# Keeping hens with ducks



## ryan123

Thinking about getting ducks. Can i keep them with my flock of hens? What will i need to put i the pen they are kept in and what do i need to do to the coop? All advice is appreciated.


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## Apyl

You sure can keep ducks and chickens together. I coop mine in the same coop. The only thing I do special for the ducks is provide a pool when we dont have 2 feet of snow on the ground. Also do not have the waterer inside the coop. Ducks will make a huge mess . One of the biggest mistakes people make are feeding and watering inside the coop while housing both ducks and chickens together, then next thing you know the person is complaining about how horribly messy their coop is and they get rid of the ducks. 
I have never had a mess issue. But I also dont feed or water inside the coop. And I only feed in the morning, and scraps from the kitchen thru out the day, and keep water during the day outside the coop. (Well right now they eat the snow)


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## eqstrnathlete

I keep mine together too. But I have found that the duck drakes pick on the chicken hens and fight with the rooster. So I had no choice but to sell my drakes and just keep hens. My chickens wouldn't even come down from roosting if the ducks were loose.


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## Apyl

eqstrnathlete said:


> I keep mine together too. But I have found that the duck drakes pick on the chicken hens and fight with the rooster. So I had no choice but to sell my drakes and just keep hens. My chickens wouldn't even come down from roosting if the ducks were loose.


Thats to bad. I wonder why the drake was like that. What breed was he?


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## eqstrnathlete

[/QUOTE]Thats to bad. I wonder why the drake was like that. What breed was he?[/QUOTE]

I had two, a Welsh Harlequin and fawn runner.


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## Lady_Alia

I too keep mine together. But lately my drakes are trying to mate with my chickens, which gets the chicken squawking, which brings the rooster running, which leads to a rooster/drake stand off. And the rooster is, of course, gonna win. Soooooo, this spring we are going to separate the ducks from the chickens. 
We too have a pool, and this winter I kept the ice cracked well enough that they could play in the water. 
I would suggest, as someone else did, not to water them in the house. They make a horrid mess! 
But, all that said, I LOVE watching the ducks. They are so much fun. I love hearing them quack all happy like.


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## 7chicks

Well, you all answered a lot of questions I had. Not sure how I'd keep the water thawed enough in the run without access to electricity outside to have a heat source so the water doesn't freeze. I had trouble a few times this winter during our below zero spells with the water freezing inside the coop. Coop is heated but water source being on the floor and near their small door to the run was too cold. Run is roofed, north side plywood shut, rest of the sides plastic wrapped so its pleasant for them to be out there in the long winter months. I'm gone during the day so I can't keep tending to the water to make sure all is okay.


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## DanielleBoland

If i got a duckling and raised with my chicks do you think it would stick around when i put them outside since my chickens are free


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## kaufranc

Yes they will!
Our chickens and ducks live and very range together.


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## rkendrick

Just don't feed ducks and geese medicated feed.


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## 2rain

Can you have a duckin? Like chickens mated with ducks?


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## chickenmadme22

Yes u can I have all my ducks and chickens free range together the only thing is ducks get messier then chickens and wet everything lol x


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## JC17

2rain said:


> Can you have a duckin? Like chickens mated with ducks?


No. They're not closely related so they cannot succesfully mate. They won't create a "duckin" although I've heard they will try


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