Hi everyone!
I have had chickens and ducks for over a year now. I have a pair of Mallard Ducks that I keep with my chickens. During the day all my chickens and my 2 ducks are free range and I do herd the ducks into the chicken coop every night so they are safe from predators. I have never had to trim the feathers of my Mallard ducks, they hang around our little pond and stay on our property with no problems. We do have 5 acres and are surrounded by a cattle ranch so all that is around us is pasture land. My ducks do tend to fly laps around our property from time to time, but they always land back in the pond and are used to being penned up in the chicken coop at night. (My cattle dog LOVES herding them into the coop for me at night)
Anyhow, my question is..... I am getting 5 runner duck chicks a week from tomorrow. 2 Males and 3 Females.. I ordered 2 males because I want to be sure I have a male duck just in case something happens to one of the males during shipping or anything else...
Will that be OK to have 2 males with 3 females? Also should I keep them separate from the Chickens and Ducks I have now until they are grown?
I kind of wanted to build them their own area with their own shelter separate from my Coop, but if I can keep them together it might be easier. My coop is really only for nighttime safety and comfort, since they pretty much are out all day eating, scratching and looking for bugs
Any tips and advice would be greatly appreciated!
I have had chickens and ducks for over a year now. I have a pair of Mallard Ducks that I keep with my chickens. During the day all my chickens and my 2 ducks are free range and I do herd the ducks into the chicken coop every night so they are safe from predators. I have never had to trim the feathers of my Mallard ducks, they hang around our little pond and stay on our property with no problems. We do have 5 acres and are surrounded by a cattle ranch so all that is around us is pasture land. My ducks do tend to fly laps around our property from time to time, but they always land back in the pond and are used to being penned up in the chicken coop at night. (My cattle dog LOVES herding them into the coop for me at night)
Anyhow, my question is..... I am getting 5 runner duck chicks a week from tomorrow. 2 Males and 3 Females.. I ordered 2 males because I want to be sure I have a male duck just in case something happens to one of the males during shipping or anything else...
Will that be OK to have 2 males with 3 females? Also should I keep them separate from the Chickens and Ducks I have now until they are grown?
I kind of wanted to build them their own area with their own shelter separate from my Coop, but if I can keep them together it might be easier. My coop is really only for nighttime safety and comfort, since they pretty much are out all day eating, scratching and looking for bugs
Any tips and advice would be greatly appreciated!
