Chickens and ducks both lay some incredible tasting eggs. They have some good meat too. Both are also ridiculously easy to raise (ducks are probably a bit easier to raise). This, of course, leads to many people wondering whether chicken and ducks can live together.
Obviously, they wouldn’t live together in the wild.
However, can chickens and ducks get along in the comfort of your own backyard? Let’s take a look.
Can Chickens and Ducks Live Together?
Right off the bat, we can tell you that you should have absolutely no issues with chickens and ducks living together. There are a few things that you will need to do to ensure that they can live together while each having all their needs filled, but it is nothing too crazy.
Both animals will tend to keep to themselves too. So, unless you have very, very little space in the coop or run, then you do not need to worry about the birds fighting.
In fact, even if they are in an enclosed space (do not do this), there is still a minimum chance that they will fight.
Can Chickens and Ducks Share Same Coop?
We already said that chickens and ducks can live together, but this is a different story. In general ducks are bigger and stronger than chickens so they might try to push the chickens away and eat their food.
If you have enough space in your coop and run, however, you will need to make sure you do understand a few things first.
Sleeping
Ducks and chickens sleep in completely different ways, and this is something that you will need to think about when you are planning your chicken coop and run.
Chickens, of course, will roost. Ducks will sleep on the floor. In fact, it is unlikely that ducks will even use the coop. A lot of them will prefer to stay outdoors (unless it is really, really cold).
Therefore, when you are planning your coop and run, you will want to ensure that everything is nice and secure so your ducks do not have to deal with any predators.
Thankfully, setting up a coop to accommodate both is easy. Chickens can rest on perches, and ducks on the floor. They will pretty much sort themselves out when you do this, so you do not need to worry too much about anything on that front.
Food
When it comes to food, both ducks and chickens will be fine eating the same thing. It will be a little bit different for ducklings and chicks.
Both the younger versions will have slightly different needs when it comes to their food, but that is out of the scope of this guide.
Water
It is water access which is probably going to give you the biggest cause for concern when it comes to chickens and ducks living together.
Chickens are fine consuming water from a water nipple. So, if you have only chickens, you only need this setup. Ducks, on the other hand, need somewhere to paddle and to put their head underwater. This means that, at the very minimum, you need a water basin that they can use.
Since ducks are going to be jumping into the water regularly, they are going to be getting a ton of filth into it. You will need to clear out that water basin at least daily. If you do not do that, then neither your chickens or ducks are going to have access to freshwater.
Sure, both will still drink from water nipples, but the chickens are still going to want to access that water basin. They won’t swim in it, though.
Can Chickens and Ducks Get Along and Be Friends?
Chickens and ducks can get along, but probably they will not interact one another. The birds will only associate with others of the same species.
That being said, there are some backyard chicken and duck owners who have claimed that their ducks and chickens socialize a little bit. However, do not expect this to happen. It is likely that you will end up with two distinct cliques in your run and that is about it.
So, there you have it. If you are wondering whether chicken and ducks can live together, the answer is ‘yes’. However, you will need to make a few changes to the way your coop and run are set-ups if you want both of the animals in there.
While there is a bit of overlap in the needs of these animals, they each have their own distinct requirements. Basically, if you do not have a ton of space available, it is unlikely that you are going to be able to fulfill the requirements of both animals and may want to stick to just one.
Can Chickens and Ducks Breed?
It is known that a rooster can try mating a hen duck. But generally speaking, the mating won’t amount to anything. There are some documented cases of a Chicken-duck Hybrids in the past, you can read more in this article.
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An interesting article in case you were wondering whether chickens and rabbits can live together.
