Raising ducks with chickens?

[Cherokeeman]

I am interested in getting started?
If I started with 4 hens (chickens) could I also raise a duck (one) with them...together?
Thanks and any suggestions are welcome. Just getting in to it.
Thanks,
Jim

 

[toletiquesbysam]

I have ducks/geese and chickens all in one coop. They were raised together so they know nothing different!

 

[Cherokeeman]

Thanks much That is what I kinda thought that they wouldn't really know the difference.
Thanks for the reply.
Any resources free on line about building coups or converting and existing shed would be great. Like I said just starting.
Thanks,
Jim

 

[toletiquesbysam]

We converted a shed we purchased off craigslist. It's 8x16 and I already had the old metal nesting boxes and then just added 2 roosting bars along the back of the shed. DH cut a "pop" door out along one side of it and 2 "windows" on each side and then 2 higher "vents" along the other 2 ends of the building. Each of these windows and vents we covered with the heavy hardware wire. I do block the windows during the winter and leave the high vents open. The large people door I usually leave open during the days when it's nice otherwise it is shut except for me to enter and collect eggs/feed/water/clean. The pop door is about 1 1/2 foot off the ground so he hinged it so when it's open it comes down and makes a ramp for them. The roosting bars are really wood posts that I had extras of, they happened to fit perfectly so no cutting was involved and I can easily remove them to clean.
I put a pool out in the warmer months but haven't had one in all winter.

 

[RockwaterFarm]

The only problem is that ducks are very messy. 1 problably won't be but i have five and they spill about 1/3 of the water from my 2 gallon waterer onto the floor. My chickens don't seem to mind them at all. The good thing is they like to catch the bugs like mosquitos from the air, chickens can only catch bugs from the ground. you need to make sure the feed is for ducks and chickens, like Home Grown. Tractor Supply usually has a poultry raiser for all types .

 

[Cherokeeman]

Thanks much this site is very friendly and helpful.
Thanks again,
Jim

 

[chickenma]

But don't feed duck medicated feed. They can die from it.
Why don't you get 2 ducks? Ducks eat and clean them selves different then chickens.
They need to be able to wash there nostrils to clean them out. They are funny but 2 ducks can be better then one.
They are messier then chickens but a lot stronger , I think.

 

[Parrotchick]

Ducks prefer to be with other ducks, so you should have at least 2 ducks, plus they're so cute hanging out together it's ridiculous. Having chicken buddies are better for the duck generally than being all alone, but still another duck is optimal, even a different breed. Case in point:

I raised a Muscovy duckling with some chicks his same age. He grew so much faster than they did he kind of "took responsibility" for them and I thought everyone was happy. He was too young/small to be with my older Pekins but even when his size caught up they had no interest at all in each other. But when he got big enough and his hormones started kicking in, he began trying to mate some of the larger chickens. He was really rough and I was warned by BYCers that he could kill the girls and it certainly looked like he would. He also became nippy with the chicks he was raised with. He seemed lonely, not having somebody like him to hang out with. I got him a female Muscovy, but he was still more interested in mating the chickens than her. I think his identity is still really confused now. I still have to supervise him when I let them all free-range or he is giving waaaay too much attention to the hens.

My 3 Pekins and my chickens mingle peacefully but each know their respective sides of the pen and coop/duckhouses at bedtime. My big drake is better than the roosters at warning everyone of danger from the sky.

Have fun! And if possible, build for more than what you are planning for now because as everyone here will tell you, the little buggers are addictive!

 

[The YardFarmers]

We have ducks and chickens together and they get along OK. I agree that the duck would do better with at least another one- their comfort and behavior is tied to being in flock and watching out for each other. We have 2 houses- chickens go in 1 (an elevated tractor) and the ducks go in the other. Both houses open into a shared yard and during hte day the chickens and ducks go iin either house. But I think the ducks would even do OK just on the bottom of the tractor and the chickens would do fine as long as they could get up and out of the ducks way. We have 2 feeders and use 2 buckets for water so everyone has a choice where to go.
What kind of duck do you have?

YardFarmer Julie

 

[Cherokeeman]

Thanks,
I don't have any yet I am just getting going I thought ( i have already increased the flock lol ) 4 or 5 road island reds ( I live in central Washington ) and now 2 ducks. I was thinking of Khakis but the Muscovy look like a good chose too, but I am very interested in the Cayuga. I should be ready in about one month. I was looking at building a coup but there is a shed that has a dirt floor that could be converted. I just need to think of ventilation and nesting boxes, and thinking over the configuration of the shed.
Thanks again and any tips for the new egg

would be appreciated. I want to do this right and have healthy birds.
Regards,
Jim