Hens and Ducks living together

wexford12

Hi guys iv been asked to post on here a friend of mine has 4 hens for the last few years all living in a large run and house the run is about 30ft x 12ft.They got 2 white ducks last week and the hens arnt happy they keep pecking at them even tho the ducks are the same size if not maybe a bit bigger. Will they work it out or are hens and ducks not great friends.

njgallagher

hello

I have had hens for 2 years and got ducks a few months ago, the ducks started off in their own house but for some reason they kept going in to the hen house at night, now they sleep with the hens. Theres 9 hens and a cock, and 2 ducks and a drake. The drake chases the hens and the cock chases the drake, and can get fairly vicious. They have a good bit of space though so mostly just leave each other alone. I'd say your friend would have to separate them if they get any worse. They might just get used to each other though.

Green Dog

They may eventually get on, but I would be more worried about the mess the ducks make. They will dig up the ground more than hens and dabble very dirty bills in the drinking water, fouling it in no time. Don't forget how important clean water is to laying hens.
I think ducks are such hard work compared to hens.

wexford12

Thanks guys for your replies i will pass them on

SophieSakura

My friend wants to get ducks and hens but she says that ducks are messy and hens like to be clean and dry, so she's going to keep them separately.