Chicken or Duck?

[cottontail farm]

The biggest inconvenience is that ducks really make a joyous mess with water. You'll need two water sources; one deep enough for the duck to submerge it's whole bill and another for the chickens preferably where the duck can't reach it.
The ducks and even the geese will wander up the ramp into the coop if they're bored so you might not have to worry about additional housing if your coop door is big enough for a duck to pass through.

 

[cottontail farm]

Oh and if you provide the duck with a kiddie pool just put a couple of bricks in it so any chicken that might get in the pool can get its feet back under it to get back out.

 

[Ravynscroft]

Marbles in the deep water dish works well for the duckling to be able to work deeper and keep the chicks out... I have brooded Call ducklings and chicks together, no problem... it's not a real issue unless it's several ducklings with several chicks...

And I second/third the comments about flying... Calls can actually fly even better than mallards, but imprinted ones will stay home... clipping is a fine alternative if needed, they molt more often than chickens, so need to keep an eye on them if clipped...

 

[diamondsilkies]

I have a kiddie pool that I was planning on putting in the covered run. Good to know about the bricks. I have that water nipple system in my coop that the chickens drink from, so that should work as a source of water that only the chickens can reach. I was planning on keeping just females to prevent any chicken/duck breeding. Hoping that this one is a female.

My coop doors are both large enough for a duck to go in and out, especially since I'll probably have a call and mallard. I'll keep them in their coop for a while before letting them out, so they imprint on it. I might clip their wings at first for a safety measure, and if they don't attempt to fly away I'll let them grow out.

The thing I'm concerned about is that a friend of mine was babysitting the duck at her kid's school for the summer several years ago, and kept it with her chickens. All the chickens got some disease and she ended up loosing her whole flock. Anyone know what might have happened? Was it just a coincidence, or are there diseases that ducks can bring into your flock that they wouldn't normally be exposed to? Or maybe it was because the duck was from a different environment, and my ducks will be OK if they've lived here their whole lives?

 

[diamondsilkies]

Also, back to the safety hole thing, will a duck look different when internally pipped than shown in the picture, because of it's different shaped beak?

 

[Ravynscroft]

The thing I'm concerned about is that a friend of mine was babysitting the duck at her kid's school for the summer several years ago, and kept it with her chickens. All the chickens got some disease and she ended up loosing her whole flock. Anyone know what might have happened? Was it just a coincidence, or are there diseases that ducks can bring into your flock that they wouldn't normally be exposed to? Or maybe it was because the duck was from a different environment, and my ducks will be OK if they've lived here their whole lives

Could have been coincidental, but yes ducks *can* carry diseases that don't harm them or show, but can infect chickens...

*However* being hatched at your place, any ducks you have will only be exposed to what is/is not already within your own flock...

 

[Ravynscroft]

Also, back to the safety hole thing, will a duck look different when internally pipped than shown in the picture, because of it's different shaped beak?

It still looks similar... one point sticking way into the air cell...

Make sure the safety hole you make is no bigger than the tip of a pen... any bigger and the membrane can get dry...

 

[diamondsilkies]

OK, it must have been that it was from a different coop. That makes me feel better, it was worrying me a bit.

I'm going to be using a screw if I need to make a safety hole, as @Pyxis suggested, so it won't be much larger than the tip of the screw.

 

[diamondsilkies]

Also, while we're all waiting, now would be a great time to share any baby duck pics if you have them!

 

[Ravynscroft]

Also, while we're all waiting, now would be a great time to share any baby duck pics if you have them!

If?

Do ducks love water??