How Can I Do This and Should I?

[jtn42248]

I currently have six ducks that were hatched on March 3, 2014 (3 Khaki Campbells and 3 Blue Swedish). I am thinking about getting Toulouse Geese that were hatched on March 5, 2015 and have a few questions.

1. Can I house the geese and the ducks together?
2. How would I go about introducing them to one another before housing them in the same coop?
3. Can the geese eat the same food as the ducks (I am still adding a little Brewers Yeast to the duck food)?

Also, the geese are offered as straight run only. I am wanting to get 4 but know that I could end up with four ganders, or 3 ganders and one female. With my luck I will not end up with two male and two female which is really what I would want.

4. Am I going to end up having to get rid of ganders due to fighting?
5. As adults will the geese and ducks need to be separated?
6. During breeding season do I need to be prepared with separate housing for everyone?

Thanks in advance,
jtn42248

 

[Iain Utah]

1. Ducks and geese get along great if they have enough space. I brood ducks/geese together, but by three weeks of age, they are getting at least daily turnout in a good sized grass yard if not outside 24/7.
2. I would introduce them outside in yard. At that age, I would not expect much more than some nipping by the goslings.
3. Ducks and geese eat the same food for the most part, but geese need more grass as they are grazers.
4. That's a big unknown, but generally when ganders are raised from hatch together, they become best friends and do not need to be separated during breeding season.
5. I would not house ducks/geese in small space together, but they are fine in a large area.
6. I would separate ducks/geese housing from juvenile age onward, regardless of season.

 

[jtn42248]

1. Ducks and geese get along great if they have enough space. I brood ducks/geese together, but by three weeks of age, they are getting at least daily turnout in a good sized grass yard if not outside 24/7.
2. I would introduce them outside in yard. At that age, I would not expect much more than some nipping by the goslings.
3. Ducks and geese eat the same food for the most part, but geese need more grass as they are grazers.
4. That's a big unknown, but generally when ganders are raised from hatch together, they become best friends and do not need to be separated during breeding season.
5. I would not house ducks/geese in small space together, but they are fine in a large area.
6. I would separate ducks/geese housing from juvenile age onward, regardless of season.

Thank you. This is exactly what I needed to know. I should be able to keep the ducks and geese in the same coop for the first few weeks at least while I finish a separate place for the geese. I have 25 chickens with their own coop and run, the six ducks with their own coop and run with water and a space that will be for the geese. Each is separately enclosed and secured and covered to protect form flying predators (we have lots of hawks here). They each open to an enclosed but not covered range area of about a half acre that they can share which, if I understand what I have read, should be o.k. to be all there together as it is large enough. Now, if I could only be sure about the sex of the geese but that is not possible with this dealer so I will prepare myself for a big surprise as time passes.
Again, thanks a lot.

 

[jtn42248]

Thank you. This is exactly what I needed to know. I should be able to keep the ducks and geese in the same coop for the first few weeks at least while I finish a separate place for the geese. I have 25 chickens with their own coop and run, the six ducks with their own coop and run with water and a space that will be for the geese. Each is separately enclosed and secured and covered to protect form flying predators (we have lots of hawks here). They each open to an enclosed but not covered range area of about a half acre that they can share which, if I understand what I have read, should be o.k. to be all there together as it is large enough. Now, if I could only be sure about the sex of the geese but that is not possible with this dealer so I will prepare myself for a big surprise as time passes.
Again, thanks a lot.

1. Ducks and geese get along great if they have enough space. I brood ducks/geese together, but by three weeks of age, they are getting at least daily turnout in a good sized grass yard if not outside 24/7.
2. I would introduce them outside in yard. At that age, I would not expect much more than some nipping by the goslings.
3. Ducks and geese eat the same food for the most part, but geese need more grass as they are grazers.
4. That's a big unknown, but generally when ganders are raised from hatch together, they become best friends and do not need to be separated during breeding season.
5. I would not house ducks/geese in small space together, but they are fine in a large area.
6. I would separate ducks/geese housing from juvenile age onward, regardless of season.

One last question. The coop area that the ducks and geese will share is a converted two stall barn that measures about 12 x 12. They will be confined there overnight but will have free access to both it and the outside during the daytime. Will that be enough space for six ducks and 4 geese to share without killing each other?

 

[Iain Utah]

For raising up until 12-16 weeks of age, that is perfect. But once they hit puberty, you may have some issues if you have any male ducks in the group.

 

[RURU]

When they are older I would separate the geese from the ducks at night. They can free range together but at night with adults they can and will fight...