Ducks and hens?

[americana-chick]

My duck is with my chickens and no problem so far

 

[L0rraine]

I started out with chickens but had a broody hen set on some fertile duck eggs (thinking that they would go to the neighbor who has a pond). However, only one duckling hatched, her mother hen doted on her for about five weeks and then wanted nothing to do with her. Even though the duck was nearly as big the chickens by then, they nearly killed her when Momma hen stopped being protective (really, she was severely bloodied and couldn't stand for about three days). Sooooo, I got her some duck friends. They had separate quarters at that point (though Delilah would still go back "to visit" her old chicken friends on occasion who, were still as cruel as ever) so she'd give up and rejoin her new found duck friends. At some point I acquired two bantam ducks and housed them VERY successfully with my two little silky chickens. But..., they eventually showed an interest in the other bigger ducks and so I moved them (even though the bigger ducks weren't very friendly towards them).

When everyone is 'free ranging' they all tolerate each other pretty well, but my hens seem to have a severe pecking order in the vicinity of the hen house (even though it's a cushy 8' x 8' and there are only eight of them). I'm guessing that if everyone started out together at a fairly young age they'd do better.

Other than that the only 'human' irritation is the problem with the water mess that the ducks make (that others have already mentioned). Oh, and the ducks might sleep under the roosting chickens and that's not ideal either -

 

[xxSonja]

I have my lone chicken in a run with my three ducks and they get along quite well, my run is long and has a small paddle pool at the far end and the coop at the other end so my chicken can choose if she wants to be near the water or not.
My coop is split level with an enclosed top with nesting boxes and perches that is accessable by ramp, and a semi enclosed space below. my chicken usually puts herself to bed up top,and my duckies go to bed on ground level.
I havent had any problems so far, nobody gets picked on, and during the day they all tend to stick together. While my chook scrathes in the dirt and straw, my ducks chill out in their pool. everybody is pretty happy.
One thing i did learn pretty quick is not to put much straw on the ground near the pool in the run, becoz boy does that chook luv to fling straw into the pool and clog it up so the ducks cant swim lol

 

[The YardFarmers]

We have 5 khaki campbell ducks and 11 hens together. They all get along. WE do have separate housing for them- duck ark and chicken tractor and a yard that is shared, but all of them go wherever they want to eat - we have feeders in each. WE use a bucket for water and a water trough for the ducks to swim in when it is warmer.

The Yard Farmers

 

[jacyjones]

I have 3 khakis and 12 hens together and they get along well. They share the same shed and run and they free range all day and are generally in the same part of the field all together. I have always had chickens and ducks together and agree with your other posters about the water - I change mine every day. the only problem I have had was when I hatched 4 of my own chickens and 2 were roos. My alpha duck (female) hated the roos and got very cross with them all the time. Since the roos have goen she has accepted the new females fine.

 

[spud1035]

Ducks like to bathe to preen their feathers so I put their bathing pool outside the coop. This has solved the problem for me for keeping dampness down in the moveable pen. But ducks like to muddy up their drinking water so that I change daily and it is kept in the coop. Mine get along fine and even though I have small ducks (black east indies) they are definitely on top of the pecking order. I free range my birds and the ducks are more independent and don't neccessarily hang with the chicks but do at times. Hope this helps.