Chicks and Ducks in one coop - any tips?

[CJill]

Just starting to build an outdoor coop for the chicks (9 5-weeks old - until we sort out how many we can keep) and the ducks (3 4-weeks old). Plan is to build a single coop and run - but am wondering how messy the ducks will make the coop and if that means it will require much more frequent changing of hay etc. Any tips or suggestions on how to adjust a more standard chicken coop into a chicken/duck coop? During the daily field-trips to the yard, all the birds have socialized - and they are getting more used to each other. We probably will end up keeping all 3 ducks, plus 2-5 chicks - once we figure out gender. (we hatched them, so it could be 50/50)

- Jill

 

[Jx2inNC]

Very cool. I'm watching this thread...

 

[CorralitosSunflower]

That depends on the water situation. Will the coop have an outdoor run on dirt, grass, gravel, or sand? Ducks and chickens can cohabitate but ducks are very very messy with water. If you have water in with the hay you will have a huge mess. If they have access to outside and you keep the waterer on one of the above mentioned it shouldn't be a problem.

 

[CJill]

Thanks - that makes sense. Aside from the fact that each drink of water is accompanied by a shower or bath, the ducks also seem to poop a lot more than chicks - and so I was also wondering if having more space in a coop will mean that they don't poop so much inside their bedding, or if I'll still have to do the daily cleaning of their bedding. (In visiting chicken coops it seemed like a monthly straw swap was adequate, as compared to my daily experience for the ducks).

- Jill
Menlo Park, CA

 

[CorralitosSunflower]

They do poop, I don't think it is all that much more than chickens though. I have never actually compared the amount of poop per bird in my flocks

If they have a decent amount of space in the coop and aren't eating or drinking at night they won't be pooping nearly as much either. You do need to make sure they have adequet access to food and water during the day so you don't end up with hungry and very thirsty birdies

 

[toletiquesbysam]

Here's what I do, inside the coop I have a 5 gallon waterer from TSC, I have it up on a tire rim and board so it's off the floor and less mess. In the run/yard I have some black livestock tubs also from TSC and I fill those with water the ducks can then dunk their heads in those and they can also get in them to bathe.
example of the "tub"
http://www.tractorsupply.com/livest...bs/tubs/all-purpose-large-tub-15-gal--2171378
example 5gallon waterer
http://www.flemingoutdoors.com/5gaplpowa.html

This helps keep the coop from getting too messy. I also use the deep litter method so I sprinkle some stall dry in the coop to help with any extra wetness the ducks/geese bring about. You don't have to do much, ducks are pretty easy to take care of. I have a 3 tiered nesting box and I have it sitting on the floor, the ducks can use the bottom nests and the chickens can use any of them.
I also have a swimming pool in the run for the ducks as well.

 

[foxinachickenhouse]

We're doing this too. After a bit of research we've decided to build two runs off each side of a single coop. One run for the chickens and the other for the ducks. The duck run will have a pea gravel base for hosing down and another door off of that run to get to their pond (which is the stock tank we used as a brooder). Usually they'll all have access to both runs except when conditions get muddy and we intend to separate them with a closed door inside the coop. So basically they'll all sleep together in the same house but have separate outdoor areas. The pond area will be completely off limits to chickens and the ducks will have to waddle about 15 feet to get back to the coop area so hopefully this will cut down on the mess. The intent is to have separate food and water too since the ducks make such a mess of everything.

Am interested to hear what other people do with the duck/chicken combo. We still have time to make adjustments. The plan is to get the ducks when one of our silkies goes broody then we're going to try to have her hatch the ducklings.

 

[CJill]

Okay - so we built a coop house with a ramp - and the chickens go up there to sleep at night. There is an enclosed tunnel to the run with a nest box and hatch access, and that is where the ducks sleep at night. During the day, the tunnel is open to a run alongside the house - where we have a swimming pool - and the ducks and chickens can hang out there together. If we are home, they get to roam around the entire backyard, on the grass, in the garden and bushes, and there is a 2nd swimming pool there for the ducks.

The coop floor beneath the house is partially concrete, partially dirt and, thanks to the ducks, it is perpetually muddy. The chickens do their best to bypass the muddy portion.

So far, this seems to be working, but I'm still looking for the ideal way to keep things clean - not too wet, and fly-free. At least the sleeping areas are dry.

Once we figure out which of the 9 chicks are roosters, and find new homes, then a smaller number of birds may be more manageable on the keeping-things-clean side of things. Still not sure what our gender mix is for the 3 ducks.

- Jill

 

[jrleader99]

Originally we had our ducks and chickens in separate coops and runs. Recently we moved and combines them to a large run area and the two coops are in that combined area. The ducks are actually taking a liking to the chicken coop and everyone cohabitates well. The water stays outside in the run area and when it is not raining the food does too. It makes for a much cleaner coop with less poo inside.

 

[carrlr]

Sounds like you've got things pretty much worked out. In our situation with Chickens/Ducks in the same coop/run it seemed that the ducks were definately the mess makers because of there love of the water. Go figure!!! Our solution in the run area was to use a 60 gallon stock tank. I keep the water level down a few inches from the top, which seems to keep most of the water in the tank. It's actually funny to watch the chickens and see how many can line up around the edge of the tank. If at all possible my recommendation and our application is to have them outside as much as possible when it's light. Obviously that's when the ducks like to "play" in the water. I also switched from straw in the coop to pine shavings with DE. This keeps the fly population almost non-existing and requires much less cleaning.