# Ducks & goats: can they be together?



## Smallfarmer

I need to build a pen for goats but at the same time I also need one for ducks. Can I put them together in the same fenced area and have separate housing?


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## nancy d

It's gonna be pretty messy......


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## MoKa-Farms

When we had only 2 goats we let two of our ducks in with them. They got along OK. I suppose it depends on the size of the outside space, the number of ducks, and the number of goats. Remember= the ducks WILL mess up any water they can reach.


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## AmyBoogie

Ducks will muck up the water fast so you need a water station they can't get in for the goats to have fresh water. Goats can't have duck food so you have to be really careful about that.

Sometimes I put our ducks in the goat pen for a few hours to clean up the snails which is pretty cool. The ducks and goats ignore each other mostly but a playful goat could easily hurt a duck. As soon as I remove the ducks I have to go through and clean every last water bucket. Even the one I thought was high enough. Dingy ducks will hop into it anyway.

IMO penning them can work if you manage it well though it's not ideal. Mostly the water situation gets tough.


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## Smallfarmer

AmyBoogie said:


> Ducks will muck up the water fast so you need a water station they can't get in for the goats to have fresh water. Goats can't have duck food so you have to be really careful about that.
> 
> Sometimes I put our ducks in the goat pen for a few hours to clean up the snails which is pretty cool. The ducks and goats ignore each other mostly but a playful goat could easily hurt a duck. As soon as I remove the ducks I have to go through and clean every last water bucket. Even the one I thought was high enough. Dingy ducks will hop into it anyway.
> 
> IMO penning them can work if you manage it well though it's not ideal. Mostly the water situation gets tough.


Thanks. I like your idea of only putting them in the pen for a few hours.


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## happybleats

I ran my ducks and chickens and turkeys all together with my Goats , Until the birds starting runny across the road!! Now they all have a pen..as amyboogie said...They mess up the water big time ...might have to get creative to keep them out of the goats water..or clean them several times a day like we did lol


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## NubianFan

Ducks are gross. Plain and simple. I like them, and at one time I had 15 ducks and a goose in my YARD. It was last year when it was really dry. My yard is fenced and over an acre but even so, I told my friends and family jokingly that if it ever rained my yard would just be one huge slip and slide and not a fun version of it. They get in every water source they possibly can, mine have even gotten into my bird bath. They noodle in mud and dig out ruts, they dig up my flowers and shrubs. They poop a lot and every where. Ours sit and roll their bad eggs out of the nest and leave little rotten egg bombs all over the yard. They are loud and they never go to bed like chickens many times mine have woke me up in the middle of the night eating slugs off the side of my house. 
That said. On the plus side they gobble up slugs and snails, bugs and even snakes. They are comical to watch. They aren't aggressive to other animals. Ours free range now so go in and out of the goat pen, but mostly they stay out because of the kind of fencing I have makes it difficult for them to get in (the pretty much have to slip through an opened gate or fly and mine are so fat they aren't good fliers)
You could certainly keep them with goats given a big enough area. You would have a headache cleaning out water or building some sort of duck proof watering system and I have no idea how you would make water duck proof. I haven't seen it done yet.


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## georgiagirl98

Yea i tried that one time ...the water trough was a nightmare to clean. Every time i would clean it out they would get so happy and would love swimming in it with the hose filling it up but as soon as it was full it would be dirty again lol. Maybe you could get a giant one of these chick waterers. Like the kind that screws on to a jar but big enough that a goat could drink out and small enough the ducks can't get in it. I know they make big chicken feeders like that so maybe you can find a big water one to. Good luck.


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## NyGoatMom

I agree...it is gonna mean more work...and space would be a huge key for success...if the goats are always in mud, it'd be bad for them, and ducks make quick work of mud wherever they are...


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## Smallfarmer

I think I might have it figured out. I'll have a kennel for the ducks with a little door between it and the goat pen. I'll open the door and let them in for a hour or so before I give the goats fresh water every day. At least until I can figure out a duck proof waterer. 

I just thought of something. We have fencing on our chicken coop run (where the ducks currently reside) to keep the hawks from getting at them. Is this something I'll have to worry about or would the presence of goats deter hawks?


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## Stacykins

I have to agree with everyone. Ducks are a fracking mess. My ducks turn their fresh water nasty and muddy within an hour. They splash out water, then play with the resulting mud with their beaks, then dip the beaks in the water, splash out more, and repeat.

If I accidentally leave the goat pen gate open (after I closed everyone in for the night), the ducks will get in there and turn the water buckets into mud holes. They do the same thing! Aggravating! But my fault that I gave them access to the goat's water. And since I get the water for the next day ready that night, it makes double work for me.



Smallfarmer said:


> I just thought of something. We have fencing on our chicken coop run (where the ducks currently reside) to keep the hawks from getting at them. Is this something I'll have to worry about or would the presence of goats deter hawks?


A goat will not deter any bird of prey. Ducks can fall victim to them, just like any other fowl. I lost a large pekin female to a red tail who bit off a bit more than it could chew. My rooster actually smacked the crap out of that hawk until it flew away (spurs are good for something!) but the damage was done. And yes, all this unfolded within seconds, so I did witness this.

The red tail never came back. I've seen bald eagles and abroad winged hawk sunning themselves in the trees on the property, but they've never done anything. I have a healthy crow population here, so they usually chase away most birds of prey.


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## AmyBoogie

our ducks are really good sky watchers. At the first sign of something more dangerous they will run for shelter. Nothing seems to deter the predator birds around here.


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## clementegal

Our goats and ducks stay together they tolerate each other... Only problem is when I feed the ducks the goats try to eat their food! Is that normal?


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## NyGoatMom

^^ it's bad for the goats...


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## Smallfarmer

Would a large prey bird go after a small mini goat or there kids?


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## milkmaid

We keep ours together. The ducks have a small pond and a wading pool, and they leave the goats' water alone. (Except for Mr. Drake, a Muscovy - but he's gone now.)
I agree with MoKa:


> I suppose it depends on the size of the outside space, the number of ducks, and the number of goats.


 It definitely does.



> Would a large prey bird go after a small mini goat or there kids?


It's never happened here, but then we rarely have a hawk go after anything here.


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## NubianFan

milkmaid said:


> We keep ours together. The ducks have a small pond and a wading pool, and they leave the goats' water alone. (Except for Mr. Drake, a Muscovy - but he's gone now.)


You must have much nicer ducks than I have because our ducks have access to a wading pool and a full sized livestock pond and they still foul the chicken's water, the bird baths, and any other water they can possibly fit in, the only thing that saves the goats is they can't get to it.


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## milkmaid

Hmmm, we have Welsh Harlequins. What breed do you have? Maybe it depends also on the breed.


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## NubianFan

Rouens and Mallards and Khaki Campbell's, could be, I think Welsh Harlequins are pretty. I want more Rouens but they are stinkers.


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## AmyBoogie

Our Campbells are the loudest and pushiest of our ducks. I like our Cayugas best but they are just as messy.


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## NubianFan

Our Khaki Campbells are our comedians and our Rouens are our pushy obnoxious ones. Our mallards are our sweetest ones but also the most stand offish and shy of people. They act wilder. They also can actually fly whereas the others just sort of fall with style.


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## NyGoatMom

I have anconas, blue mallards and muscovies....I think they are all messy! But I love 'em all


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## milkmaid

I know, duckies are so cute you can't help loving them.


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## Smallfarmer

They're the reason I'm not allowed in tractor supply furring peep days.


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## Smallfarmer

Smallfarmer said:


> They're the reason I'm not allowed in tractor supply furring peep days.


*during* stupid auto correct.


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