Housing ducks and chickens together.

[Myrkk]

What’s the thought on housing ducks and chooks together? I have a shed for my 3 chooks and am making it so they can roost high up if they like but with floor space if they prefer.
I also have 2 ducks and a dog house for them to sleep in but was wondering with winter coming in if they’d all be better off in the same shed.
chooks would be higher up and the ducks would be on the floor.

Is this a good or bad idea, for any reason?

 

[FrostRanger]

It's not advisable to house them together 'cause ducks create a lot of wet messes and chickens need a dry environment, especially in winter. Not to mention a drake can kill a chicken hen if he tries to mate with her. If you just have female ducks, I would not house them together, if you have any drakes I wouldn't even keep them in the same run together

 

[HollowOfWisps]

I have been keeping ducks and chickens together for several years now with no issues. It can work if you do it right and it can be a huge disaster if you don’t. If you have only female ducks and keep all food/water outside of the shed it should work without issue. I would advise against drakes since you have no experience with chicken/duck cohabitation and it takes the right drake for that to work. During the day my ducks stay with my ducks at my small pond I made for them and my chickens stay together. They all waddle into their pens at night when it starts to get dark and I have never had a problem.

It’s really not that difficult to do if you do your research, plan accordingly and are smart about it.
For example:
-Don’t put a kiddie pool in a small run with chickens because the ducks will turn it into a pig pen.
-Don’t put a big waterer in your shed because the ducks will have the floor soaked by morning.
-Absolutely never lock a young or horny drake up with chickens because he will injure them at the very least or at the worst kill them.