Tips on introducing 4 month old chicks

[Katejc]

Hi, so I have 6 month old female muscovies in with my chickens and everyone gets along. About 4 months ago my silkie hatched 4 eggs and we separated them into a look but don’t touch brooder. I’ve done some introductions that went just fine with the rest of the flock except the ducks keep getting too close and the mama silkie goes after them to warn them. Last time this happened I came outside to the mama silkie pinned underneath one of the ducks screeching her little head off. I rescued her and separated everyone but the brooder is not suitable for long term use and quite small and they need out. Do I need to be worried about actual aggression from this duck? She goes after my chihuahua too but luckily he can not be f*cked with and that was settled quickly.

 

[azygous]

On the surface it sounds like a comedy club you have going on in your run. But Silkies have enough of an uphill battle coping with life among standard breed chickens without having to dodge the Sherman tanks of the poultry world - ducks.

As with all integrations, the objective is to merge the two groups by providing a safe haven for the more vulnerable while allowing the more vulnerable to safely and gradually become integrated members of the flock.

While I'm neither condoning or disapproving of mixing ducks with chickens, I think it may be easier for the Silkies to integrate by segregating the ducks, at least during this initial combining of the Silkies with the existing chickens.

When I integrate young chicks with an adult flock, the youngsters have a panic room - a fenced off safe area, that has multiple entrances only they can fit through. This can be accomplished by providing small pop holes or by raising a barricade up on bricks so has to leave a horizontal entrance along the bottom of the barricade for the smaller chickens to duck through that the large ones can't fit through.

Most important, food and water should be kept in this safe zone so the smaller vulnerable chickens are not bullied away from these essentials.

 

[Katejc]

My little silkie Tina is a bit of a force. She double foot jump kicked to the chest any of the full size hens that got too close and also ripped out a large chunk of feathers off the head of another bird. But she can’t go up against these ducks. I like the idea of a panic room. I wonder if I could even get away with a rubbermaid tub with a banty size hole. The other thing is that the ducks don’t roost and neither does Tina so thats not going to work out well for nighttime routines. I wish I had somewhere else for the ducks to go.

 

[azygous]

Tell the ducks to go jump in a lake. Just kidding. Couldn't resist.

Yes, you could make an inverted tub work. If it's translucent, it would let light in so they would be able to see when they're under it eating and drinking. You would only need to prop it up so they can squeeze under it. No need to ruin it by cutting a hole in it. I would create a "foundation" with bricks at the four corners, leaving space between all along the bottom for them to squeeze under. Put another three or four bricks on top to keep it from being knocked off the foundation bricks.

I've heard bantams can be very fierce. I have no bantams, but I do have a couple of Sicilian Buttercup hens who are very small, and they dart around the run like little sports cars. They survive because the larger chickens can't possible keep up with them.

 

[Miss Lydia]

You might have to have a separate pen and coop for your ducks.
When my hens have chicks I make a separate area inside the coop using lattice with plastic poultry fencing attached to it so the chicks can't get through the holes but I place mama hen and chicks inside this for nighttime Then after everyone is let out for the day mama and chicks get the whole coop for the day. I do this for a week. Then when time to let mama and chicks outside my ducks are placed in the larger area away from mama and chicks but they can all still see each other. Once the chicks are around 3 weeks old they are all together. Mamas are usually more settled by then and the chicks are old enough to keep out of the duck's way. If your Silkie sleeps on the floor I'd make her a safe place so no one can pick on her and her chicks.

 

[Katejc]

Thanks for your help and suggestions! I’m surprised my rooster isnt taking care of this for me but I think he is scared of the ducks