Ducks + chicks?

[dtimms]

I have 3 chicks 2-4 weeks old, and a friend has many, many, MANY black east indies ducklings. I was considering adding a duck or two in with the chicks when they are big enough for their coop, both to lay their delicious eggs and for insect control. (Plus ducks are just really cute, aren't they?)

These are my first chickens, so I don't know if that would be getting in totally over my head... So I have a number of questions:

Do they eat the same food? How much water do I need to provide for the ducks? I've heard they make a huge mess. Can I add just one duck, or do they need another of their own species to be happy? Will the chickens beat them up or vice versa?

Any other thoughts on the subject???

Thanks.....

 

[monathequeen]

The ducks and chicks will get along great. I have both in the same coop and in the covered run we built. They play together and nap together in the run.
I have 5 ducks and 10 chickens. The ducks will need to be kept inside until they're atleast 12 weeks old. They grow fast so dont worry about them being inside too much longer. Fed them " NON-MEDICATED flock raiser crumbles" I raised our ducklings in a big box in the livingroom. They will need a heat lamp above them to grow and it should be about 24 inches above them for the first few weeks. Raise the lamp as they get bigger at about 6 weeks. then get rid of the lamp. fill the tub about 3 inches of warm water and let them swim around in the water. they will eventually start diving underneath the water and swimming around like crazy...it's so cute.
Do NOT leave them unattended in the water because they have not developed down yet and their little bodies become a sponge and absorbs water...they become water logged very easily and will drown. do not leave them in the water more than 10 minutes and when you pull them out, pat them off with a towel. then back in the box.
use a small waterer that holds about a quart of water or so and place it in the box in a shallow dish like a saucer from your flower pots. this way you wont have such a mess in the box. They love to drink water 24 hrs a day so always make sure they have clean cold water at all times.

Buy a little plastic or metal feeder with the holes on the sides for the food.
I use either newspaper or paper towels for the flooring in the box. DO NOT use wood shavings when they're still babies, they will eat the wood shavings and it will kill them. They cannot digest the wood shavings.
After they are old enough to at about 6 weeks then you can use wood shavings for bedding. (or straw)

It is going to be very exhausting with cleaning the poop out constantly and keeping them fed and watered...it's well worth it in the end and when you put them out with the chicks, they will get along fine....Ducks love to have other ducks around so please get atleast three ducklings if you can. If you happen to loose one due to illness or accident, you will still have two...Do you still want Ducks ?
LOL
Please e-mail me if I can help you with any thing...no question is a dumb question...Good luck my friend.

 

[ClairedeLune]

My mother will kill you. LOL. Now you made me want ducks.

YAY!!!

 

[destiny_56085]

Seriously? At 12 weeks the ducks are almost full grown. Waterfowl do not need near as much heat as chicks. I kick ours out to the outside growout pens at 1-2 weeks of age. If it dips into the 50's at night I may turn a lamp on for them to go under. A little pool is a great idea for them, but they will only drown if they have no way out. Put a brick or something in there for them to step up on. I also raise all our waterfowl with bedding. When they come straight out of the incubator, they are on shavings here. If they have mash in there, they don't eat the shavings. At about a week of age, they get kicked out to the barn on straw. They also get free choice of starter mash and hay or grass.

Our family raises quite a few waterfowl every year. On the geese we have africans (buff, white, and brown), domestic canadians, and brown chinese. We have call ducks and white mandarins. I have a whole new batch of muscovy ducklings this year. There are flocks of rouens and snowy mallards. I've also raised lots of other ducks breeds in the past.... east indies, cayugas, pekins, welsh harlequins, silver appleyards, blue swedish, etc. Most of ours get sold as babies. We did raise and feed out over 80 goslings and 60 ducklings til last fall. Its not as hard as you think.

 

[dtimms]

Hmmm.... Maybe I am about to get in way over my head... Learning how to care for my new flock of chickens may be enough for me without also trying to raise ducks at the same time!

If I do this, I was thinking of introducing the chickens/ducks when the chickens are ready to go outside, because I don't have much space for them now. There will be space in the coop when it's done. The ducks are about the same age (around 3 weeks now), but they have been raised by mamas at my friend's place, not in brooders. So they are already outside, although obviously well protected by mamas! I am hoping to get the chickens outside by 6-8 weeks, so I thought I could bring the ducks home then.

Is that too late to introduce them? Will they fight? I guess one duck won't bond with the chickens enough to be on her own, she will want another duck to hang out with?

What do you use for a water source for the ducks to play/wash faces in? What about in the wintertime? And do they really make a huge, muddy mess? They will be in a chicken tractor that I'll move every day or so with some free range time when I'm around.

Can they eat the layer food? Will they lay in the same nesting boxes as the hens? I heard they lay about 100 eggs/year?

Do ducks roost??? Or just sleep on the coop floor?

What are the advantages of having a few ducks around??? (Other than cuteness, which is what's probably mostly prompting this on my part, and I've been known to make bad decisions based on that factor before...) If I am going to do this, I will have to convince DH why it's a good idea. I think his good will is beginning to wear thin...

 

[greyhorsewoman]

If these are your first chickens, I'd suggest sticking with them for the moment. If the whole thing goes bust because you took on too much, it will be a sad day. There will be more ducks down the road ~~!

Ducks are messy. They don't roost. Females can be quite loud. They need a water source larger than chickens which could be somewhat problematic in a tractor.

By the way, I love ducks ... I have over 30. I really like duck eggs for eating/baking.

 

[gretchenhau]

I have chickens and ducks together, it is awsome.

They are buddies

 

[dtimms]

Hmmmm again.... I'm thinking I might agree with horsewoman (great title BTW!) that getting in over my head too soon would be a very bad thing. But free black east indies are hard to turn down. They quack some, but it doesn't seem to be too much for my neighborhood.

If the ducks don't roost, do they just sleep on the floor in with the chickens? Would they walk up the ramp at night with the other girls?

What kind of water supply are we talking? Some kind of basin just to wash faces, or do they need to be able to get in and/or swim around regularly?

 

[CMV]

I have chickens and just recently embarked on raising a batch of ducklings and goslings. I have to say that the waterfowl are A HUGE MESS!! I thought raising chicks up was bad, but they have nothing on my new guys. I am continuously re-amazed at how much of a disaster these ducks and geese are. They destroy their pen to the point that they have to be completely cleaned 1-2 times each day or they stink to high heaven. They have to be completely bathed every other day or they get utterly bedraggled. And the shameful things they do to their waterer is just disgusting. They are a lot of work! That being said- I love them. They are so much more interesting and interactive than chicks, especially the goslings. They chat to you as soon as they see you, walk over to visit, love to be petted, love to nibble on your fingers and clothes. They are just a hoot.

Evaluate how much time you have to dedicate to caring for them keeping in mind that there is a lot of up-keep. If you have the time, they are really fun. Ducklings do well integrated into an existing flock at a later point, too. So, maybe you raise up your chicks now and add some ducks next year.

Good luck. And have fun with your new babies.

 

[Ms~Silkie~Girl]

I was wondering the same thing, and was just gonna post the same question!