To Duck Or Not To Duck

Stands With A Fiddle

Songster
10 Years
Aug 26, 2009
172
1
111
Salt Lake City, UT
So, I've got 8 chickens, and I'm thinking about adding a couple of ducks. I have some questions.

1) Do ducks need a pond?

2) Do drakes crow like roosters?

3) Can they live in a chicken coop? I assume they don't roost with those webbed feet, right?
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4) Do they eat the same thing, tolerate cold as well? Would I need to make major adjustments to my chicken operation, or can I just throw em in the coop with the hens???

Thanks.
 
I think alot of your questions depend on breed. Muscovies don't need a pond(actually all breeds can get by with a kiddie pool but muscovies can be happy with no swimming water) In most if not all duck breeds the girls are much louder than the drakes. The drakes often have a whispery quack while the girls can get quite loud. The muscovies both sexes are quiet.
Some don't like them in the coop as they are messy(with water) but I keep mine in my coop with no problems. Most ducks don't roost, muscovies may.

They CAN eat the same thing.

My ducks are MORE winter hardy than my chickens(they come out in the yard on all but the very snowiest/coldest days in the winter.
 
In answer to the title question: Absolutely yes. Unequivocally.
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1. No. A kiddie pool with water changed every couple of days will suffice.

2. No. Drakes are actually quieter than hens--their voices are a sort of low, raspy murmur.

3. Yes. They don't need roosts, but will get the coop very dirty. Just be prepared for mud, wet poo (lots of it), and water everywhere.

4. They can share the chicken feed, will supplement heavily with whatever bugs & greens they can find. They will tolerate cold better than chickens because they have nearly no exposed skin, and their down is very thick, and they are waterproof.

Throw them in there, but add a kiddie pool and make sure the chickens have a water source that the ducks can't reach (because they will get any water they can reach very dirty, even if all they can get into it is their bills). Because chickens can roost and ducks won't (at least, not most ducks), you can easily put water up in an area that only the chickens can get to.

Good luck and enjoy!
 
Make sure if you house them together that the chickens can't get in there pool, I have heard of ducks drowning chickens. Rare, but can happen.
Also for smaller ducks, make sure you do not use buckets for drinking water they can get into the bucket and drown. It has happened to us, but the ducklings were about 3-4 weeks old.
I had mine together and it made for a really smelly coop. My ducks now have their own coop and covered run. I only put out a pool for them when they free range, we have a creel they can play in but the neighbors septic is dumping in it at the moment and I do not want them in there! Yuck, but that is a whole other story!!!!
My ducks eat the same unmediated feed as my chickens due!
My duck have gotten in the water in the dead of winter, with out any ill effects. I hate it though, I worry about frost bite, but I see them on ponds as long as the pond isn't frozen!
We have muscovys, and they do not quack, they make a neat hissing sound, and a hiccup like sound.
 
Ducks can be raised without any sort of pool as long as they have water deep enough to get their entire bill in. However, they are much happier if they can splash
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Definitely duck!
As stated ducks don't need a pond or even a pool. Though they do like to splash. They do need water deep enough to keep their bills clean. They make any water messy with in minutes.
Drakes are much quieter then ducks, but you get awesome eggs from the girls!
I feed the ducks and chickens the same feed. Duck are able to eat medicated feed though you may hear otherwise. They do need more niacin than chickens though.
As I once read: Do ducks do well in winter. Well of course they do, they have feathers! LOL Honestly though, they do fine.
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One of our girls last winter.
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