ducks with chickens?

[henpecked]

Hi,
I am just looking for some advice so if anyone can help it will be appreciated. I have kept hens for the past few years and now feel I want a couple of ducks but not sure if the space i have for them is enough. The pen we have is 40ft long by 12ft wide and has a small 3x2ft pond in it and would be shared with 7 hens, and the ducks will obviously have their own duck house.Half of the pen is grass. Am I ok to keep hens and ducks together and will this be enough space?

 

[chrismahon]

Think the space is fine Henpecked. But ducks are messy eaters being filter feeders. They mix the food with water and slosh it through their beaks so the chickens feeder will get rather messy.

 

[henpecked]

Thanks Chris, didn't realise they were messy eaters. Maybe I can do separate feeding areas somehow. Think I have decided to get bantams but can't find any local breeders so my plan needs more planning I think!

 

[dorsetduckowner]

Indeed they are messy everythings!!!! They will destroy the ground in 1/2 an our of rain They are amazing fun though! You would need to be able to rotate their ground if you had them somewhere that small in with chickens. x