Newbie with duck and chicken questions

[DuckyBoys]

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LOL... yeah poor hen! I agree - mine are all babies and they will absolutely be seperated in pens and runs by the end of the summer. I imagine some will free range but if there are any ganders or drakes not worthy of breeding they'll be on craig's list - not out bothering my laying hens in the yard.

 

[Badhbh]

The area I have them in is temporary, that's true. I have one coop and run built now, and in less than a month i'm fencing off this area and building a MUCH larger coop in the back of the barn. If any problems arise, the ducks will have their own area penned off already that I can move them to. I'm fencing off the back 1/2 acre that attaches to my house, the barn enclosed in that fence. The barn itself will have an attached run that's about 300 feet of fence. So i'll effectively have three areas that I can sort them all in to. I wouldn't subject them to living in super close quarters for lung term, however if there were two ducks and two chickens in a large run, I don't think it would be so bad.

 

[DuckyBoys]

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Yeah, that's kinda what I was thinking too. 2 ducks and 2 chickens is almost not worth creating two seperate living spaces unless they were stressed for some reason. I imagine a few ducks and chickens live free range style on many a homestead.

(by the way jealous of your green grass! Colorado is taking forever to green up it seems)

 

[Hunter0704]

DUCKLINGS AND CHICKS LIVING TOGETHER WORKS GREAT. Have 3 Welsh Harlequin ducklings 3 1/2 weeks old and four chicks 2 1/2 weeks old, all in my coop together....I opened up two of the four nesting boxes for them to sleep in filled with hay and they love it. The floor of the coop is covered with Equine Pellets that are working wonderfully. I would recommend using them to everyone....they absorb water, there's no smell, and are easy to clean poop off of. When the pellets get wet they eventually turn to a dust like texture. Tried sand - no way as it stays wet! Tried hay on floor - no way, it get's wet and smells. To keep waterer and mess confined, I put a large black plastic tray under it. They are doing great living together. I think the key is starting them out together when they are babies. Good Luck!

 

[Sassy1967]

My ducks and chicks sleep together at night, then free range during the day. We couldn't afford to build two separate enclosures so this was our best solution. Surprisingly, the chickens seem to be messier than the ducks. We keep hay in there for them all and that cuts down on the mess. It's a solution until you can get them their own separate enclosures. Good luck to you! You're going to LOVE the chickens. My suggestion would be for you to get some baby chicks, spend as much time with them, holding them and hand feeding them as possible. Then, when they get older,..they're much more likely to interact with you and follow you around like little puppies

 

[ChickInDelight]

I would NEVER recommend housing ducks together for all the reasons already listed, however, I do.

I built this duckhouse. I have to get the ducks in before dark, or they choose to sleep in the yard. With days getting shorter, I lost 2 ducks recently. You should know, ducks are EXTREME creatures of habit, and rarely do what you would like.

Meanwhile, the chickens really like the duckhouse. Therefore, I put perches up high for them. They also have a nest box, auto-waterer, and feeder higher for them, but they are not using their private conveniences yet.

I built the house out of pallets. 4 of the roof panels are hinged for access. I wish it were easier for me to get inside. I still need to cut a door in the place where the ducks are laying.

Sand floor, sometimes hay for bedding. I just started with chickens and ducks in April - learning everything at BYC.