How much space for ducks and chickens?

[The chicken nurd]

Hi this is my first post on here so I’m not sure if it’s in the right place but I have a question for you guys I have 6 hens and 6 chicks where building a new coop because my current coop isn’t big enough for 12 hens so I was wondering if anyone could tell me what was the best size coop/run for them also I’m thinking about adding ducks later this summer just 2 or 3 and I was curious what people knew about keeping ducks and chickens together and how much space I would need
Thanks

 

[Cecisflock]

It is HIGHLY discouraged to keep chickens and ducks together!

I was curious what people knew about keeping ducks and chickens together

 

[LT71689]

female ducks can be kept with chickens but theres some differences in their needs. Ducks need at a minimum 4sqft per bird, with chickens I'd probably give them even more. They dont usually care for nest boxes, and they generally dont roost so you need some floor space of your coop without roosts above it so your ducks dont get pooped on all night. ducks produce a lot of moisture through their bodies and their poop so your venting and bedding needs to take that into account. Ducks require water if theyre given access to food, so if you want food inside the coop you need water there too. Ducks need water deep enough to dunk their whole head into which can get pretty messy if you dont use the right kind of dish, and deep water is a risk for baby chicks. The bottoms of their feat are more meaty and more prone to bumblefoot issues so you need to tailor your coop and run floor and bedding to suit that. Ducks dont usually do well with steep ramps so a raised chicken coop could make it difficult for you to get them to come and go on their own, you'd want something low or sitting on the ground.

You should definitely not keep male ducks with chickens as a male duck trying to mate a chicken (and it will) can easily kill it.

You still might run into complications, theres no guarantee that everyone will always get along, so if you want to try co-housing I'd be prepared with a backup plan in case it just doesnt work out