest if they needed it and they still stand on it and flap and preen themselves). And mine like to run through the sprinkler with my kids.

 

[Cat Water]

So as long as my ducks are female, the chickens will be fine? I didn't want drakes anyway.

 

[Polskirock]

I have 3 duck and a bunch of chickens most are bantams. The ducks get along fine with all my chickens. Ducks are more sort of mean so I would not put chicks in with full ducks. My drakes get along just as well as my female ducks do with my hens.

 

[Kaitie09]

I had a Mallard pair living with the chickens, and they did fine for a while. However, they ended up killing 2, 8 week old EE pullets, plus about 4 chicks still coming out of eggs. All of the other chickens were bigger than them, so I think the fact they were smaller was the problem.

We ended up taking them to my uncle's farm where he has only ducks.

 

[gryeyes]

I have ducks and a pair of geese as part of my flock. Occasionaaly, a goose will pull a rooster's tail feathers when they try to break up a sexual encounter (they appear to believe mounting is some sort of "fight" and do not like conflict). The ducks hang together, but also mingle with the chickens. All sleep in the same huge coop (a transmorgrified garage).

In the afternoons, when everybody settles down for their siestas, the ducks sleep in amongst the napping chicken.

No problem in my flock with the different species.