Can I have ducks chickens and geese in the same pen, under the same brooder and eating the same food at the same time or do they need to be seperated?
thanks,
Adam Baker

Hi Adam - are you speaking of hatchlings? I would separate them. Ducks and geese make a horrid, wet, sloppy mess of everything - food, water, bedding. The chickens really suffer under these conditions. Ducks and chickens and geese grow at different rates - ducks and geese growing very quickly - and the geese soon outstrip the ducks. Good management being the foundation of their health and your sanity, separating them each from the other would be a sound practice, worth the extra effort and expense. Good luck - Colleen

Adam; Listen to Crusty! Even when they are no longer hatchlings, Ducks and Geese will always spoil and foul the water. Constantly. It is always a good idea to supply waterfowl with their own water supply, leaving no access to the water for your other birds. You can minimize this by putting drinking water for waterfowl on a surface that is far removed from dirt or feed. Make them walk from their feed to their water. This won't eliminate the problem, but it will help. They will also spoil the feed if it is too close to the water. If you intend to keep waterfowl penned up you will need excellent drainage. Three quarter inch rock about four to six inches deep works quite well. If they can get to the dirt they will play in it and spoil the water every time they drink. Randy Henry (JaRaCo)