Dilemma

[richie_f82]

Morning all, Just a quick question to those with allotments.

I have kept chickens in the past in my previous gardens with not issues, but now I have an allotment I am debating to myself is I should get chickens again or keep ducks.

Either would be kept for eggs not meat. A family member has a small holding and though they try to keep the ducks and chickens separate, they always end up in the same field! So do I raise both together and have both or stick to one or other?

[Scarlet]

How far away is your allotment? I’ve never kept ducks but I believe (like turkeys) you need to put them to bed.
At least with chickens they will go in the coop at the right time, you can set up timers etc so you aren’t tied.

[richie_f82]

It's a 5 minute walk from my house so putting them to bed isn't an issue. The chickens I had previously put themselves to bed and I left the coop door open so they could come and go.

[burnie]

Does anyone else keep any on your lottie?

[richie_f82]

A couple of holders have chickens but no turkeys or ducks

[Scarlet]

Will you be building a secure run?

[richie_f82]

It will be as secure as I can make it, I'll use inspiration from the other runs nearby and make it as fox proof as I can

[Nicos]

I've had geese and chooks run together with no problems, Although we used to provide a paddling pool for the geese which needed changing everyday. Ducks too need access to water -more than geese if I recall correctly?

Geese also need to be put to bed and that can be a pain when you get home at 11.30pm or later after an evening out, (you've maybe had a few drinks too)and it's dark and the birds don't want to go away!
We had 5geese and it would take 2 of us up to 20 mins to get them to go in...flippin pain by torchlight!

Never had ducks, so can't really answer your question.

[Baldy]

You might need to check that ducks are allowed - the allotment act means that council owned allotments have to allow the keeping of chickens unless it can be proven that they are a nuisance. no such legislation for ducks. its quackersr I tell you!

[Bluenowhere]

Chap on our allotment has chickens, bantums and running ducks all together.

One of the chickens decided to chase the ducks round the run today, lots of quacking, but generally they seen to get on just fine, he is two allotments along from us.

The main thing is obviously they need a pond to bathe in if they get too hot, he has sunk an old bath in the run for that so depends on whether your allotment would be happy with that (ours allows ponds but some don’t).

[Nicos]

I was warned not to have too deep a water container for bathing in as chooks can get waterlogged and stuck in there...hence a paddling pool. Actually it was the bottom half of a sand pit but I don't know if that is deep enough for ducks?

[Bluenowhere]

Our chap has a water feeder (not sure if that’s the right name for it as not my chickens but it is a water bottle that feeds into a hanging dish) and a shallow dish on the floor which the chickens use and I’ve not personally seen them go near the big pond - although they could as it’s all one run, so perhaps they realise that the ducks domain!

[richie_f82]

Thanks for the input everyone. I've checked my contract and ducks are allowed, just not large livestock (pigs, cows, goats etc).

I may stick to chickens for the time being and see how that goes just in case I don't get to putting the du is to bed.

[Guest]

Ducks need a body of water that is deeper enough to dunk their heads to keep their eyes clean. They are fine not having a pond/able to swim that is the keepers preference. However they are noisier and smellier than chickens and are more prone to fox attack as domestic ducks can't fly, least chickens can get some height.

On a different note. Why should geese, ducks and turkeys be put to bed?

[richie_f82]

From what I have read of ducks, they need to be put away at night because otherwise they would sleep outside and also be more liable to fox attack given that they can't fly quickly enough.
At least with the chickens I have had previously they went to sleep and got up on their own.