Ducks with chickens

[SarahYoungner]

I have 7 hens and 3 regular ole white ducks, that are growing fast. I need to get them
Out of their small pin and I was wanting to know if it would be safe to put them in my chicken coop. Thanks

 

[m.kitchengirl]

I had my chickens for about 2 months before my ducks were moved outside.
I moved the ducks into the chicken coop - they lived downstairs & chickens upstairs - and after 3 days I was highly motivated to build a duck house. Fastest coop build ever. Took 3 days.

Now, many people will say they raise their ducks & chickens together very successfully. I think they are lucky.

My chickens like to show the ducks who is boss. They were terrible bullies with the ducks until the drake reached maturity... I'll get into that in a minute. They mostly now just like to show the ducks how they are fearless, and run the show around here. They have their daily buffets in the duck coop (it is like the bus just dropped off the senior center outing club every morning) and lay the occasional egg in their nest.

The ducks made a MESS of the chicken coop, Water & soggy duck poo everywhere. Chickens like it dry. Ducks like it wet.

My chicken coop was not designed for splashy, soggy ducks. If you can contain the water (tupperware container covered w/hardware cloth with buckets over it, etc.) and keep the chicken's waterer away from the ducks it may be enough to make it liveable. My duck house has a very large section of floor that is made of hardware cloth. I have never regretted that for a second. It is covered with pea gravel & easily sprayed & raked clean every couple of days. In winter I put a thin layer of hay over it for insulation & it is easy to get that layer out with a rake.

So, depending on how your coop is set up or how much you want to clean up, it could work fine. As I said, I know lots of people do it & have no problems.

There are many threads about this in the duck section too, and probably more folks who have had success with it who could give you some pointers.

I don't think it would hurt at all to try. I remember how much I wanted the ducks to move outside. I love them, but I love them more in the yard. Yuck. I think that my chickens feel the same way.

 

[smithfam0908]

Thank you so much for sharing this. I was wondering the very same thing.