help! Please answer

Masonz75

In the Brooder
Feb 10, 2015
35
0
34
Hello! I was wondering if it's ok to raise 4 female pekin ducklings with 7 Rhode Island Red chicks and 7 barred rock chicks. Do I really NEED a male pekin? Please respond
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Yes you can raise ducklings with chicks - understand that ducklings are sloppy and messy, and this can lead to problems. You do not need a drake unless you want fertile hatching eggs. Upon occasion a drake in a mixed flock can cause problems. If a drake starts breeding the chicken hens it can result in injuries and also deaths.
 
I suggest you head to the duck section of the forum and start doing some research, there's tons of great information there :)
When you get your ducklings, make sure you DO NOT feed them medicated feed. Mine also seemed to do better on feed with a higher protein content (20% or so).
Most of their mess comes from the water. They love to play in it, even the standard chicken drinkers you get at the Co-op and Tractor Supply can be a source of unbelievable mess when ducks get into them. I kept my ducks water on top of a platform (a wooden square with hardware clothe over top), which had a large rubber bowl underneath. When they'd start dabbling, most of it would fall through the wire into the bowl instead of soaking their bedding. I also kept their pool as far from their coop as I could manage, so they weren't splashing around in it and heading into the coop soaking wet.

Good luck!
 

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