Do chickens form a flock with ducks?

[Darius123]

Hi! I want to incubate some chicks and some ducks, will they all form a flock? Or will i need to separate them?

 

[Banana01]

If their parents arent around. The adult hens and ducks as protective mothers are dangerous, but babies around babies is cute. Baby ducks and chickens eat and take water very differently, but it would just be more hassle for you cleaning it up, not a problem for them. They arent going to hurt each other at that age if that is your concern. My ducks and chickens grow up together and only the parents are violent protective of their babies.

 

[nchls school]

My birds free range. I do not have problems with the ducks and chickens getting along. There are some squabbles, but so far nothing serious. While the birds may share space, ducks and chickens do not form a single flock; definite segregation.

 

[RoosterWhisperer]

Hi! I want to incubate some chicks and some ducks, will they all form a flock? Or will i need to separate them?

I've done the exact same thing as @Banana01, I've raised ducks and chicks together under one broody hen because the duck mothers lay eggs but aren't very faithful to the babies, or at least, my brothers duck aren't. They should be fine together but keep adult ducks with adult chickens is a good way for someone to drown plus chickens don't need to drink the dirty water that ducks create.

(In my experience, my own opinion) They should be fine together as chicks though!

 

[RoosterWhisperer]

The original females raised their ducklings well, but they never want to raise babies unless they have 14+ .

 

[lomine]

Ideally, chicken chicks and ducklings shouldn't be raised in the same brooder unless you have a foolproof way to keep the moisture in check or a very large area. We all know how much ducklings like to play in their water. All that moisture is fine for them but it's not good for chicks.

I brood in the coop under a broody or a heat plate. I've done both chicks and ducklings at the same time with multiple heat plates for them to pick from. They do fine together but they don't really integrate into a single group. The same for the adults of the flock. They get along but they don't hang out together.

 

[3KillerBs]

Keeping ducks and chickens together is especially problematic when they reach maturity and drakes attempt to mate hens.

A drake has a penis. A rooster does not. A drake can kill a hen by inflicting internal injuries.

 

[Yardmom]

I had a duck that was hatched with chicks. (No other ducklings) It imprinted on them and wanted to be with chickens instead of our other ducks. I think she was the exeption as all of my other bird seem to prefer to hang out with their own kind.