Duck questions

[Luke10]

Hello, i am thinking about getting 4 ducks and have got a few questions for you guys

* Would it be okay to put my ducks in with my hens? They are in a 6x6 shed and allowed access to the outside which is a large area. I currently have 3 Warrens (soon to have 4).
* I've been doing research on duck breeds and found out that Runner Duck & Khaki Cambells are the best laying breeds, is this true?
* Would an inflatable paddling pool be okay for the ducks to swim in or will they pop it? i was thinking something like this http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/partNumber/3650921/Trail/searchtext%3EPOOL.htm
* What equipment do i need?
* If the ducks can go in with my hens, will the coop need to be changed or something added to it to accommodate them?

Sorry for all the questions i just don't want to get them and not done my research or asked questions on the proper way to keep them.

All added information would be very grateful.

Thanks, Luke.

 

[duckyfromoz]

Quote:
LOl...Sorry to laugh...but your chickens would love a pool like that to LOOK at...but they wont swim in it... Ducks on the other hand may put holes in it with the claws on their feet- so a rigid plastic pool would be better for swimming in.

As for living with chickens...they can but ducks are much messier than chooks so you would need to look at how you provide water for them in a way to minimise the mess.

Campbells and Runners are excellent layers- there are a few other breeds that are also good layers but Campbells and Runners are known to be amoung the better breeds.

 

[treldib]

Best layer = Golden 300 Hybrid Layer

Duck Breed Comparison Chart:
http://www.metzerfarms.com/DuckBreedComparison.cfm?CustID=188330

 

[Amiga]

Welcome!

Regarding ducks and chickens together, I only have ducks but have seen some good advice here.

One is, that since chickens roost, you want to keep the ducks from getting soiled on. Ducks sleep on the floor. Some people put a shelf under the roost to protect the ducks.

Ducks play with their water while they drink it, and sometimes just play with it. They need to have water deep enough to wash their entire faces - a few inches deep, at least. Some have set chicken water up high, and duck water just outside the sleeping/roosting area.

Ducklings need much more niacin than chicks, so if you have chick feed already, you will need to add niacin to their diet (in their water, perhaps?) of figure out a way to get them the nutrients they need. Insufficient niacin leads to some serious health problems. Also, and there is disagreement about the details, some medicated chick feeds are not good for ducklings. Many people have said that amprolium is okay. I used unmedicated feed - but then, all I have are ducks.

I have runners. they do lay very well. I have found that keeping them above freezing helps their general health and increases the number of eggs they give us.

Ducks are less prone to many of the diseases chickens get, but they can still pick up diseases from the chickens.

Storey's Guide to Raising Ducks has been a tremendous help for me. The departure I have taken from its advice is that my ducks really seem to thrive above freezing, not as hardy as their reputation in the book. But it is no big deal for me.

 

[4-H chicken mom]

Good advice given. Good Luck!

 

[Country Parson]

1. Your ducks and hens should get along fine. But as with all birds (and especially new additions), keep an eye on things. I keep my ducks with my chickens (9 hens, 1 rooster), and 4 geese.

2. I'm a meat-duck guy, so I can't help you with egg-duck info.

3. Personally, I wouldn't do a pool. It's a myth that ducks need one. A five gallon bucket full of water is sufficient. They just need something to dip their head in. While the ducks would love a pool, they will soil it immediately and you will be constantly dumping it and refilling it.

 

[DuckLover179]

1. You should be fine putting them in with your hens, but watch them closely first.

2. Runners are very good egg layers, there are lots of breeds that lay a lot, my favorite is Pekin.

3. The pool would probably end up getting popped. I recommend the plastic kiddie pools they sell at department stores.

4. Brooder lamp, starter feed, waterer, feeder, pool, enclosure, bedding... They sell a start kit on metzerfarms.com that comes with most of this stuff.

5. Coop shouldn't needed to be changed, unless there is a ladder, of high place they could fall from.


Good luck!

 

[Muscovies]

Runners and Khaki Cambells are good layers but I have heard that they are not good sitters

 

[Luke10]

Thanks for all the great advice!

I have been looking everywhere for a plastic paddling pool or something equivalent, the only thing i can find is this http://www.wilkinsonplus.com/Plasti...cDPfxIrYzUvEu76RzzM6wutKTeo9AOCB tDs76aYYKg== but i can imagine it breaking because its just an plastic storage box! All the rest are inflatables but non plastic! Can someone post a link to a shop/store in the Uk that sells something suitable for them please.

My chickens don't perch when they are roosting for some reason, they just go up the ladder and roost behide the nestbox or in the nestbox which is a pain

so no worries about them being soiled on.

Quote:
Hello DuckLover179, i do have a ladder in the coop which goes about 3ft of the ground, will this need to be changed, if so how do i change it or do i get rid of it?

Thanks for all your posts, great advice

Luke.

 

[katharinad]

Quote:
Metzer's list is not complete, it only lists the ducks they sell. So here is my addition to the list given. It's not just the breed, but also the line within a breed.

Saxonies 190-240 eggs per year. Mine are laying like clock work every day even in winter.

Also see Holderread's book page 20:
http://books.google.com/books?id=DD...q=holderread ducks&pg=PA20#v=onepage&q&f=true