Hi! I have 14 chicks between 5 and 6 weeks old. They are outside and doing wonderful. I am interested in getting a couple ducks but have not a clue about raising a duck. Can they be in the same coop and area as my chickens? At what age can they go out? How do I tell the sex of a duck? Would they fly away? Can they eat chick feed? Do I use the same setup when they are babies as I did for my chicks, brooder, heat lamp, etc.? Im sure ive got more questions but im drawing a blank now! Any info would be great!
I need to step away from online for a while, but please take a look at this https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/750869/raising-and-caring-for-ducklings#post_10611711 and if you can borrow a copy of Storey's Guide to Raising Ducks, there is a chapter on raising ducklings. Welcome!
They can live in the same enclosure but try to have a Duck section and chicken section. Ducks need more niacin than chickens, so you will need to get duck feed. I used a 3 stage game bird and turkey feed (upgrade feed every 4 weeks till mature). Also you can get 3 in 1 mixed flock feed, Purina flock raiser and Nature Wise all flock. Smaller ducks and muscovys can fly. Males will not quack and have curled butt feathers. What did you have in mind for ducks? Use the same set up, but the water dish should be deep enough to dip their nares into. As for the heat lamp depends on your house temp as ducks have more insulation than chicks. Keep an eye on the ducklings when they are trying to avoid the heat or panting or flapping their wings radically remove the lamp. Ducklings also need bath time. You can let them out around 6 weeks. Try to introduce them here and there to the chicks as they grow, to reduce aggression/pecking order disruption.
I did a bit of research online yesterday on breeds and such, and then went to the feed store to see what they had. The only bin with ducks was that of the Pekin, and the lady at the feed store was surprisingly helpful and knowledgeable. I bought home two pekins and plan on housing them with my chickens when they are old enough to go out, I'll separate the duck section though, so they have their own area.
