Introducing ducks to a chicken flock

[vermontgal]

One Acre, don't you tempt me with these Swedish ducks (THANKS for the offer, though!).

I'm headed toward eggers and desluggers, for which Runners or Campbells are supposed to be the best. One of the employees at the local feedstore raises Khaki Campbells, so that's what I'm thinking....

 

[stuckinthecity]

Well we kept scovys with chickens, untill the drake beat up my rooster...badly... But, I would get a grown pair of ducks and introduce them to the chickens, becuase the babies would be bullied alot (ducks dont seem to peck back =/)

 

[Kansaseq]

I got two Appleyards last weekend, and put them in a pen adjacent to my chicken runs. Today I let out my remaining duck (lost one last night to a predator) and she is in with the chickens tonight. Went right in the coop and seemed content to sleep there. So far, so good.

 

[CMV]

I am getting ready to introduce my 4 ducklings (Campbells) and 4 goslings (Africans) to my older hens, so I am interested in the responses here. I am housing mine separately, but eventually they will be sharing run space and they will be free-ranging together. I am interested in maintaining harmony in my yard, too. I don't keep any males on my property so I am hoping that will go a long way towards reducing the incidences of squabbling amongst the birds.
Good luck with your birds. Wish me luck with mine.

 

[vermontgal]

Hey, I now have 2 Khaki Campbell adult females coming to live with us (on a trial basis) tomorrow!!

We are very excited, but a little nervous about how to exactly to manage the introduction. I'm planning to give the ducks and chickens a couple days to look at each other on either side of some fence, to start, and then just put them in together? Any further ideas on how exactly to do this??!

THANKS for advice.

 

[Portugal Muscovy Novice]

How did the introduction go? I did it slightly faster than the rest I have to say. I was gifted 3 Muscovy ducklings 5 weeks old. I put them in the pen overnight when the chickens were all tucked in and they slept underneath the coop peacefully. the next morning the girls were very vocal about the new residents but that's it really. the ducks chill in the pond and the chickens scratch around. It was a lot easier than I thought tbh. I have three more ducklings that I saved from my "wild" Muscovies (there were 6) and I will be introducing them in the same way in three week's time.

 

[KaitlinGrace]

I wouldn't keep ducks in with my chickens. Ducks make alot of mess, play in the water ect. Everyone I know keeps them separate. But I dont' have ducks, so maybe someone else will jump in here with experience.

We have ducks and yes we keep the two separate the ducks I change their water several times a day, and they are very messy creatures. The hen coop doesn't get that messy and the chicken poop we scoop up and compost. But ducksare messy critters.