Which BYC member scares you?

[Isadora]

I finally got my brother on the phone long enough to tell him we got chickens! He assumed we had moved.

Then I told him we were getting ducks! He expressed concern about the drake molesting the hens. This is not the first person who, when I told them we were getting ducks, that was their immediate response.

I mean, we are also getting three female ducks, and the drake is not going to be going into the hen house at night. Is this like, something I need to be very concerned about? For their safety, should I not be letting him out into the yard with the chickens? He's a Welsh Harlequin, so he really won't be any bigger than the hens. Is this something I need to be hyper vigilant about? Or just be mindful that it could be a concern, and keep a lookout like any normal person would?

It will help immensely that you do not keep your chickens and ducks cooped together. It's possible that they will hang out with just their own kind and that he won't try to breed them.
The problem is drakes have an insane mating urge so that often three females aren't enough to satisfy them. Typical ratio recommended is four to six hens per Drake.
Personally, I wouldn't risk letting my flocks intermingle unless I had far more female ducks for him. I've seen some emergency threads where chickens have prolapsed after a Drake has mated them and it's so not pretty. And so much worse as far as feeling guilt when it could have been preventable.
Of course the final call is up to you.

 

[589205]

View attachment 3153741

Swimming pool time!

 

[azurbanclucker]

77F and wonderful right now.

 

[The Moonshiner]

 

[Everose]

He's a Welsh Harlequin, so he really won't be any bigger than the hens.

Him being a welshie is actually much worse than him being a fat pekin. His size makes it easier to mount chickens and he has an extremely high libido which means with only three duck hens he will be looking for more ladies, and he will mate them relentlessly unless they can escape into a different yard.
I have kept saxony and buff drakes with chickens just fine, but I wouldn't keep a WH drake with chickens.

Roosters don't have a penis, drakes have corkscrew penises which is what injures the chickens.

 

[The Moonshiner]

77F and wonderful right now.
View attachment 3153748

You're lucky to live in the desert where it doesn't get hot.

 

[EverythingDucks]

The chickies got a big bug bug

 

[EverythingDucks]

@Isadora

 

[Isadora]

@Isadora
View attachment 3153754

Oh, my land! He has a hidey hole!

 

[Chickassan]

I finally got my brother on the phone long enough to tell him we got chickens! He assumed we had moved.

Then I told him we were getting ducks! He expressed concern about the drake molesting the hens. This is not the first person who, when I told them we were getting ducks, that was their immediate response.

I mean, we are also getting three female ducks, and the drake is not going to be going into the hen house at night. Is this like, something I need to be very concerned about? For their safety, should I not be letting him out into the yard with the chickens? He's a Welsh Harlequin, so he really won't be any bigger than the hens. Is this something I need to be hyper vigilant about? Or just be mindful that it could be a concern, and keep a lookout like any normal person would?

This is why people get freaked, duck anatomy.