Ducks & Chickens?

[TheChicken4U]

Hi! I REALY Want some ducks, but i dont know much about them! Are they any different from chickens? (yes i know they have webbed feat, quack, and swim!

) And i dont have a pond, do i need one? thanks!

 

[countrygirl74]

Ducks do have some different care needs but a lot of people raise their ducks and chickens together. I do not because my ducks and chickens scuffled too much for my liking. I do let them free-range together though. I also felt that the ducks had different enough needs to warrant having separate pens - made it easier on me. Ducks need water that's deep enough to dunk their whole head into - they need to be able to clear their "nostrils" and wash their eyes. Swim water can be as simple as a child's plastic swim pool. Some people use stock tanks too. Keep in mind that the bigger pool you get, you have to figure out ways to drain and clean. I have a bigger heavy duty plastic "pool" but had to get a pump to clean it out. Ducks also need about 3x's the amount of niacin as chickens, so I supplied the niacin in their water for the first 12 weeks. Sometimes I still throw a capsule in, especially in the winter when there aren't very many bugs to eat. My ducks just have a dog-house type shelter - most of the time they prefer to sleep out in the open in their run (even when it's 0 degrees) and they don't really use nesting boxes so no need for those either. Mine just lay on the deep litter in the middle of their run. I'm sure some others will comment on something I am missing here but I hope that helps! Lastly, ducks are a lot of fun! So full of personality!

 

[jonhpdx]

Ducks aren't that different from chickens. The main difference in my opinion is that ducks seem to poop more and cause a bigger mess with their waterer. No, ducks do not require a pond, in fact they don't require any large body of water at all. They only need enough water to submerge their bills so they can clear their nostrils. As far as ducks and chickens living together, it can be done but I've heard many people complain about their chickens pecking their ducks and vice versa. I personally find them to have much more of a personality than chickens and more fun to watch/be around. Honestly the biggest difference is the mess they create. Between the water they splash EVERYWHERE and their poop they can be quite a handful if you're not careful.

Of course, there's more than what I mentioned but I think I've covered many of the basics. Cheers.

 

[TheChicken4U]

Ok Thankyou! But is it possible to mix them in together? and will my girls try to swim in the pool?

 

[jonhpdx]

Ok Thankyou! But is it possible to mix them in together? and will my girls try to swim in the pool?

Yes, they'll swim in your pool... they'll take it like ducks to water

You might not want to do that though if it's a pool humans actually swim in, they can make even a large body of water dirty and mucky very fast. Not to mention mine seem to love pooping when they're in the water.

 

[TheChicken4U]

Yes, they'll swim in your pool... they'll take it like ducks to water

You might not want to do that though if it's a pool humans actually swim in, they can make even a large body of water dirty and mucky very fast. Not to mention mine seem to love pooping when they're in the water.

now i re-read it, its a rather dumb thing to say....