When can my ducklings safely go with my chickens?

Pinx

Songster
8 Years
May 18, 2011
286
1
101
Amarillo, Texas
I moved my chicks and ducklings to the big coop because it was just TOO hot where I had the brooder and the lamp was never on.
I have 3 Bantams Chickens (1 roo 2 hens, the silkie I think is a hen but I'm not 100%) that are a few months old, The roo is crowing but the hens aren't laying yet... I would have to find my calendar to figure out how old they are for sure. I also have 3 cayuga ducklings, one is about 5 weeks old and the other two are 4 weeks old, and an assortment of 30 bantam chicks that are 5 weeks old. All of them are outside in the coop, but I have it partitioned off inside where the ducklings and chicks can come and go as they please but the big chickens can't get in the partition. Their food and water is inside their partition so they don't HAVE to leave it for any reason. Here lately my chicks and ducklings decided that they LOVE going out in the big yard, so when I start heading out to their pen to let the big chickens out I get bumrushed by 30 chicks and 3 ducklings heading out the gate... and the big chickens and I are standing back wondering what just happened lol. So the last 3 days I have been letting the chicks out with the big chickens, cause I can't even get in without them coming out. The rooster is fine with the chicks, just gives them the evil eye when they get to close and they run. The hens on the other hand have it out for them, especially my silkie... she had one of my ducklings cornered and every time she would peep she would peck her. I don't get it.... So I penned the hens up and let the rooster, chicks, and ducklings, roam together... and everyone got along perfectly. Then after about 20 minutes I put the chicks and ducklings up and let the hens out.

The 5 week duckling is almost as big as my hens, I figured she would be the last one that they would pick on because of her size. So when will my ducklings either take up for themselves, or be big/old enough that my hens will leave them alone... They all have it figure out, when the hens are around they stay in the coop and run to their partition when the hens go in, but when they rush the gate like they have been they leave themselves wide open to get picked on.

(I'll also add that I am out there at least 10 times a day refilling water and making sure they are all doing ok with the heat. It is just in the evening time, when I go out to let the big chickens out that they rush the gate. Before when I would let the big chickens out the chicks, and ducklings would take that time to scratch and run around in the coop run, and run from me like the plague.)
 
Its frustrating when they are mean to them, Makes me want to give them the boot (not literally, as in find a new home lol). The situation I'm in right now, especially with 110 degree days (really), I have no choice but to put the chicks and ducklings with the big chickens, cause anywhere else I have for them is like an oven, unlike the coop that is cooler with good air flow. I wish I knew why they have a new infatuation with the outside world... I would have to literally carry my big chickens out of the run when I wanted them in the yard (until about a month ago), otherwise they stood at the gate just looking lol.

I can't wait until we get into our new house when everything will have a seperate pen... a couple for SQ BQ breeders, one for my hatchery chickens I have now, one for the ducks, and a couple for my rabbits... with the exception of 1 buck, everything is in one pen until we get into our new house... ugh frustrating, and my moody bully hens aren't making it any easier.
 
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