Sometimes people just drive me crazy...

[Born A Duck Lover]

I was talking with a friend whose family is planning to order chicks sometime. They had considered getting a crested duckling with the chicks, too, but my friend's mother decided against it because "non-domestics don't get along with domestics." Ugh! That rankled! I don't think we have a smiley for grinding teeth, lol. I mentioned that ducks have been domesticated for quite some time, but I really had to keep my temper under control. My friend was just saying what her mother had said, so there was no reason to start arguing with her about it. Sometimes people are just misinformed. But really! What are Jumbo Pekins if they aren't domestic? Okay, don't get me started.

But really, I know a lot of people here on this forum who raise both ducks and chickens. What have been your experiences raising both together? Are there any kinds of problems or difficulties you've encountered? I'd be interested to know.

 

[pardygwyn]

My only complaint about having them together is that they make mud together more efficiently under the right conditions than either species alone. It's also important to make sure the hens' laying boxes are up above duck jumping height, as not all of them respect nest boundaries when they're dabbling and pooping around. Other than that, no problems besides the silkie chicken trying to jump in after her "babies" went swimming for the first time. LOL I had them all in a pretty big yard, though.

 

[Birdcrazy]

Quote:
Agreed! Lovely mud

And in the coop, there is a ramp for the chooks while the ducks just stay on the hay-covered floor. Although for some reason my duck became determined to lay with the chooks, so she's managing to get up the ramp and fit inside their nesting boxes...

I hate it when people make up their mind on something based they have no idea on

it is frustrating...

 

[KansasKid]

yeck even non-domestic ducks can be kept with a few domestic ducks. example--> Mandarins/teal with calls