Do roosters accept ducklings?

[Tkissane]

We have had chickens for several years. Right now, we have two maturing roosters in our flock. We just got ducklings for the first time and had planned to keep them with the chickens after reading up on keeping a mixed flock. However, our roosters got very tense when we put the duckling brooder in the coop, and I'm afraid the roosters will try to bust in and attack the ducklings. Is this something to be concerned about?

 

[Crazy Maizie]

When you say maturing roosters, are they young cockerels or actual roosters? They might have tensed up due to the addition of something new and that alerts them.
It sounds like you are going to do an integration with a look no touch set up? I would just make it so that the roosters cannot "bust in". I would make sure to do a full integration of 2 weeks and then allow the ducklings brief moments supervised with the chickens. Chickens can kill ducklings by pecking them to death - as they can with any new addition.
However, my grown ducks always pick on the chickens. Eventually, a rooster is more apt to fight a drake - a drake will most likely win due to adult size and strength.
Hopefully you have enough room for the 2 species to live harmoniously and to keep each as happy as can be. Ducks need & love water. They also love to make mud. Whereas, chickens need dry areas and dust baths.
I have both species, but mostly they are sectioned off into their own area with their own housing in a very large run.

 

[Tkissane]

When you say maturing roosters, are they young cockerels or actual roosters? They might have tensed up due to the addition of something new and that alerts them.
It sounds like you are going to do an integration with a look no touch set up? I would just make it so that the roosters cannot "bust in". I would make sure to do a full integration of 2 weeks and then allow the ducklings brief moments supervised with the chickens. Chickens can kill ducklings by pecking them to death - as they can with any new addition.
However, my grown ducks always pick on the chickens. Eventually, a rooster is more apt to fight a drake - a drake will most likely win due to adult size and strength.
Hopefully you have enough room for the 2 species to live harmoniously and to keep each as happy as can be. Ducks need & love water. They also love to make mud. Whereas, chickens need dry areas and dust baths.
I have both species, but mostly they are sectioned off into their own area with their own housing in a very large run.

Thank you, I will introduce them again. I think their brooder is secure but just got nervous. We have roosters but they are only about 6 mo old, crowing and mating. Do you ducks and chickens mingle in the large run or is that also separated?

 

[Miss Lydia]

I'd also not put very young ducklings in with the chickens. Ducklings and chicks always have their own safe secure space inside the coop like @Crazy Maizie said chickens can peck duckling to death.
My 3 roosters are fine with the ducks once they are of a size where they can take care of themselves but mine aren't in a run. My oldest rooster is in charge of all the chickens and ducks he only respects the geese. He doesn't attack them just jumps at them and they back off.
I've heard of roosters trying to make with ducks though. Maybe that's if they don't have many hens?

 

[Chiduckn]

Hopefully you can get everything to workout the way you want. May be helpful to seperate them at some point though. A male chicken mating with female ducks isn't necessarily going to cause problems (unless rooster is too mean). A male Duck mating with a female chicken can really hurt your hens though and cause issues. Also ducks are kind of messy and you'll need to clean your run a lot more frequently as stated before.

 

[Crazy Maizie]

Thank you, I will introduce them again. I think their brooder is secure but just got nervous. We have roosters but they are only about 6 mo old, crowing and mating. Do you ducks and chickens mingle in the large run or is that also separated?

They only mix together when I'm out there to keep an eye on all of them.