Is it okay to raise ducks with chickens? What new things will I need to do to accommodate ducks?

[calmwinds]

I suggest checking out Metzer Farms website there is lots of information on caring for ducks including feeding suggestions. That is basically what I go by. I feed Mazuri feed even though it is very expensive but the ducks do not waste the feed as they did with the pellet feed I fed. So for the difference in waste cost per higher feed bag cost it turned out to be close enough to use the higher priced food. I feed at present breeders formula year round and it does good for me.

 

[QuackyMomma]

I had them together initially. The lady at the shop assured me it's a good thing and I shouldn't have any problems. The duck would think it's a chicken and won't want to go into the water.... yeah, right. First the chick had a pecking phase and injured the other chick, so the duckling got moved to prevent injury. Then I was no longer able to put the duckling back with the chickens cause she became several times larger than the chicks and would peck at them with such force that the chicks were screaming in terror. So they're separated for now and I'll also have to rething their housing when I move them outside. The fact is... ducks are water animals, love water by nature, like to play in it and make a mess. I'm no expert but I can see that. Chickens and damp housing conditions don't mix.

 

[8machines]

I know tons of people who raise them together. Because my ducklings actually seemed to pick on my chicks when they were little, I chose to separate them. My chicks also seemed to like the ducklings eyes. I got tired of worrying if the chicks were eventually going to blind the ducklings, so I just kept them separate. Ducklings also need some different care, so in my experience, it was just easier to raise them in two separate coops that share a fence. However, they do free-range together. There has been some scuffles I have had to break up but nothing major. If you raise them together and the seem to do fine and that works for you, go for it!
You will need to have something at least deep enough for them to dip their heads in to clean their nostrils and wash their eyes. We do have a big pool for our ducks that we clean out about 1x a week or so. They LOVE to swim and you will love watching them. They need to be supervised and limited in their swim time while they are still ducklings as their soft fuzz can get waterlogged and there is a possibility of drowning. When our ducklings were young, we just let them have a swim in the kitchen sink for a few minutes every few days. Ours are now 4 months old (and outside of course) and they will stay in the water most of the day now.
Ducks can eat chick starter along with the chicks, just make sure it's the NON-medicated chick starter. The only thing you MUST do, that is nutritionally different, is provide the ducks with niacin. You can get the niacin capsules and add it to their drinking water. I make a gallon at a time. Mix 100mg capsule to 1 gallon of water. I open up the capsule, empty the powder, and shake the jug to dissolve. The niacin cannot be the "time-release" or "no-flush" variety. I provided this daily to my ducks until about 12 weeks of age, then just provided it a couple times a week after that. As long as they have access to bugs, etc., they shouldn't need it daily after that time.
Depending on the breed of duck will depend on how many eggs you get. Ducks eggs are great! They are especially good for baking. Some people think they are too strong to just eat by itself, but others love them. I think a lot of people would be interested in buying duck eggs. They aren't always easy to come by. Anyone who has ever used them for baking will definitely know their worth. You can sell ducks eggs for more than you sell chicken eggs for.

I sure want to thank you for all of this information. I will consider very wisely before I buy any ducks. I have my hands full with 22 chickens.