Right duck breeds with big ducks?

[Duck_life]

Hi, i have some muscovies and pekin ducks, i am planing on getting 1 crested duck and 2 call ducks... is that fine or do i need a bigger breed since the others are so big? I am also getting 2 silkies and I don't know if i can put chickens and ducks together? and if anyone knows where their is a place where i can buy chicks and ducklings at? im in Scranton PA

 

[PirateGirl]

I have blue Swedish (quite large) with KCs (a bit smaller) and while they all get along, the KCs have terrible feather condition from my drake being so much larger and I’m thinking of separating them again for summer

 

[Duck_life]

would east indie do fine?

 

[PirateGirl]

Are any of your existing birds a drake? I feel like size differences can be a bigger problem if you have a particularly large drake with smaller hens.

 

[Duck_life]

Are any of your existing birds a drake? I feel like size differences can be a bigger problem if you have a particularly large drake with smaller hens.

Yes, My duckling lucky is a drake and does pick on the hens sometimes, i do let them free range

 

[DuckyDonna]

I would think that any small duck, especially the Calls, would be a terrible idea since you've got a pekin drake. Even a runner wouldn't be good unless you are planning on separating everyone.

Also, a crested duck, if it's a girl, won't be good because no matter what breed it is if that big penkin drake gets hold of that crest while mating, and it will, it won't be pretty very long!

You'd be better off going with a bigger breed and not crested.

 

[PirateGirl]

Yes, My duckling lucky is a drake and does pick on the hens sometimes, i do let them free range

FWIW my drake does not pick on my hens really and they still get beat up from rountine mating. He has 5 girls, is gentle overall, but the two smallest girls have lots of broken/missing feathers where he puts his feet on their backs when mating. Since your drake is the largest breed I would be cautious housing him with small females in breeding season.

 

[DuckyDonna]

I have 1 drake and 6 girls and I noticed the other day that 5 of the 6 girls had really rough looking necks with hardly any feathers and maybe a little blood. Apparently, my one little drake that I was so worried about because I thought he wasn't doing his "job" was indeed doing his "job".

So off to TSC to get some Blu-kote I go. How hard can this be to dab their necks with this stuff I thought? What could possibly go wrong? So I gathered them all up in the pen when I put them in for the night, took 1 by 1 and gave each one the blu-kote stripe and all was well until I got to #4 and then it went downhill from there. I lost control of her wings. She flapped. The bottle of serious blue stuff got knocked over and I had a mess on my both my hands that wouldn't wait! At least I don't have to decorate the inside of the pen. It's a nice shade or gentian violet. My hands will probably be purple for a month but I can really see where I need to apply lotion now because every crack, crevice, and cut shows up great now. The cuts don't hurt anymore either so I guess the stuff really works!

 

[chickens really]

Definitely no Calls or East Indies. Too small for huge Drakes. Unless you plan on separating and having more pens. Also Silkies will need a separated house and pen too.

 

[Miss Lydia]

I have 1 drake and 6 girls and I noticed the other day that 5 of the 6 girls had really rough looking necks with hardly any feathers and maybe a little blood. Apparently, my one little drake that I was so worried about because I thought he wasn't doing his "job" was indeed doing his "job".

So off to TSC to get some Blu-kote I go. How hard can this be to dab their necks with this stuff I thought? What could possibly go wrong? So I gathered them all up in the pen when I put them in for the night, took 1 by 1 and gave each one the blu-kote stripe and all was well until I got to #4 and then it went downhill from there. I lost control of her wings. She flapped. The bottle of serious blue stuff got knocked over and I had a mess on my both my hands that wouldn't wait! At least I don't have to decorate the inside of the pen. It's a nice shade or gentian violet. My hands will probably be purple for a month but I can really see where I need to apply lotion now because every crack, crevice, and cut shows up great now. The cuts don't hurt anymore either so I guess the stuff really works!

Too funny any of us that have used Blue Kote can sure relate.