Ducks vs Chickens Help

[FaithArthur123999]

Hello, I am a chicken owner but first time duck owner. We rescued 2 Indian Runner Ducks and are both approx 9 weeks old. They dont seem to have had a great start in life but trying to give them all we can. They are very scittish and absolutely terrified of us and will run away at every opportunity, we just know it may take time.

Ultimately I want the chickens and ducks to live togeather (still building and making arrangements as ducks were sprung on us) so for the time being the ducks sleep in the house in a cage at night and chickens in their coop. We are building another coop for the ducks as our chickens dont perch. We have only had the ducks for 2 days but have had them free ranging in the garden with the chickens, however the chickens are not fond on them. If the ducks get too close then the chickens try to attack, this then scares the ducks and run away. Most of the time is peace in the garden but I am worried that if they arent friends in the larger garden, then they wont live together in their run (still a big space) any suggestions as to what to do and whats normal?

Thank you

 

[BelovedBirds]

Hello, I am a chicken owner but first time duck owner. We rescued 2 Indian Runner Ducks and are both approx 9 weeks old. They dont seem to have had a great start in life but trying to give them all we can. They are very scittish and absolutely terrified of us and will run away at every opportunity, we just know it may take time.

Ultimately I want the chickens and ducks to live togeather (still building and making arrangements as ducks were sprung on us) so for the time being the ducks sleep in the house in a cage at night and chickens in their coop. We are building another coop for the ducks as our chickens dont perch. We have only had the ducks for 2 days but have had them free ranging in the garden with the chickens, however the chickens are not fond on them. If the ducks get too close then the chickens try to attack, this then scares the ducks and run away. Most of the time is peace in the garden but I am worried that if they arent friends in the larger garden, then they wont live together in their run (still a big space) any suggestions as to what to do and whats normal?

Thank you

You'll need to introduce them gradually, see but no touch. Basically keep a mesh fence between them so they can see the ducks, but not get to them. I would do this for a matter of weeks before introducing. Then, if there is any severe bullying, separate the bully temporarily.
I'm not an expert, but this would be the way I go about it.
Do you know if the ducks are male or female? Males can seriously injure chicken hens by trying to mate with them, if there were one female and one male, they would also be out of ratio, so that's something to consider.
So, you're having two coops? One for the chickens and one for the ducks?
How big is the run?
Keep in mind that ducks love water and tend to make a decent amount of muddy mess, so you'll probably want it large enough that the chickens stay dry. Will they be free ranging during the day?

 

[FaithArthur123999]

You'll need to introduce them gradually, see but no touch. Basically keep a mesh fence between them so they can see the ducks, but not get to them. I would do this for a matter of weeks before introducing. Then, if there is any severe bullying, separate the bully temporarily.
I'm not an expert, but this would be the way I go about it.
Do you know if the ducks are male or female? Males can seriously injure chicken hens by trying to mate with them, if there were one female and one male, they would also be out of ratio, so that's something to consider.
So, you're having two coops? One for the chickens and one for the ducks?
How big is the run?
Keep in mind that ducks love water and tend to make a decent amount of muddy mess, so you'll probably want it large enough that the chickens stay dry. Will they be free ranging during the day?

Hello, thank you for responding.

I will definitely give that a go, I understand about introducing new chickens etc but didnt know if anything was different with the ducks. Unfortunately I dont know if they are male or female, they came from a neglected home with no information apart from approx 9 weeks old. They are a tad bigger than my chickens but all my ex bats are smaller. Ive googled how to tell gender and believe its too early as their voice hasnt developed yet and there are no other clear indications on them yet. Yeah I read that they can stay in the same coop however my chickens dont roost, they sleep on the floor instead (tried so many ways to help them roost but they prefer the floor) and with the way they spread out, there wont be enough room for the ducks in there. My chickens have a coop in their run (aim to put the duck coop in their in the future) and the run is big enough for all to move around and have own space, then they free range in their part of the garden during the day which is also a good size but not good with guessing the measurements but its a large space. Then they come out into our part of the garden for a couple hours a day so they can scavange a bit more with out ruining every plants we have. The ducks are currently in our part of the garden. The chickens only go in the run of a night time and that's locked to avoid predators before they go to their coop and we let them out the run at about 7am. I am planning to have the pond/temporarily paddling pool in the chicken part of the garden and not in the run as they wouldnt spend much time in the run. This would be in the future when hopefully all is well and get along. Theres enough space for the ducks to make a mess and the chickens keep dry.

I'll attach a picture of the ducks.

Thanks again, Ive had to learn about ducks very quickly and just want to make sure I am doing everything right.

 

[Callender Girl]

I keep runner ducks and chickens (and a couple of geese) and while there is often harmony in the yard, none of the species are best friends.

I have hand raised all my runners, and mine are all skittish their entire lives. While the current group will -- with one exception -- take food out of my hand, they NEVER want to be picked up and often run from me like they think I am going to murder them. But they do find treats irresistible. Don't be offended if the runners never get cuddly; it's not you, it's them. Still, they are terribly entertaining critters.

You are on the right track with separate housing. Ducks love water and making soggy messes, not at all enjoyed by chickens. Chickens require more "coddling," if you will. Mine have nice, sturdy housing with ventilation but solid walls. My runners spend the whole year in a shelter with hardware cloth walls, partially draped in tarps in winter. They are not bothered by the cold and will gladly lie down in snow. The chickens? Perish the thought!

I know that many people have had problems with ducks trying to breed chickens and harming the hens. None of my runner boys has ever done that. Maybe that's because there are girl ducks they find more attractive and because most of my hens are about as big as the runners and are quite used to running away from the rooster who wants to romance them?

I have raised multiple drakes together (allowed to choose my own first ducklings from a breeder, three of my original four were males) and those guys got along fine. A newer male introduced a few years later never really broke into the buddy group, but aside from losing some feathers, no serious harm came to him.

Congrats on rescuing the ducks. and best wishes for your new mixed flock!

 

[FaithArthur123999]

I keep runner ducks and chickens (and a couple of geese) and while there is often harmony in the yard, none of the species are best friends.

I have hand raised all my runners, and mine are all skittish their entire lives. While the current group will -- with one exception -- take food out of my hand, they NEVER want to be picked up and often run from me like they think I am going to murder them. But they do find treats irresistible. Don't be offended if the runners never get cuddly; it's not you, it's them. Still, they are terribly entertaining critters.

You are on the right track with separate housing. Ducks love water and making soggy messes, not at all enjoyed by chickens. Chickens require more "coddling," if you will. Mine have nice, sturdy housing with ventilation but solid walls. My runners spend the whole year in a shelter with hardware cloth walls, partially draped in tarps in winter. They are not bothered by the cold and will gladly lie down in snow. The chickens? Perish the thought!

I know that many people have had problems with ducks trying to breed chickens and harming the hens. None of my runner boys has ever done that. Maybe that's because there are girl ducks they find more attractive and because most of my hens are about as big as the runners and are quite used to running away from the rooster who wants to romance them?

I have raised multiple drakes together (allowed to choose my own first ducklings from a breeder, three of my original four were males) and those guys got along fine. A newer male introduced a few years later never really broke into the buddy group, but aside from losing some feathers, no serious harm came to him.

Congrats on rescuing the ducks. and best wishes for your new mixed flock!

Hello! Thank you for replying!

I dont think all my chickens are best friends either I just hope they will learn to live together, unfortunately my chickens are very sassy. I never realised how skittish some ducks are! Was a suprise to me, ive never seen fear like it when trying to go near them. Im happy if they dont become cuddly, I just hope one day they might take a treat out of my hand. It would be nice to know their sex but believe they are still too young, they still peep instead of quacking so maybe find out in a few weeks time.

Thanks again for replying

 

[ruthhope]

I rescued 2 pekin drakes at the beginning of May. I had them quarantined for 4 weeks: they were in a dogcrate in the house for 1 week then they slept each in their own dogcrate in the house for 3 weeks but were allowed out onto the patio where my other ducks hang around, into a dog exercise pen for 3 weeks. They got to know my four ducks [all drakes, 2 pekins and 2 muscovy] but there were threatening head movements on both sides of the pen. After 4 weeks their dog crates were moved inside my duck coop. A week ago we rehomed one of the rescued drakes to my son's flock of female ducks and the second rescue quickly made friends with one of my pekins through the bars of the pen. All are now free ranging in the garden but the pekins sleep in their separate dogcrates in the coop.

You might adopt this slow approach to integration. I used a dog exercise pen on the patio as that was easier than constructing a framed chicken wire pen on concrete. But chicken wire with metal support rods would work well on softer ground. We separated the 2 rescued drakes as they had behavioral problems from the get go -- pulling out eachother's neck and head feathers -- which I assume resulted from their cruel treatment before they were dumped. I was unable to break that habit by having them separate at night and for a time alternating one in the pen and the other out. I would expect your two, who are much younger that the 2 drakes I rescued, to have a normal ducky relationship whether as drakes, females or one of each. My new rescues are still skittish around me and muscovies They will come up when the other ducks come up to eat out of my hand, but the rescues remain just outide arm's length. They don't know they like peas and tomatoes. I expect your two will quickly recognize peas, tomatoes and other treats. Holding treats in your hand for them is the best way to gain their trust about coming up to you. But they may never want to be held or petted: some ducks are like that.

 

[Quatie]

Everyone has covered integration pretty well. Ducks are going to be especially skiddish when brought to a new area with with people they don't know. Runners are also generally the more skiddish of duck breed. It can help giving them a smaller space to start out with as they adapt to their new location. As they settle in they can handle a larger area. Too much too fast can be a lot for ducks in new areas.

While I would say my runners are probably my most skiddish breed, they are not afraid of me. I never see them really boss any of the other ducks around. They most are at the bottom of the flock. The more time you spend interacting with your ducks and letting them get use to you, the more comfortable they will become. I sometimes go out and just sit with my ducks. So be patient with them and eventually they won't be running away from you all the time.

Runners can also be very energetic foragers. My ducks have a covered run, but they free range most of the day. One of my runners will pace the edges of the run wanting to get out and get all the good stuff.

Also lastly, ducks need deep water to dunk their heads and clean their nares and eyes. What you use for chickens may not work for the ducks.

 

[BelovedBirds]

I'll attach a picture of the ducks.

they're beauties! You should be able to tell sexes soon at least. Awesome that you rescued them!
It sounds like you're on the right track with them