can you keep ducks and chickens together?

[terriw]

Reading through this I was wondering if they can free range ok but have different coops? I have 11 hens and 2 roosters. I was thinking about getting 2 ducks to start off with.

 

[blecky slars]

Do I need to worry about the baby chicks drowning in the duckling's pool? Should I wait to fill it til the chicks are grown a bit or have it above ground so they don't fall in? or will the chicks just naturally stay out of it? I am assuming a duck can basically go in at birth. We are getting ours today, and now I am getting excited/nervous!

 

[NH-Chooks]

Do I need to worry about the baby chicks drowning in the duckling's pool? Should I wait to fill it til the chicks are grown a bit or have it above ground so they don't fall in? or will the chicks just naturally stay out of it? I am assuming a duck can basically go in at birth. We are getting ours today, and now I am getting excited/nervous!

Sadly, yes, blecky slars, and we had this experience just recently out in the chicken/duck area. We thought the baby chicks (there were two) were safe w/the mother BUT one of the babies jumped up on the mother, into the water, and drowned.

At first we could not figure out how it got in until we watched the other baby climb up on its mothers back. So do be careful. We keep the mother and her chick(s) separate at night but let them roam together during the day as they are free ranged here w/the ducks.

By the way... baby ducks CANNOT go in the water from birth unless raised by the mother duck! It takes them up to 4 weeks to start creating the oil for their feathers that protects them.

The ducks will grow much faster then the chicks... I have a pen for each w/heat lamp, etc., and with the ducks I use a small square glad container w/a corner cut off as the need water all the time along w/a food container (same as chickens). For the chicks I have a mini version of both the water and food container(s) for their pen.

Our grown ducks and chickens do their thing... babies have to learn!

Hope this helps.

 

[claudiag]

Hi,
We have 16 ducklings, almost a week old. We got them at one day old. We were thinking that they should be getting out & enjoying the outside as opposed to a brooder box in our entranceway. Started giving them dandelion greens. Gave them lettuce & then thought I don't want them free ranging in the veggie garden (will this be a concern & herb beds?). We were thinking about putting them in the run/coop with our 3/ 4 week meat chicks (38). Do you think they would be fine together? We have a kiddie pool we can give them. Our hopes were to eventually let the ducks free range with an island retreat in the middle of our pond. We also seem to have a resident muskrat in our pond. Would he be a possible predator as these ducks are for meat for us?
thanks,
Claudia

 

[NH-Chooks]

Hi,
Quote:

Since you are introducing them to a "flock" I would be careful as they could get pecked. Our experience has been IF born naturally by either a duck/chicken the mother will protect the babies from the others. The ducks at 4 weeks are a fairly good size and seem to be able to protect themselves but we'll keep the baby chickens separate for about a month longer because they grow so much slower.

As for the garden... ducks will eat almost anything but we find they don't like any type of onion. We have one duck escapee who loves to dig around in the mulch which can be a pain but she cannot get into the veggie garden as we have that fenced.

We have two raised gardens that we grow strawberries, grape tomatoes, and spinach within their area but keep that fenced off until the end of summer. Otherwise both the chickens and ducks would kill the plants. That is their afternoon treat... chickens play football w/the tomatoes and we put the strawberries in the duck pool. Both love the spinach so we just toss a couple of handfuls for them to eat. Helps supplement their feed (organic) and their own scratching/digging around.

Quote:
We have a kiddie pool we can give them.

Not until they are at least 4 weeks old! They get their oil from their mom's feathers and since they don't have a real mother duck raising them they have to develop it on their own. No swimming until then otherwise the could get chilled and die.

Quote:

As a rule muskrats eat vegetation but they will attack just about anything if they feel their nest is threatened. Make sure it is a muskrat as minx are a deadly enemy to fowl in general. I'd be very hesitant to let my ducks near muskrats as often the minx will follow as they like the same style nest that the muskrats do.

I'd call Fish & Game and see if they would help you relocate the muskrat before allowing the ducks near it.

Hope this helps... just our experience with both so far...

 

[blecky slars]

I am so sorry for your little chicks - so sad!

Thank you for the reply! I am glad we waited! We put the kiddie pool outside the coop and let them free range during the day. It did take at least a couple weeks for their oil to get worked in, just as you stated.

and they are GIANTS compared to our chickens! I can't believe they fit in a little egg just last month

Best wishes for the rest of you flock!

 

[blecky slars]

We let the two ducks free range during the day and keep the pool outside so the chicks can't get to it, and it has been working out perfectly!

 

[blecky slars]

Our ducks were basically the same age as our chickens, so it was no difficulty putting them together.

 

[blecky slars]

Hi,
We have 16 ducklings, almost a week old. We got them at one day old. We were thinking that they should be getting out & enjoying the outside as opposed to a brooder box in our entranceway. Started giving them dandelion greens. Gave them lettuce & then thought I don't want them free ranging in the veggie garden (will this be a concern & herb beds?). We were thinking about putting them in the run/coop with our 3/ 4 week meat chicks (38). Do you think they would be fine together? We have a kiddie pool we can give them. Our hopes were to eventually let the ducks free range with an island retreat in the middle of our pond. We also seem to have a resident muskrat in our pond. Would he be a possible predator as these ducks are for meat for us?
thanks,
Claudia

The first things my ducks went for were the petunias. Little rebels!