My lucky day!!

[SS]

My mother called me up and asked " Do you want 4 ducks and a guinea" kinda a vague question but I answered " free ducks and a guinea, or I pay for them ducks and a guinea?" well turns out that a woman she worked with bought some for Easter and couldn't handle them as they got older so she was looking for a good home on a farm somewhere. so long story short I got some new editions to the flock today. funny thing about this though........ I know nothing abut ducks or a guinea for that matter. so is it okay to run them in with my chickens even if they are only 15 weeks old (5 weeks younger than my chickens).

 

[Happy Chooks]

Cool!

I'm by no means an expert (haven't ever had ducks or guineas), but from what I've read here ducks are really messy with their water and chickens don't like that.

 

[ODS-n-ENS FARM]

I keep my guineas in with the chickens. It is working out well.

 

[Cetawin]

Well for starters...quarantine the newcomers for at least 3 weeks. Just make sure they have no illness that could infect your existing birds.

Next...guineas and chickens can be housed together but guinea males can be extremely aggressive towards roosters so watch for that as the guinea grows up. Guinease are very flock oriented...you may end up needing to find it a home with other guineas or getting other guineas.

Ducks can be housed with chickens but ducks are much messier. They must have water when they eat or they will choke....they need water deep enough to get their heads in to clean their nares (like nostrils on the bill). They have different food requirements from chickens until they are fully mature.

I house my ducks and chickens separately. Good luck.

 

[mikesbigroo]

keep plenty of water for them ducks, if you have no pond or large water pool they will soil there water like right now, but are cool to have , i have some mallards and keep em from the chickens for that reason,, water

 

[Georgia Rose]

We got some ducklings and when they were about 6 wks we turned them out with the chickens. From the beginning they bossed the chickens around. They do have their own pen and house when not free-ranging. It's amazing the holes they can dig with their bills! It's weird, they like take water out of the dish, with their bills, and drop it on the ground just to dig those holes.

The roosters (gotten with the ducklings) were a few weeks older than the ducks when let out and they had no problems with the hens except at bedtime. I've got a broody that made it difficult for all of them to get into the coop and roosted (she's mean). I gave up and just let them roost in the trees. I haven't figured out how they get up there with clipped wings.

 

[SS]

thanks all, well its the second day and I still have them quarantined away from the rest of the flock. also I have a small pond and stream nearby but I haven't let em out yet I'm not sure if they will come back if i do