I rescued 4 pekin ducks they are going on 3 months old. They have always been with chickens. When I rescued them they were small and outside! I have a 2 acre pond that I thought they would enjoy swimming in. Right now they are in a couvered run with a pool and as soon as I fill the pool up it is full of mud. We have tried to put them in the pond but the run almost on top of the water to get out and run at least a hundred feet back to the run. The problem I am having is the chickens arnt getting clean water. The ducks keep them from the food the chase the chickens back into the house and don't let them out. Also the duck refuse to go in their own house at all they stay out all night making noise and I am afraid they will be eaten by prey! In the pen we have 2 large dog houses for them and they just roll around in the mud all night long! I don't think its a good living arrangement and I need advise as I don't want to be a duck abuser please help!
As far as swimming in the pond, I would just start feeding them out beside the lake. Maybe get some really good ducky treats and have them follow you out there. You could probably build a little duck hut out by your pond and once you have them eatin at the pond start feeding them inside the duck hut in the evening and shutting them in at night. Once they realize that the pond is a pond and not some monster trying to swallow them and seperate them from their chicken buddies they will start hanging out their more.(I had a duck that thought it was a chicken, it would not go out on the lake and when taken to it and thrown out there would just about fly back up the bank across the yard to the chickens, I was thinking he would love to be out of the water, he was thinking "AHHHHHH, I'm a CHICKEN, no scary lake for me! ) This particular duck did eventually find out she was a duck, she will not come out of the lake now. The duck hut, if you do build it, should not be too far from you house and should be built with the consideration of digging, wire tearing, and avian predators. As far the chickens water being clean, I would just put their water into their coop and in something that the chickens can stick their heads into and the ducks can't stand in or tip over. Thats what I would do.
When I had 3 pullets in with my ducks waiting on a couple of hens to sell to move them over to the other side, I set up a chicken water platform out of the ducks reach. The chickens could hop on it and get a drink, ducks kept their mess out of it. Course I had to place the chicken on it and show them. Ducks are way too messy to live with chickens full time. You need to remove them from the chickens, into their own house or a temporary cage. Then they'll need an adjustment period. Ducks are finicky, like routine, and hate change. If you can't swing it or gain their cooperation at all, selling them wouldn't be a bad thing. They do require extra care and time. It's either that, or the cost of getting them set up and several weeks spent fighting with them over the fact that they are not chickens. We had to spend another $200 on a coop alteration and run addition. But I REALLY wanted ducks. Then got some given to me, which gave me too many, and I gave some away to a good home. It will take them some time to figure out the glorious benefits of a large lake. Ducks look like they'd have some intelligence in those beady little eyes, but it isn't always the case. Just mastering a ramp into a small pool can be a challenge. You'll need to make friends with them with food, so you can catch them or herd them into their house at night. A chore, with how suspicious they are. Or they need locked up into their own house, with a muddy pool needing cleaned every 3-4 days, living in oblivion on what they're missing out on with the big pond. Ever since mine got their baby pool, they don't even care about free ranging in the grass anymore. They prefer the baby pool in their mud pit. As I do garden work, I've been building up the inside of the run with dirt, to make a drainage slope, and then putting the damp bedding from the coop into the run on top of the dirt. At least I can walk in there now without having to wear waders.
I have a pond and 2 8wk old pekins, they have not been in the pond yet and they have been out since for a mo. so I went and bought them a kiddie pool and put it in their outdoor run. It took them a week to get in it, but they eventually did. I guess if anything wants something bad enough they will find a way. As far as ducks and clean water, ducks dirty their water on purpose. They dont seem to like the crystal clear color of fresh water, they like the colors Greenish-brown Some ducks will actually make the water dirty before they go in it, with bringin in dirt,grass, rocks. Its a DUCK THING! lol T.
Quote: I think that's what mine do...and I love when I empty the pool and find all the rocks at the bottom
Quote: I think that's what mine do...and I love when I empty the pool and find all the rocks at the bottom Isn't that fun:/ T.
I would ease them into the pond by feeding them treats out by it. As for keeping the ducks and chickens together- mine do fine coexisting but I have them in a large space... 30 ducks, 30 chickens. I put the feed in one spot and the water in at the other side of the house and now that it is warmer out they have the water outside. They also don't get to go swimming everyday. They are messy compared with the chickens but worth it (at least I think so most days).
At 3 months old, they are plenty big to be on the pond. I have ducks and chickens. I let the ducks out in the morning and bring them back in the evening. Just close the gait when they are out and don't allow them access back, they will eventually gravitate to the pond. The more they get used to it, the more they will want to be in it or at least near it. It's just a matter of conditioning. Julie
