Ducklings with chicks together?

[Lacrymosa]

Hello.
I have a couple 1 1/2 week old ducklings that I plan on putting with chicks from the local farmstore in a few days. Will the chicks be okay with the ducklings or should I wait until they are older to put them in the same pen?
By the way the ducklings are very friendly and do not bite or peck at eachother, but will nibble human fingers sometimes.

 

[mstricer]

Duckies are are wet and messy, chickies like to be dry.

 

[kelseygirl707]

I tried it once, but the ducklings are very messy and wet, and the chicks don't like mess and wet. Plus the duckling grow fast, and could easily trample a chick with those big floppy feet they have a hard time figuring out.

 

[gryeyes]

I bought two ducklings at the same time I got four chicks, but the ducklings were significantly larger than the chicks. I put them in the same brooder, then discovered I had to put a barrier up between the two groups. (I used hardware wire so the heat lamp set up over the middle of the brooder provided heat to both groups.)

The ducklings bill EVERYTHING. Including the chicks. They'd bill the itty-bitty wings and bowl the chicks right over. Not bite, just nibble and push.

So I put the see-through barrier up to protect the chicks. They can see each other through the "fence" but not get into harm's way.
The chicks get a chick waterer and a feeder, the ducklings get a cottage cheese container of water, with a slice cut out of the lid so they can put their heads into the water to drink and dabble, and their own feed. I also put a feather duster with the chicks and a small, stuffed animal with the ducklings.

By the time the chicks are bigger and not so easily flipped about by duckling bills, I should be able to take the fence in the brooder down.

 

[Brickman House]

I wouldn't brood them together. Two week old ducks (which is what they'll be when you get your chicks) are HUGE compared to day old chicks, and could easily hurt them.

Also, ducks make a terrible mess-- they play in the waterers, and have really messy, goopy poop. Chicks are much less messy, and really do better nice and dry.

 

[Lacrymosa]

Okay thanks guys!