Keeping Ducks with Chickens

[chickens really]

No the Ducks will not perch.....

 

[sirrobyn0]

As you can see you will get a lot of opinions here on keeping Ducks and Chicken together. I have kept them separate and also kept them together. So I'll give my take.

Ducks need something that chickens don't and that's water to get in so you will need to provide something for that kiddie pools work great. Ducks will not sleep on the roosts, they want to be on the ground. They will probably choose a spot in the corner of the coop. You'll need to provide them with something for bedding ie hay or wood chips. Also if you have roosts all over in your coop like I do you'll need to make sure they are sleeping in a spot they won't get pooped on.

Now for the nasty stuff. I have heard, that if a male duck gets frustrated enough he may try to mate with a chicken, which could result in injury or death to the chicken.

My advise, I keep a few female ducks in my chicken coop because I find that it is easier to find their eggs. They seem health and happy. However I keep my male ducks and a few females in a separate area they also seem happy. So I would say keeping ducks with chickens is fine as long as you take some precautions and make the coop suitable for both.

 

[11mini]

No drakes or roosters here so that should be an issue. Pond is in the works and also going to set up a nest inside the coop. Thanks

 

[sirrobyn0]

Personally I think it'll go just fine for you. Once you have your ducks just monitor both your chickens and your ducks, but I'm sure it will be just fine.

 

[DaysChicks]

I too have raised my ducks and chickens together. One big happy family until one of my ducks died. The second duck decided he was a rooster which is REALLY bad for the hens. After getting two more ducks(and several months of bonding time), one of which is a beautiful female, he still thinks he's a rooster. I am now in the process of re-homing my beloved duck. P.S he also prefers a K Mart pool to the 2 acre pond I have so...he might just be a quirky duck with issues!

 

[sirrobyn0]

I too have raised my ducks and chickens together. One big happy family until one of my ducks died. The second duck decided he was a rooster which is REALLY bad for the hens. After getting two more ducks(and several months of bonding time), one of which is a beautiful female, he still thinks he's a rooster. I am now in the process of re-homing my beloved duck. P.S he also prefers a K Mart pool to the 2 acre pond I have so...he might just be a quirky duck with issues!

That is a really good example of why your better off not having male ducks in with your chickens, but female ducks are just fine with the proper accommodation.