[jason g]

hiya,hope some one can help me or point me in the right direction.

i plan on having 2-3 chickens and im going to build my own coop and run ,but i also want 1-2 ducks .do they need seperate houses and runs or do they intermix okay

[Jeanette]

They will mix well in the run but it is best if they have there own coup. Chickens perch at night and ducks sleep on the floor and the chickens will poo on them. Not a pretty sight.

[Kate and her Ducks]

Make sure you get at least 2 ducks, they are not happy animals alone and the chickens will not make up for the absence of their own kind.

[jason g]

thanks for the replies ,what size home for the duck? is there a site i could get some more ideas from for plans or design.
also could you reccomend a breed of chicken for the begginer

[Jeanette]

It is hard to recomend a breed of chicken, it depends on weather you want hybrids that will lay everyday or the other breeds that dont lay everyday but carry on laying for much longer. If it was me i would get a good book and read up on the different breeds.

[animartco]

Of housing. Basically the bigger the better. Small expensive arks are really only useful for breeding- i.e. for one chicken and her brood. A garden shed works well. You will need to construct perches in it and you can use cardboard boxes for laying in, the right way up, or upside down, with a door cut into one side. Do not lay them on their sides, they can tip over and trap a bird. The height of perches varies with the breed but they should be at least eight inches from the ground. Always make perches detachable, lifting out of holders nailed into the wall, and if you use squared wood, chamfer the two upper edges so they are not sharp. Do not use round smoothed wood or the birds will keep falling off!