MillyJude Posted January 30, 2020 Share Posted January 30, 2020 Hi We’ve got 9 hens and a little bantam cockerel living in a 1/6 acre tree covered area with a secure run and a cube for nighttime. We’ve always had some ex-batts and love them but there are now some ex-commercial cherry valley ducks needing homes and I’m tempted to get 2. We have a spare omlet classic and the omlet duck house looks pretty similar, I’m thinking I might need to take out the roosting bars or cover with straw. And then get a child’s plastic pool for dipping in? Does anyone have experience with ducks in classics or ducks generally? Does this seem ok or like a really bad idea? Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soapdragon Posted January 30, 2020 Share Posted January 30, 2020 Not personally but I have a friend with a couple of Indian Runners (though no chooks) and they are very messy but terribly cute! She has to change the paddling pool water every couple of days - fine in the warmer weather but not so much in the cold - and the poop somehow seems to get everywhere. Maybe, if you can site them at the bottom of your plot they will be OK? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted January 30, 2020 Share Posted January 30, 2020 A couple of things to bear in mind: Ducks make more mess than you would ever believe; they love water, so what comes out t'other end is (surprise!) very sloppy They need to be kept well away from chickens; water fowl are the main vectors (carriers) of AI, and infections in domestic flocks are always mixed flocks of ducks and chickens. Also....... Drakes have very voracious *ahem* appetites and have been known to kill or seriously injure hens by 'over-mounting' them. Ok, so that's 3 things, but advice to think very carefully and plan first. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lewis Posted January 30, 2020 Share Posted January 30, 2020 I have a trio of Call Ducks in with our chickens at the moment and have had chickens and ducks together for 10 years. They have a Go they can sleep in but always choose to sleep in the run Ducks won’t put themselves to bed like chickens do so you might need to herd them in every night. A classic with the roosting bars would be fine, I echo above that they really are messy but they’re massive characters and it sounds like you have space for them Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MillyJude Posted January 31, 2020 Author Share Posted January 31, 2020 Thanks for the replies xx Bit wary about the mess but still really tempted to get them 😁 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
