Went to the feed store yesterday, just to pick up a broode light but I feel in love with the ducks. Can I keep baby ducks and chicks together? How about adults? They are the cutest thing. Have more new chicks coming from Ideal this morning, so excited. Then I'm going to think some more about those ducks.

-- Lesa in Va (Lemaradd@aol.com), March 01, 2002

Answers

the problem with ducks and chickens together is their eating habits

ducks like water WITH their food. They will get a beak full of food, walk over to the water dish and swish. Gets food crumbs in the water, which turns to gruel. Slops the water out on the floor, too.

chicks like clean water and dry feet.

notice that in nature, they don't hang out together

-- Rose (open_rose@hotmail.com), March 01, 2002.

Lesa, I personally wouldn't keep them together. I have raised both, and the ducklings are So much messier. I was afraid that they would poop on the chicks! I didn't have a problem with keeping them together once they were older, but they had a large area to run in. One more thing- if you feed medicated chick feed to ducklings it WILL kill them. Experienced this!

-- Lynelle SOwest.VA (x2ldp@aol.com), March 01, 2002.

Lesa, I have raised them together. The ducks do make a terrible mess and this makes it hard to keep the bedding dry for the chicks. Can you get another light and large cardboard box with litter and keep a few ducks separate? I think you should try them, you will enjoy them! My adult ducks and chickens are kept in the same coop. They get along just fine. Best wishes!

-- cowgirlone in OK (cowgirlone47@hotmail.com), March 01, 2002.

I did it. I got 5 ducks when I went back to the feed store just a little while ago. I do have them separate for the chicks. They are mallards and soooo cute. My spare room has now became a poultry room 3 huge (4x4) boxes a total of 5 ducks and 50 chicks. What a life!

-- Lesa in Va (Lemaradd@aol.com), March 01, 2002.

Lesa,

While you still can you may want to cover everything in your spare room with sheet plastic.

I brooded chick in our guest bedroom once and I think my wife is still mad about it years later. Chick dust goes *everywhere* and it's Hell to clean up.

.......Alan.

-- Alan (athagan@atlantic.net), March 01, 2002.

Lesa, You're gonna have so much fun!! Best of luck!

-- cowgirlone in OK (cowgirlone47@hotmail.com), March 01, 2002.

Lesa, Welcome to Ducks!!! LOL Re ducks 'n' chickens. You already have a "heads up" re feeding and the water thing. Keep in mind also that ducks will pick up lice and mites from the chickens. Ducks keep themselves quite clean and rarely have those creatures or intestinal parasites like chickens. Their food requirements are quite different too. Ducks need added Niacin in their diet and thus should be fed, if not food just for ducks, at least Waterfowl Diet or Gamebird diet. Some breeders have good success with Purinas "Meatbuilder". Add lots of snipped greens to the food and water. Clover, Tender new grass, dandilion, deep green lettuce, spinach etc. An excellant book on duck care is "Storey's Guide to Raising Ducks". Fun to read too! The trouble with this book is that it introduces you to lots of other very cute ducks and then you need some of them too!!! LOL Also, check out www.poultryconnection.com, General Waterfowl Forum and the LINKS for some adorable pictures of ducks. Have Fun, don't cha just love those little webbed feet? LOL LQ

-- Little Quacker (carouselxing@juno.com), March 01, 2002.

I've found it helpful with the ducks to sit their waterer inside a plastic tray(mine is maybe two inches deep), so when they splash the water goes into the tray and not the litter or the box. You'll need to dump this probably a couple of times a day.

-- mary (marylgarcia@aol.com), March 01, 2002.

Ducks are so messy that I keep mine in the bathtub or shower until they go outside, I have just two chicks this year and they are in my 50 gallon glass tank, it's neat to be able to see them from amost any where in the house.

-- Thumper/inOKC (slrldr@yahoo.com), March 01, 2002.

Ducklings spread the water around as they have to keep their nares (nostrils) clean. Chicks need a dry environment.

Chicks get the Chick Starter with Amprolium. Ducks aren't supposed to eat that.

When outside, if you have a pond, the chooks will follow the ducks into the water and drown.

-- ~Rogo (rogo2222@hotmail.com), March 02, 2002.

Last fall I fell in love with chickens and ducks, too. I had one chicken pen with 35 chicks, 3 ducks, and 5 guineas. Now I have 5 less roosters and 5 chicken pens and a duck pen. I also have an incubator on the way. I found 7 or 8 kinds of chickens I want and at least 2 kinds of geese. My husband sort of laughs and shakes his head. He does like the ducks though and doesn't fuss about the rest. Wonder what it is about chickens, ducks and geese? Sigh~~~~

-- R in Ga (rrebekah14@aol.com), March 04, 2002.