Chickens and Ducks Question

[tdhondt]

Looking to get chickens when the coop and run is done but had a question regarding ducks (entertaining the idea of getting ducks too). Since I'm still in the building stage; I can modify to keep them seperate if need be. The coop will be 8x8 and the fenced yard approx 30x30 with plenty of shade. Do chickens and ducks get along together in same living quarters? Is one aggressive to the other or territorial? I've read the thread about chickens/water/drowning but what if I put a small plastic wading pool in ground for ducks; would that be ok for bigger chickens if they were to get in the pool? Any ideas or suggestions appreciated. Thanks.

 

[MakNat]

My chickens and ducks get along great. Yes the tiny chicks can drown. But what I do, is put a very shallow dish of water where the momma chicken hangs with her babies and she is smart enough to take them back there to drink! Good luck. They are tons of fun!!

 

[newchicksnducks]

Many people keep ducks and chickens together. I found ducks to be extremely messy though! They will get water everywhere and it may be hard to keep the ckicks dry. THey seem to poop a lot more, or at least a lot wetter. For our chicken coop we use a droppings board under the roost, and you will not be able to utilize this with the ducks. Chickens put themselves to bed at dusk, so you just have to secure the coop. We found we had to chase the ducks around the run in order to get them inside the coop. We let them stay outside one night in the run with an open shelter for the night, and a weasel killed both of them. We decided not to replace our ducks and instead just purchased more chicks! Wifzilla often posts on the "duck" section. She will surely have some great info for you...she raises both successfully!

 

[tdhondt]

Thanks for the replies. Decided I'll start with just chickens first and then add ducks later; though I'll still build for the future! Who knows...I may come home with both before I know it.