4m x 3m Omlet pen, cube, new auto door still boxed and coop light

[ChrisEllis]

Hi,

 

I was really considering getting ducks - im a GCSE student and so i have to ask my parents about everything - we currently have 3 week old frizzle/silkies and we have some polish frizzles hatching thursday...i was thinking of also getting ducks but i know s little...

 

firstly...can they sleep in a coop along with chickens?

 

secondly - do they fly - my dad has an extrmely expensive koi keeping hobby and if a duck was to swim in his pond he would shoot it! although we do have an 8ft brick wall around the pond which is about 2 acres and the ducks and chickens are in another part of the garden and so they could only get to the pond if they lew - can inian runners fly and if so woudl i be able to clip their flgith feathers so they cant?

[tom123]

Hi!

 

I wouldn't recommend letting them sleep together as the ducks will be wet and I'm pretty sure that can't be every good for the hens in the night. Secondly, ducks dont perch so the hens could end up pooing on the ducks

 

Indian runners cannot fly so there is no need to worry there. Will they have their own pond?

 

Whereabouts are you??

 

Good Luck

Tom

[ChrisEllis]

I live in essex, we have about 6 1/2 acres of land, would u recomend we build a pond then? i didnt know they had to have water? someone told me a tub of water is good enough, althogh i sont want to deprive them of what they need.

[tom123]

Wow lucky you!

 

Well Indian runners need fresh water changed daily in a bucket or similar for drinking and they also need somewhere to swim. Lots of people say that a small paddling pool will be fine but I think for Indian runners I would build a medium sized pond for them especially as you will be having more than 2 anyway.

 

Good Luck

Tom

[Mayo]

Hi Chris,

 

I had a friend who only had a pond about 20ft x 40ft, and his koi were worth over a quarter of a million; so it’s taking a while to get my brain round the idea of a 2 acre koi pond.

 

I’ll just say that most domestic ducks don’t Need a Big pond anymore than you need that posh computer ; you Know you could survive with a filofax; but lots of water for them will certainly enhance their lives.

Ducks don’t have tear ducts so what they definitely do need is constantly clean water to wash their eyes, apart from drinking lots, especially while eating - they usually like to alternate mouthfuls of food and drink.

 

It really does depend on how many runners you intend keeping: if it is only a Very few, you could start of with one of these, (which I have, but only have one rescue duck at the moment), then consider building something bigger when you realise you can’t resist getting more.

And it Will happen ; I promise!!

 

http://www.transtools.co.uk/store/prod_8480/plastering-tools/plastering-baths/shieldtone-deep-plastering-and-mortar-mixing-bath-130-litres.html

 

 

I totally agree with Tom about sleeping arrangements; sometimes it works socially, but more often; not : certainly the ducks would end up even grubbier than ducks like to be.

They're quite easily pleased about accommodation, almost anything fox, water and draft proof will do - straw for bedding (changed often). They'll lay whereever they want to, so prepare to hunt outside as well as in their housing.

 

By the way, if you're really into duck eggs, you might consider the Kortlang breed of Khaki Campbells (Ashford, Kent) - they look similiar to runners, but lay much more consistently.

 

Ducks are just fantastic. Good luck. Do keep us abreast of developments.

 

Welcome to the site, by the way.

 

Max.

[ChrisEllis]

Oh - the pond isnt 2 acres i meant that tje pond is like a typical size fr the koi but has 2 acres of land and a 8 ftt wall built around the 2 acres and the chickens/ducks would be in the 4 acres but obviously with a run thats like 15x15 or we'd never find them!

[Janty]

I would wait until you have reared your chicks. They can be hard work at the best of times but with the cold weather, they will need extra care. Also, would your parents be happy if you had to have two brooders set up in the house? My ducks are huge and they have been outside in the really warm weather. I dread to think how I would have coped with them inside - they are only seven weeks old now and as I said, already massive.

 

Do you have outbuildings with electricity? If this is the case then maybe you could manage...just some things to think about.

 

Jan

[ChrisEllis]

oh yh its fine we have a sitting room we dont use so we stick em in there