Ducks in the same coop as chickens?

[Shamrock]

Hi

Just wondering whether you can put ducks in with chickens, or should they be housed separately?

 

[Silkie's Grandma]

I have kept my ducks & chickens together. (mostly to get through some of the bone-chilling winters we have in Wisconsin - added body heat in the coop) BUT - my chickens quit laying regularly. & it wasn't until I lost all my ducks & chickens to a weasel (& replaced chickens) that I started getting eggs again. I think the ducks kept the hens on edge & kept them from settling into a laying routine. & the ducks keep the place "messed up".

 

[Crazy4Chicks]

when I first got my chickens and ducks a year ago I had them all living together from babys to adults outside - things were going great until my two boy ducks starting to try and breed my hens !!! and they were getting pretty rough so I had to make a yard for them of thier own get a female duck for them- but when ever a hen gets near the fence one of the drakes will grab her and hold on until the rooster comes to free her lol

I think if you have only female ducks in with your hens it will be alright, but ducks are 100 times messier than chickens so if they sleep in the same coop be ready for the mess left behind by the ducks - they have nasty poop and the water will be all over the place from the playing in it !!

good luck

 

[Shamrock]

Thanks for your quick responses. We are just learning about chickens and ducks at the moment and we are totally clueless. I think I will put them in a separate area. The winters are pretty cold here too, mind you the summers aren't any better. We ll just have to get more ducks to keep them all warm!

 

[eggz4sale]

My parents at one time raised several different kinds of poultry, and my mom always said you should not have ducks and chickens together because the male ducks would eventually kill the hens by trying to breed them. I've learned to trust her opinion on almost everything.
By the way, she celebrated her 90th b'day last month and still going strong.