Some duck and chicken questions?
Paprika asked:
Okay, so, I’m going to be getting some ducklings in about three weeks and I am starting to make housing plans.
Okay, so, I’m going to be getting some ducklings in about three weeks and I am starting to make housing plans.
I was wondering, can I house two ducks and two chickens in the the same pen? Why or why not?
Also, if I get two ducks and raise them from hatchlings, will they still be tame and friendly to me, or will they only like eachother?
How much room do 2 ducks and 2 chickens ( together, if possible) need for housing? ~ How many square feet? (is 11′ by 15′ good enough?)
Is hog fencing a good fencing to use for the pen? ( will it be raccoon proof that way?
How many eggs do two average/normal hens lay a day? ~ If they are healthy.
Thank You Very Much! Many Blessings! 
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Ducks and chickens can live together well, but I wouldn’t recommend it. Ducks can carry diseases that make chooks sick.
If you raise them from the moment they hatch, you will have to make sure they keep nice and warm for a few weeks, so you won’t be able to keep them outside in the pen. Also, I’m not sure how ducks ‘tame’. If you raise them yourself, they might see you as a ‘mother duck’ as such, but then again, they might not. Depends on the duck really.
They will need adequate room for them to wander. A large area to walk around, but an they will also need an enclosure to be locked up in at night to protect them from preditors. A small shed with some warm, cozy nesting boxes will be fine. Make sure whatever you do, it’s easy to clean, that’s makes it better for you.
Not sure what exactly hog fencing is (I’m Aussie), but as long as it is keeps the birds in and preditors out, it works! As I said, lock them up at night to keep them safe (I suppose raccoons come out at night?). We have problems with foxes, so for large paddocks we use electric fencing, and for smaller areas, chicken wire, but also on the top and bottom (foxes climb the wire to get over the top, and also dig under the wire and get in through the bottom).
The amount of eggs chooks lay depends on the time of year; the breed of the hen, the diet of the hen, the age of the hen, and, how the hen is looked after. Most of the standard breeds of chickens will lay between 180 – 320 eggs per year for their first year of laying. Chooks can lay up to one egg a day for a year, or one egg every few days. At most, a chook can lay only seven eggs a week.
Hope that helps! =]