Been there, done that and honestly I wouldn't do it again. I know lots of folks combine their waterfowl w/chickens and say they don't have any problems but I just hated having the ducks in my coop. The litter gets so wet which is especially a problem in the winter.

Since you are building a new structure and can design it accordingly I would recommend keeping them separate if possible (even the turkeys). We had turkeys this summer and they were frequently terrorized by our escaping guineas, they can also be aggressive toward chickens and even kill them. There are always exceptions and I do have friends that keep all these birds together in a big barn w/no apparent problems, but these are just my thoughts. :)

We had everyone (ducks +chickens) on chicken layer + scratch and they did just fine.

-Sheila

I would take the above advice & keep species seperate.

The medication in most chick starters today is Amrolium which is NOT harmful to waterfowl. Its what I use to start my ducklets on. Years ago Arsenic was used and that did kill waterfowl.

Build it with plenty of windows on the south and other windows to provide ventilation in the summer. Overhang your eaves so that they keep the sun completely out of the chicken house in the summer, but let it in to provide warmth in the winter. Based on the height of the windows and your latitude, you can calculate just how much overhang to use.

I have had indirect experience with ducks and chickens mixed together and they did fine, however the ducks make a mess of the water (and wet the ground down) and the chickens are always drinking water filled with dirt and manure. For that reason, I would prefer to keep them separate if they were mine.

When we raised chickens, we would feed them ground barley which they had free-choice, some whole barley once a day, and what we called the "chicken bucket", which was all the "wet" kitchen waste--veg. peelings, apple cores, meat trimmings, egg shells, any plate waste, etc. and they did quite well. Young chicks would get a medicated feed until they were pullet sized, then they went to the regular diet and all did quite well. Tossing them weeds from the garden or lawn clippings would really yellow up the egg yolks, too.

Yes, I think that my dream world would best be served if I kept the ducks seperate. They are messy. Just hoping to minimize the number of buildings /enclosures, etc. But I want happy AND healthy birds. I appreciate the advice.

I had my ducks with my hens...what a mess! I had so much work to do every morning cleaning out the ducks mess. I've seperated them and the hens do MUCH better and lay more now that they're on their own...I think the ducks were more aggressive towards the hens,this made them aggrivated,and they just didn't lay as well as they do now. I would definately seperate the different species for sure. I also know that turkeys can be a definate threat to other smaller birds. I would keep them completely isolated from your hens AND ducks.

Suprisingly on the nights that my ducks have taken it upon themselves to spend the night in the chicken coop, it wasn't too bad. Mostly because they did not have a large bucket of water to 'play' with and only had the waterer. But, all in all - it does seem that the best plan is to keep them seperate, as they are now.

What do I do with the turkeys? They need to be seperate from everything as well?? Do they go in an enclosure at night like the chickens? Meaning, do they go in on their own or do they have to be coached in ..?

Have yet to try turkeys, but I keep my ducks with my chickens. The drakes take over the nest boxes and poop in the nests. I have dirty eggs. And the pen smells worse. I'll have to put my vote with separate pens for the different species.

Some day I will get DH to eat 'home grown' meat. THEN we would have a turkey every year.

The plan is slowly coming together. There will be a seperate pen for all. One large hen coop with a door to the pasture. On the other side two seperate enclosures (to keep everyone safe at night) for the ducks and turkeys - each leading to daytime pasture. On the back end will be the goat and sheep shelter leading to yet another pasture. Will be one big amazing maze.

Might I suggest, if you haven't already thought of it, that you make your building big enough to have a somewhat central room, with a large door to the outside, where you can store feed and bedding, as well as any other supplies that don't need weather protection - cleaning tools, maybe even the wheelbarrow? Opening off that or backing up to that, put your nest boxes, so eggs can be collected from there, with a door into the hens' enclosure next to that. Have 2/3 doors on the other wall(s), one(s) to the ducks and turkeys, and then one to the goats. That way, if by chance, anyone escapes through the inside doors, they won't be with the other animals, although they WOULD be with the feed. And that way, you wouldn't be going from one set of animals' enclosure to another animals' enclosure, but to a "neutral" area, so any escapees can be sent home, with no chance for any 'cross-contamination"! And your feed and bedding are central to everyone, with direct access. I can clearly visualize what I mean, so hope this makes sense to you. If the larger area with storage for feed and bedding, etc., won't work, for whatever reason, even a smaller hallway, with 4 doors, would give the same effect, just not as conveniently.

If you really wanted to make a luxurious "Hen House", then having a sink with water, even only cold water, would be lovely. I am assuming that you will have a water spigot or hydrant (or 3) somewhere around the building, but putting it inside, and having an area to rinse out and thoroughly scrub waterers in relative comfort sure sounds nice! A hose could easily run into all the areas from a central spigot, or separate ones could be put just inside the individual shelter/sections - with suitable protection from the goats, of course!

I am also assuming that there will be lights in all areas - emergencies, by their nature, don't happen only in daylight, so for that reason, if for no other, lights in part, if not all, of the building are almost a necessity!