Adding a duck! Help?

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teriz1091

teriz1091

Songster
8 Years
Oct 6, 2015
170
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171
Kansas
My husband & I currently have a trio of one year old hens. A coworker has a fairly large flock of a mixture of chickens & ducks, but ended up with more male ducks than he wanted. He asked if we would take one of his male Pekin Ducks. I don't know the specific age of the duck, I know it is less than a year old, but is full grown.

We've never had ducks. Our hens were our first venture into poultry. We live in the city, so our girls live in a ~10'x20' pen in our backyard with a small coop we built for them.

What do ducks require differently in the way of care? Will I need to be concerned about different feed, housing, etc? Do adults from different flocks usually get along when introduced?

Thanks in advance for any advice!
 
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Ducks need a container of water deep enough to submerge their whole head in at least to wash their eyes and nostrils. They dont really need a swimming container but are a lot more fun to watch if have one. If it is a male duck and you have chickens I would advise not housing them together because a male duck can really hurt a chicken when trying to mate. Some people dont ever have any issues but that is totally your choice. As for feed if you feed a layer feed you may want to consider switching since all that calcium could be bad for a male duck that doesnt really need it. Adults can get along no problem. You should do a slow introduction method with the male being penned off by himself where the others could see him but not get to him. You would probably want to "quarantine" first anyways to make sure he doesnt have something he is passing to your birds.

Last but not least if you can get another duck I would. Two are much more happier together than 1, especially if you decide to take him and not house him with your chickens.
 
Pekins are large ducks, and male ducks have been known to rape chickens, and with the size difference they can severely injure or kill them.

Just so you know.
 
My little flock of four acts in a silly way. When they were two days old, I put them in the utility sink to swim. They loved it! All through their baby days, they would swim every day. (Baby pictures attached.) Then, when they outgrew the horse drinking bowl that was their home, I let them swim in that big rubber drinking pot. Again, they loved it!
Their final move became the coop/fenced in area that is outside. This area already had an adult drake living there, so I expected some disagreements. Actually, my big horny Rouen drake is an active bird, and was happy to make their acquaintance--if only for sex and to brutalize them. Finally they have adapted into a flock mentality. The drake is still VERY horny, but not quite as active as he was at the beginning of the summer. I am relieved, since he is a total rapist. Yes, sorry, but that is how it seems with ducks.
The whole point of this long story is to say that NONE of them will swim in the big horse trough bowl anymore! I have no idea why. They still bathe in the much smaller water vessels for this purpose, but there is no room to swim. I often wonder at duck behavior, and why they all have developed a distaste for swimming in their "pool." And also why did they suddenly become afraid of me and treat me as the evil duck-killing monster?
I realize it is useless to ruminate about these things, but I honestly can't help it. I have always felt that the better we humans understand other animals, the better we can understand their needs and provide for them.


As you can see, even with a ramp, there is no more swimming. It frustrates me.
 
gilbert2 said:
My little flock of four acts in a silly way. When they were two days old, I put them in the utility sink to swim. They loved it! All through their baby days, they would swim every day. (Baby pictures attached.) Then, when they outgrew the horse drinking bowl that was their home, I let them swim in that big rubber drinking pot. Again, they loved it!
Their final move became the coop/fenced in area that is outside. This area already had an adult drake living there, so I expected some disagreements. Actually, my big horny Rouen drake is an active bird, and was happy to make their acquaintance--if only for sex and to brutalize them. Finally they have adapted into a flock mentality. The drake is still VERY horny, but not quite as active as he was at the beginning of the summer. I am relieved, since he is a total rapist. Yes, sorry, but that is how it seems with ducks.
The whole point of this long story is to say that NONE of them will swim in the big horse trough bowl anymore! I have no idea why. They still bathe in the much smaller water vessels for this purpose, but there is no room to swim. I often wonder at duck behavior, and why they all have developed a distaste for swimming in their "pool." And also why did they suddenly become afraid of me and treat me as the evil duck-killing monster?
I realize it is useless to ruminate about these things, but I honestly can't help it. I have always felt that the better we humans understand other animals, the better we can understand their needs and provide for them.


As you can see, even with a ramp, there is no more swimming. It frustrates me.
Click to expand...
More than likely because every time they get in your big horny drake wants to mate. I've noticed the same here so I take the drake and put him in time out for a while so the girls can have their special time in the bath.
 
I'd likely not consider adding a male pekin duck to a flock of chicks since the duck will have no outlet for his "urges" and the hens could be on the receiving end which may not end well for the hens.
 

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