Any Advice On Keeping A Few Chickens

I'd like to get a few chickens to keep out back with our 4 ducks but I'm wondering if it's a bad idea to mix the 2 species. After all, the straw in the duck's shed where they sleep all night, (although sometimes I wonder if they're in there smoking cigars & gambling ), can get yukky in areas. The shed is cleaned out daily but they are water'foul'

I've heard Cochin Chickens are very friendly birds & easy going.

Any advice?

Thanks

Re: Any Advice On Keeping A Few Chickens

Hi Zoolady. I had the pleasure of keeping both waterfowl and poultry a few years ago, along with other varieties of birds as well, but their needs are different. They should be alright together as long as they have plenty of space to go their separate ways if they want. I would strongly advise against housing them together though - not a good idea. As you have already found, the duck's poo can be pretty fowl (excuse pun) if the birds are enclosed, and I would think you run the risk of contaminating the chicken eggs. Chickens to not usually like wet conditions, unlike ducks, and would benefit from a nice dry, clean nest to lay. Although, with the ducks being rather messy drinkers and feeders, the chickens would not want to have to walk through puddles and sloppy food troughs to reach their nice dry food.
I once reared some baby ducklings under a broody hen, but the poor mother hen was quite frantic when the little ducklings took to water and she couldn't supervise them!

Re: Any Advice On Keeping A Few Chickens

No doubt ,you'll get someone on here who keeps or has kept them. Research on the nEt for poultry keeping, would be helpful.

We had some ducks but we hadnt anticipated how noisy they'd be and HOW MUCKY. WE took them to a farmer friend and they were happy with lots of space and lived for quite a few years there..

WE also had ONE fertile chicken egg given to us to incubate with our quail eggs. By 6 weeks old it was obviously a male bird & again we would have had problems with noise in a built up area.

THis cockerel went to a CITY FARM where it was put in with ducks. A week later we learned that he had followed the ducks into the water & drowned.

Re: Any Advice On Keeping A Few Chickens

Make sure they are well fed - have plenty of room and play - 'In the Mood' by Ray Stevens at least twice a day..... he sings this in 'their' language ...

Re: Any Advice On Keeping A Few Chickens

There you go Zoo Lady, not one but two responses. A pattern is evident already. What other birds did you keep MUPS?

Re: Any Advice On Keeping A Few Chickens

Or "The ugly duckling" by Danny Kaye.

or "RIde a white swan " Marc Bolam

or "Swan Lake"

or "Five little ducks go .........."

Re: Any Advice On Keeping A Few Chickens

....'Chick chick chick chick - Chicken .....Lay a little egg fer me ........'

Re: Any Advice On Keeping A Few Chickens

Hi Robert Junior, I used to keep Guinea Fowl, beautiful peacocks, and aviary birds - budgies and cockatiels. In the poultry I had large fowl and bantams in different breeds and I loved 'em all!

Re: Any Advice On Keeping A Few Chickens

I am envious Mups.

MY favourite chickens are
SILKIE BANTAMS
BUFF ORPINGTONS
SCots DUMPIES
but I was never able to keep them.


I had some Japanese Quail which laid eggs every day, I had piles of them & decided to incubate them.
THe children loved the little chicks, wet & ragged drying out into fluffy "bumble bees" running around feeding within hours

Re: Any Advice On Keeping A Few Chickens

Thank you everyone I guess we'll wait & see after the ducks are gone, they're going to be 7 next Friday, yayyy.

We used to have 6 female Pekins & 1 male but 1 female had to be PTS at only 9 mo old because she couldn't walk anymore being born with pigeon toed feet.
She was so sweet. These ducks were not imprinted on us even tho I brought them up as day olds in the sunroom until they could live outside. Now they'll come near you but you can't touch them & if you tried to catch one (no reason for us to), they're bloody strong! ! Their beating wings could almost break your nose.

They have a 200' yard with 5' high fencing on our property. They sleep in a tightly closed 6' x 8' shed. We did have to have some of the wall & floor replaced because of rotting wood that rats ended up getting in. The ducks & rats could care less about each other but we didn't want this situation proliferating.

One thing I do like about ducks is they're so hardy. A hawk came one time & one of our Pekins actually fought with it & it took off. The duck was slightly injured but healed. Another time a dog got into the duckyard when we had useless chicken wire fencing & attacked one of the ducks. This one we took to the vet, who was pretty useless himself. In short the duck healed from that as well.

We live in the country but hardly anyone owns ducks, mainly farms with cattle, horses, goats or sheep.

Have a great evening!