Ducklings with chickens

[Candice's Peeps]

Hello!

I am going to be putting my ducklings out in their new pen this week...I have been putting them out in a smaller one on the nicer days here in PA to get used to the outside. Their new pen (a dog kennel run) will be 10 x 10. I have four ducklings that will be 5 weeks old on Tuesday April 5th. I wanted to put 2-4 of my hens in with them. Now, I want to put out the starter feed the ducks have been eating...will it be okay for the hens to eat this?...or if I put out laying pellets for my hens too, will it be okay for the ducklings to eat that?

Thank you for your help!

 

[paddock36]

I'm not sure if I understand your post correctly, Are you putting grown hens in with ducklings? I wouldn't do that, the hens might kill them.

 

[duckking]

Yikes! What paddock said!

 

[Captain Carrot]

I wouldn't put young ducklings in with hens unless they have their mother to protect them. if the hens start pecking the ducklings they may not be able to protect themselves or get away.

I wouldn't put then hens in there with them.

As for the food, I had adult ducks on layer rations in with ducklings on starter feed. The starter feed was more appealing to the adults so I had to come up with something. I built a frame out of hazel sticks about 3 foot high and two feet wide and deep. I strengthened this using more hazel between the uprights. I used string to keep it together. I then wrapped it in chicken wire and stuck it in the ground. I made sure that there was a gap between the earth and the chicken wire that was big enough for the ducklings but too small for the adults to get inside. I put the starter food in here, so only the ducklings could eat it.

The ducklings where also eating the layers rations too and where ok.