Two week old Ducklings with 3 day old chicks? Help, is pecking OK?

[chikadeedoodah]

HI all, new here, and new with ducks and chicks!
We went to the tractor supply store for a house repair kit two weeks ago and came out with six ducklings. Thought it would be good "practice" on caring for our chicks (and testing the environment - heat, food, water supply at the chicken coop) before our 27 chicks arrived. Ducks are great, but when we got the chicks they do NOT play together well at all. The chicks try to peck the ducks and the ducks peck the chicks. I've separated them for fear the ducklings (who are much bigger) will hurt the chicks. Anyone have any experience with this? I think the ducklings will run away to the river at the first chance they get (we live on the Potomac), would like them to stay, but they need to live with the chicks (we only have one coop!). IS pecking OK, are they just trying to figure out the pecking order, or will they really hurt each other?

Please help!

 

[debilorrah]

You did not mention how old they are..... My experience is not with ducks, but Turkeys and just recently. I noticed that the turkeys peck at the chicks, but no one is losing feathers, and no one is bleeding, and the chicks are starting to peck back. In my opinion, they are just working things out. Were any of the chicks or ducks injured from the pecking?

 

[chikadeedoodah]

Hi there! The ducks are 2 weeks and the chicks are about a week (tomorrow). The ducks are SO MUCH BIGGER than the chicks, but no one has been hurt or bleeding. I removed the ducks as soon as they started pecking. I want to integrate everyone, but they seems less than excited at the idea....

 

[debilorrah]

If you keep them separate but visible to each other, you should be able to put them together within a week. You want to put them back together now and observe if they are just pushing each other around, or seriously trying to injure each other. My turkeys are just pushing them around. So they stay together.

 

[chikadeedoodah]

thanks, I'm going to try. Wish me luck!