[Tattyanne456]

Can you keep chickens and ducks together? I have a small chicken house wich can house four chickens, but I only have three. I was going to get another chicken, but I would worry about the three amigos picking on her and not accepting her into their family. I love the idea of a duck. Could you keep a single duck or would that not be fair? Would it be reasonable to keep the duck and chickens together in the same house? Or would I need to get another separate house and keep a couple of ducks? Are they good layers? Sorry lots of questions, but I know that this is a fantastic website with fabulous people who know everything!! tatty

[joyfull]

ducks need seperate housing - as they don't perch they would end up covered in chicken poo  , so ideally you would need a duck coop (kennel is ideal) 2 or 3 ducks and something to use as a paddling pool 

[Foxy]

well ducks are very sociable and are happiest with other ducks to natter too! Also, ducks are remarkable at making mud, so although in dry weather its nots so bad, in the winter would be most uncomfortable for the the chickens. The other thing I have found is that ducks tend to need a little more room in their run than chickens, they tend on the whole to be larger, and do like to forage and by forage I mean dig craters great for catching your ankle and sending you flying into their lovely cultivated mud!

[joyfull]

by forage I mean dig craters great for catching your ankle and sending you flying into their lovely cultivated mud!

There speaks the voice of experience 

[Foxy]

by forage I mean dig craters great for catching your ankle and sending you flying into their lovely cultivated mud!

There speaks the voice of experience 

  I think I have particulary fiendish ducks mind! who get so muddy they all look brown to me, and when I scold them, I am sure they are laughing at me!!

[Caralou]

I was commenting last night I should get black or brown ducks as my two looked awful covered head to toe in mud last night with barely a hint of their lovely aylesbury white underneath the muck. They didn't listen to the telling off though and then they just ran at me for treats!!!

I have a dog kennel for the ducks as they find it easier to get into and has just the right room for the two of them. They get on well with the chooks, but I wouldn't want them in the same coop (the duck coop Kate gave me has been stolen by the chickens and the ducks are still scared of it ).

[Sarah Mitchell]

On a related note my young goose is currently with my chickens as she is a lonesome Goosey Lucy but I'm hoping for more... any recommendations on goose housing?