Chickens with Ducks?

[Mossymeza]

I have a chicken (Beilefelder) that died today in a most sad and slow panting/gasping for air way and was wondering if you guys think that the ducks(we have three) made the water dirty and caused a parasite to sicken the chicken.(she was completely fine last night) all the other 8 chickens are fine.(2 rosters and 4 hens )Also we had gotten a new feeder that would spill to much food and it rained and it got pretty smelly out there,could that have caused something bad the chickens digested(as of now all the other chickens are fine) Should we keep the ducks or what shld we do? any thoughts

 

[pennyJo1960]

Welcome to Backyard Chickens I do not have ducks but know there is large group of both here

 

[MagicSnake]

I do not have ducks currently but might get some soon back when we had ducks we never had any problems as we made 2 coop/run area’s maybe try (if you have the space) 2 separate area’s hope this helps sorry for your loss

 

[Mossymeza]

I do not have ducks currently but might get some soon back when we had ducks we never had any problems as we made 2 coop/run area’s maybe try (if you have the space) 2 separate area’s hope this helps

Yes we are thinking about making a second run/area for the ducks

 

[DobieLover]

Hello and welcome to BYC! Glad you joined.
It is generally a good idea to keep them separate.
Any spoiled food or foul water is not good for either of them to eat or drink.

 

[Yardfulla poopers]

I keep the waterers raised so the ducks can't play in it but they all free range and I haven't had any issue

 

[Isaac 0]

Birds will often show signs of troubled breathing right before death, so it's not really specific to any disease/condition, therefore making a diagnosis on just the symptom will prove to be very hard. If you still have her body, or lose another bird you should really consider sending them to your state veterinary necropsy lab, some states offer it for free, or for a minimal fee. They should be able to tell you what was the cause of death.

https://www.metzerfarms.com/PoultryLabs.cfm

Ducks and Chickens can be kept together, but only under a few circumstances, there must be enough space for each species to roam. Ducks like to be wet, chickens like to be dry, if they're kept in close quarters, the chickens are going to get wet and are going to be at an increased risk for developing coccidiosis and internal practices among other problems.

There must also be a correct ratio for each species, a good general guideline, is one drake per five ducks, and one rooster per twelve hens. Note I said “general” that’s because these ratios often depend greatly on each bird's personality and the conditions that they're being kept in.

A picture of your/their setup would be great.

 

[Pork Pie]

Hi and welcome to BYC

 

[Flockincrazy]

I have a chicken (Beilefelder) that died today in a most sad and slow panting/gasping for air way and was wondering if you guys think that the ducks(we have three) made the water dirty and caused a parasite to sicken the chicken.(she was completely fine last night) all the other 8 chickens are fine.(2 rosters and 4 hens )Also we had gotten a new feeder that would spill to much food and it rained and it got pretty smelly out there,could that have caused something bad the chickens digested(as of now all the other chickens are fine) Should we keep the ducks or what shld we do? any thoughts

The ducks are probably not to blame if there is mold in your feed that could be your culprit i have 8ducks in with my flock of 44chickens and have not lost one yet I would check there feed to make sure there is no mold if so clean it out and give them all a dose of apple cider vinegar water

 

[drumstick diva]

Drakes(male ducks) sometimes try to breed female chickens. Duck anatomy is much different than that of chickens. A drake can maim or kill a female chicken attempting to breed her.