raising ducks with chickens

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Raising different farm birds in your backyard makes for some funny stories. And keeping roosters and drakes adds even more amusement. Since we’re approaching duck mating season, you might wonder if a duck and chicken can breed. A simple definition for the verb breed is to produce offspring or young, while mating is basically sex. While my own mixed flock mates, or at least tries to mate on occasion, they have not produced any offspring. So the chances of ducks and chickens actually reproducing a hybrid are slim. Even though inter-species mating certainly happens, it isn’t the norm. Thus, certain conditions must be met for it to occur.

Some cites claim chickens and ducks can’t mate. Likely because they’ve never witnessed it or the circumstances weren’t right for it to develop. Nevertheless, I’ve seen chickens and ducks mating. I’ve even seen chickens mating guineas, and guineas mating ducks, and all kinds of backyard shenanigans. Although, it’s not something you should want. Due to completely different sexual anatomies, one species could get injured or even killed during mating. Therefore, continue reading to find out what properties create the perfect opportunity for inter-species mating. Plus, I’ll explain how to prevent it.

Chicken-Duck Hybrids: Fact or Fiction

First, let’s look at whether ducks and chickens can in fact breed. There have been many chicken-duck hybrid stories for the past decade or so, though I couldn’t find any that were DNA confirmed. Some stories also mentioned separate characteristics of each species, trying to prove it was a chuck or a ducken. But later the person making the claim learned it was a duck species they didn’t know about. Or it had a deformity. Both female ducks and female chickens can hold the sperm of multiple lovers, aka drakes or roosters. It’s in those scenarios when sperm from 2 different males wind up fertilizing a single egg that sometimes result in a chick or duckling having a deformity; consequently, looking like a hybrid. In addition, some of the photos I saw looked like juvenile ducks that were molting.

Why Ducks and Chickens Shouldn’t Mate

Even though both ducks and chickens reproduce through internal fertilization, they still have distinct reproductive anatomies. For instance, roosters don’t have outward sex organs, unlike drakes. Rather, hens and roos have cloacas that, once the roo mounts the hen, touch in what is commonly known as the ‘cloacal kiss.’ This lets his sperm enter her reproductive system, and it doesn’t travel far to get to the sperm storage tubules (SSTs). Plus, it happens within minutes of copulating. And once released from the SSTs, the sperm hurries further into the hen’s reproductive organs, primarily the left oviduct. Finally, after entering the oviduct, the sperm waits for the next egg to be released. Then, the moment the egg is released during ovulation, both sperm and egg join to be fertilized.

On the other hand, ducks typically mate in the water. Although, they can also mate on land. Moreover, it’s estimated that as many as 40% of Mallard duck mating encounters alone are forced. Aggression is an understatement for drakes when we’re talking multiples. Whether one or many, drakes can rape a female duck to death. A final distinction between duck and chicken reproductive anatomy is that drakes have corkscrew phalluses; some as long as 18 cm or longer. And female duck vaginas are anti-corkscrew with spirals and blocked pockets. They developed this way to prevent unwanted fertilization due to rape. Drakes might force a female duck to copulate, but she has the last say.

Roosters mating with female ducks most likely will not end in injury. However, it’s a different story if a drake tries mating with a female chicken. Aside from an aggressive sex drive and a long mating season, drakes are also much bigger than female chickens. And since female chickens aren’t designed to be penetrated, drake phalluses can cause internal damage to a chicken. Or if the drake decides to mate in water, the chicken will drown. As a result, always discourage drakes from mating any female chickens you have.

Why a Duck and Chicken Can’t Breed

While there are several definitions for the words ‘breed‘ and ‘mate‘, sometimes they’re used interchangeably as well. Although, for this article, I didn’t do that. Now that I explained that ducks and chickens could copulate, what about breeding? Can they reproduce even if there aren’t any confirmed hybrids? Both ducks and chickens have cloacas. Hence, it’s hypothetically possible, because female ducks decide, just like female chickens, whether they’re going to cooperate with the males. For example, if my rooster, Megatron, decided to mount my Pekin, Bakugo, it might make her day. She seems to like him at least. Yet, she also might or might not go for it. Recall that female ducks have a convoluted vagina due to forced mating. Therefore, would it even work? On the other hand, a drake mating a female chicken would just tear her up. It’s not worth it to try finding out, or letting it happen.

Why Ducks and Chickens Try to Mate

This picture features some of the 10 boys we had to get rid of last year!

Now it’s time to find out what causes chickens to want to mate with ducks in the first place, and vice versa. These are from my own observations only. Whether you have guineas mating with chickens or roosters mating with ducks, the following are always issues with inter-species mating, such as

overall space

Not only will overcrowding cause males to breed voraciously, but it can cause inter-species mating. If you have multiple bird species with new hatchlings on limited space, be prepared for inter-species matings and aggression. Moreover, sometimes you might think one of your males is mating, when in fact he’s actually being domineering, or putting another bird in line. Our second-in-command roo, Ravage, did this with our oldest drake a few times before getting his spurs. We had almost 10 roosters we needed to cull last summer, but it was too early to do the job. So, he was showing the drake who was boss of the backyard. Whereas chickens need ~ 3 to 4 square feet each in the coop, they need 10 sq feet each in the run. And ducks need even more space.

and female to male ratios within the species

Both too many males and not enough females within a species will cause the males to look elsewhere for possible mates. Again, expect to have issues with inter-species mating when having different bird species in your backyard, and later increasing your flock, especially if you end up with more males. We have guineas, ducks, and chickens. Our drakes tried mating with the guineas, while our roos tried mating with the ducks. Thankfully no drakes tried mating with the hens. On the other hand, we had too many boys in all 3 species, so none of the females got injured. Regardless, a good ratio for chickens is 10 to 12 hens per roo, while drakes need at least 4 female ducks each.

Mating Behaviors of Chickens and Ducks

Chicken Mating Behavior

Once roosters are sexually mature, they’re ready to mate all the time. And depending on the breed, they don’t slow down for years, especially if you add competition.
Plus, roos woo their potential mate by doing a little dance and spreading their wing feathers downward.
And if the hen is willing, she lowers herself down so he can mount her. He stands on her while grasping her neck feathers with his beak.
But, even if she isn’t willing, it doesn’t mean the rooster will let her go. He just might chase her down and take her anyway. It makes for an interesting show, because usually he doesn’t succeed.

Duck Mating Behavior

Conversely, both male and female ducks bob their heads, as if they were flirting with each other. (And don’t forget Bakugo who always bobs her head at Megatron, my rooster). But in the water it’s signaling more than flirting.
So, a willing female partner will elongate her neck and flatten her back in preparation for her male partner. Sometimes it can be another female partner as well. (It happens).
Then the drake will stand on the female before grabbing the back of her neck and doing his business.
After copulating the male makes a grunt-whistle, which he does above water. And when our drakes are finished having sex, they vacate the sex pool to go clean themselves in a separate pool.

Keeping Ducks and Chickens Together

At this point you may be wondering if you should even try raising ducks and chickens together. But don’t worry. Keeping chickens and ducks is definitely possible. And it isn’t difficult. There are just some pointers about both you need to keep in mind, such as

have a body of water for your ducks to access. Not only do they need this for mating activities, but they need it to keep their feathers water-proof.
If your chickens get near this source of water, they will likely drink from it. That’s ok too. Just clean it out a couple of times a day, providing fresh, clean water.
While your chickens won’t get in the water, chicks might flit around and fall in. So be careful with any chicks you have or might get.
Whereas chickens roost at night, ducks sleep on the floor. And be sure to have enough space for all the birds.
Both ducks and chickens can eat the same food.
Some chicken breeds and duck breeds aren’t as aggressive as others. Therefore, if you have the perfect ratios and space, aggression in drakes and roosters is probably more breed specific. For instance, we have Pekin and hybrid Mallard drakes and Ameraucana roosters, and none of them have come to blows. Except when we had too many males.

So, Can a Duck and Chicken Breed

Despite the fact that a duck and chicken can mate, it’s not something that should be allowed. Granted, if a rooster mates with a duck, she’ll be ok. But, if a drake mates with a chicken, it could be deadly. Additionally, the main reasons ducks and chickens try to mate is due to overcrowding and too many males. Alternatively, because producing offspring hasn’t successfully occurred, it’s safe to assume ducks and chickens can’t breed.

We had to cull 4 roosters a few weeks ago, and the 2 extra drakes last weekend. And I have no idea how many male guineas we have. But so far, they haven’t bothered any females, other than their own kind. If you keep males with your birds and incubate eggs or have broody hens, you might find yourself in similar situations: too many males at times. It doesn’t always happen, but it frequently does. Usually I can tell pretty early which will be female and which male. However, we don’t want to cull them too early, because we eat those ones. Thus, we watch the flock dynamics, making sure everyone is getting along. Although in my house, I’ll tell my husband for a few weeks it’s time to cull the boys until he’s finally ready. And typically he’s waiting for the weather. Something about being a hunter, I think. By the time that happens, I get to see a lot of crazy bird behavior before things settle down again.

Do you have ducks and chickens? Have your birds ever tried mating with each other? What caused them to do so? And how did you handle it?

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Chickens are often the first bird homesteaders will tackle before raising other livestock. They cite practical reasons: food, composting, and pest control. Since ducks are some of the smartest and hardiest, they debut on the farm after chickens. But before getting any birds, I’ll answer the question Can you mix ducks with chickens.

You can, in fact, raise chickens and ducks together. However, there are some slight differences with both kinds of birds. And, with careful consideration, you should have no problem mixing both. So, whether or not you’ve purchased any ducks, just continue reading.

Brooding Facts for Both Ducklings and Chicks

Recently I wrote an in-depth article explaining how to raise ducklings and chicks together. So I’m only going to list the main points.

Provide the same feed for both

Contrary to popular belief, you can give medicated feed to ducklings, as I explained a short while ago. But no matter what, by the 3rd week, make sure the protein is no more than 18%, or your ducklings will be at risk for something called Angel’s Wing. And provide niacin in the form of brewer’s yeast, so the ducklings can thrive. (This needs to be provided lifelong in the duck’s diet.)

Also, regular chick fountains and nipple waterers work well with ducklings. However, shallow pans for feed are ideal due to their bills.

Similar brooder temperature for both

There is only a 5° difference between both birds when starting the brooding process. Therefore, just observe them to see whether they are cold or hot. If they huddle together, they’re cold. And if they move as far away as they can from the heat, then they are hot. And adjust accordingly.

Clean brooder daily

Both ducklings (and ducks) drink as they eat to prevent choking. And this causes a big mess in the brooder that needs to be cleaned on a daily, sometimes several times a day, basis.

Harassment

Depending on the number and breed of chicks and ducklings you have, could determine who does the bullying and who gets bullied. In my experience, our chicks have always done the bullying until they were juveniles. But by then, the ducks were much larger, thus the roles were reversed.

It’s definitely simpler to raise chickens and ducks on their own. However, it’s not unrealistic to raise them together either.

Teenager Ducks and Chickens

At this stage of development, your ducks and chickens are going through puberty. You know, their voices crack and they look fugly. In addition, you might notice your ducks bullying the chickens they once hung out with. But by the time they’re all adults, this behavior generally stops.

The 3 ducks we recently raised with our juvenile chickens bullied their brooder buddies. And they even tried to bully one of our cats. But that only lasted until the 2 juvie drakes were sold to someone in need of them, so the lone female no longer feels the need to bully. Thus, it’s the other way around again. Plus, when we raised Squirt, the boss drake, he was raised alone by me. Therefore, he really didn’t bully anyone, and no one bullied him. I’m still constantly learning about ducks. And I know I don’t know all there is to know about them.

Advice for Smooth Desegregation

This picture shows ice in the pool; and that’s due to the triple digit heat lately.

Depending on the time of year and temperature will determine when you move your newbies outside. For instance, if it’s spring and still chilly out, then wait till the chicks are ~ 5-6 weeks old. However, if it’s summer and hot in the evenings, like it’s been lately, you don’t necessarily need a heat lamp. But still wait for the chicks to get to 5-6 weeks old for size. Then you need to

Check your coop space

Ducks need twice as much space as chickens do. And if your chickens use a ramp to get in the coop, you might need to come up with something so the ducks can get in too.

Also, ducks don’t use nesting boxes. Therefore, just put some straw on the floor of the coop, and they’re fine.

Circulate the air in the coop

You likely already have your coop well ventilated with your existing flock. However, since ducks emit ~ 90% moisture, there needs to be adequate circulation in the form of predator-proof windows and air exhaust vents on the roof.

Gradually mix your new ducks and chickens with the established flock

Put your juvenile mixed birds in a pen where they and your primary flock can see each other without aggression for a few days to a week.

Provide water

This source of water is different from the drinking water. Though you will see both the chickens and ducks drinking from it. But if you don’t provide this water source for the ducks to bathe and preen their feathers, they can develop wet feather.

Mixing Adult Ducks and Chickens

Up to this point I’ve covered the basics from brooding ducklings and chicks together to integrating the juveniles with the adults. From the time the ducks are adults, they no longer hang out with the chickens they were raised with. Unless they happen to be eating, sharing snacks, or drinking together. Or unless you have a species-confused duck, like me.

Now it’s time to go over some final important details.

Continue to supply the same type of feed for ALL backyard birds

Once the ducks and chickens you raised are adults, they can eat layer feed like everyone else. And continue adding 1 TBSP brewer’s yeast to 1 cup of feed.

Carry on with same feeders and waterers

Since your duck-raised chickens are used to eating out of a shallow pan, continue that with the newbies. However, with your established flock, you can try keeping the technique you’ve been using. Though, if they start eating the newbies’ food, you may need to just switch everyone to the new method. And the same goes for their waterers.

Provide a watering hole

This is one of the most important points, because ducks not only love water, they need it. And not just drinking water either. They need access to a source of water to swim and bathe in. But again, it doesn’t need to be custom. You can just purchase a kiddie pool, and they will be content.

Also, when ducks swim, they poo; and they drink from this water source as well. And the chickens might too. So it needs to be changed at least twice daily.

At about this point, you might be wondering if chickens will drown in the kiddie pool. And the answer is debatable. Sure, chickens can’t swim like ducks. Plus, their feathers aren’t waterproof, and they lack webbed feet. But since they don’t like water the way ducks do, they usually only approach the watering hole to drink. From the time we’ve had our ducks and kiddie pool, no chickens have drowned. Though chicks should definitely be monitored.

Can You Mix Roosters and Drakes

In this picture, it looks like the 2 males are sharing a moment.

Given both roosters and drakes can be territorial, it’s only natural to wonder if you can have both at the same time. I usually only keep 2 adult roosters at any time. And they’ve never had a problem with the drake, whichever one I had, even when it was the sex-crazed Kirishima.

But it’s true that drakes might try to mate with hens. And this is usually the case when there aren’t enough females for the drakes. Just as there is a proper ratio for hens to roosters, there’s a proper ratio for ducks to drakes. Proper in this sense maintains harmony in the flock.

Therefore, to prevent abuse to your hens and ducks, and any fighting between roosters and drakes, provide enough females for both. You will find various recommendations on this subject. But I advise you to err on the side of caution, especially regarding mating season and drakes. Each rooster needs ~ 10-12 hens, while drakes require ~ 3-6 ducks each. You know what they say? The more the merrier.

What About Flock Dynamics

Now that you’ve hypothetically (or realistically) integrated ducks into your flock, has the pecking order changed? Did you notice whether the ducklings, then juvenile ducks had a hierarchy remotely similar to the chickens?

Most duck lovers agree, me included, that ducks have a pecking order. Though it’s way laid back compared to chickens: they may chase, peck at (in their own way), or quack at someone. But usually the group doesn’t gang up on that someone, like chickens do.

In addition, the boss in each group is the male. But if there are 2 roosters, it is generally the senior rooster, unless he is weaker or has been challenged and fallen from grace. Drakes are different. The senior drake is more concerned with mating, from what I’ve observed, and so that influences most things. We had 2 juvenile drakes recently and Squirt ignored them; he’s only interested in the females. However, I’m happy to report, he hasn’t killed any ducks, unlike his predecessor. And the juvenile drakes, from what I observed, were just living life, being kids.

Also, my roosters stay away from Squirt, although I’m not sure why. But then, they stay away from the ducks altogether; almost pretend like they’re not there. On the other hand, Squirt will get in Megatron’s face and yell at him only when Bakugo is flirting with him. Thankfully they haven’t come to blows yet.

So, Can You Mix Ducks with Chickens

While raising chicks and ducklings together can be difficult, it’s not theoretical. Plus, they form a unit until they become adults. And at that time they tend to stay with their own kind. Once adults, they might ignore one another, but they don’t squabble or fight each other. Furthermore, males of both groups are boss of the yard. However, if there was ever any contest, the drake would be the clear winner. Though it’s the duck’s callous disregard of the pecking order that makes one think they don’t even have one. But they do, in their own duck-ish way.

I sincerely hope I’ve answered any questions you might have had about mixing ducks with chickens. Do you currently have any ducks? Or are you thinking about adding any? Your comments are appreciated.

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