Duck water

[Suzannahlee]

This is my first time having ducks. They are in the coop with the chickens and we have a swimming container for them outside in the run and the food and water inside (as well as a hanging nipple waterer out in the run). I don't mind them making a mess outside near where they swim, but they also make a mess inside the coop with the chicken water. I am afraid to just give access to a nipple waterer near the food because it looks like they take a bite of food and put it in the water. Do they need it to be wet to swallow it or are they just playing? They mess doesn't even bother me as much as the food waste. There is tons of dissolved food in the water when I change it. They know how to use the nipple waterer but will they be able to eat food that is not wet?
Thanks for any advice!

 

[Amiga]

Ducks need water with food. They can choke without enough water.

Folks who keep chickens and ducks together often raise the chicken water out of the ducks' reach somehow, and give the ducks a different water source.

Here are some ideas about managing the splash.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/641902/created-a-water-saver-for-my-duck-brooder

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/679433/water-water-everywhere/10

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/858161/feed-water-solution-for-brooder#post_12901321

http://frankiemakes.blogspot.ca/2012/06/watering-solution-for-ducks.html

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/259876/do-your-ducks-have-water-at-night/10#post_13568197

 

[pawtraitart]

This is my first time having ducks. They are in the coop with the chickens and we have a swimming container for them outside in the run and the food and water inside (as well as a hanging nipple waterer out in the run). I don't mind them making a mess outside near where they swim, but they also make a mess inside the coop with the chicken water. I am afraid to just give access to a nipple waterer near the food because it looks like they take a bite of food and put it in the water. Do they need it to be wet to swallow it or are they just playing? They mess doesn't even bother me as much as the food waste. There is tons of dissolved food in the water when I change it. They know how to use the nipple waterer but will they be able to eat food that is not wet?
Thanks for any advice!

What kind of waterer do you have inside the coop? I raise ducks and chickens together, too, from ducklings/chicks to full sized birds. I put their food a good distance away from their drinkers. I'm not seeing excessive moisture in the feeders. Maybe you have them too close?

 

[Suzannahlee]

I have just a small bowl of water in the coop near the food because the ducks pick up food and slosh it around in water and I thought they needed to do this in order to swallow it so was afraid to move it farther away. Guy at southern states said they don't need water to eat their food and they are just playing, but someone else said they would choke without wetting their food.