Hi! I have 11 hens and 5 ducks who all lay eggs. I have 5 nesting boxes. In theory, it's 4 for the chickens and 1 for the ducks, plus the ducks also use the coop corner to lay.
Well, I think my ducks think they are chickens. Not only do they shun their fancy duckie house and opt to sleep in the coop, but they also ignore their larger, easier to access nest box for the chickens smaller nest boxes.
What results are dirty eggs. Not only do the ducks drag their muddy selves in, they also poop in the nest boxes sometimes. My chicken eggs were pristine... then I got ducks.
My chickens' nests are very low - almost on the coop floor. I did this for my larger breeds and for my Silkies. I tried raising them a few inches to keep the duckies out, and I had chickens laying in the middle of the coop floor.
I also collect eggs 2x a day. I usually get duckie eggs in the mornings and chicken eggs in the evening. Frequent collecting helps, but it's still a problem. Any ideas? I used to sell my chicken eggs, but I'm kind of embarrassed by them now.
I use plastic nest boxes with reusable artificial grass mats and straw bedding.
The coop has pine shavings that I clean as needed and changed weekly.
Ideas? I'm open to anything.
Well, I think my ducks think they are chickens. Not only do they shun their fancy duckie house and opt to sleep in the coop, but they also ignore their larger, easier to access nest box for the chickens smaller nest boxes.
What results are dirty eggs. Not only do the ducks drag their muddy selves in, they also poop in the nest boxes sometimes. My chicken eggs were pristine... then I got ducks.
My chickens' nests are very low - almost on the coop floor. I did this for my larger breeds and for my Silkies. I tried raising them a few inches to keep the duckies out, and I had chickens laying in the middle of the coop floor.
I also collect eggs 2x a day. I usually get duckie eggs in the mornings and chicken eggs in the evening. Frequent collecting helps, but it's still a problem. Any ideas? I used to sell my chicken eggs, but I'm kind of embarrassed by them now.
I use plastic nest boxes with reusable artificial grass mats and straw bedding.
The coop has pine shavings that I clean as needed and changed weekly.
Ideas? I'm open to anything.
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we have a horrible male/female ratio for our ducks…and we have no male chickens. I’m trying to figure out how to reimagine our duck house to also have roost bars/nesting box and utilize the bottom of the chicken tractor and turn it into a bachelor pad for the boys (with access to a run instead).
I'd love to know what the ducks think about their new hurdle to the community nest boxes. If only we could speak duck and chicken 
Wouldn't that be so fun?!?!?!
My issue then becomes breaking a broody muscovy and dealing with some broken chicken eggs. Barriers don't even work for muscovy to keep them out of the chicken nest boxes. 
