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Can Ducks and Pheasants Live Together

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For many people, raising chickens, ducks, geese, and pheasants is a lot of fun.

If you’ve got a big enough piece of land, raising birds can be a great family activity that teaches children responsibility and shows them the fruits of labor. They’re great pets, but they also can be raised for eggs or food.

Most of the time, property owners start off with just one type of bird. Usually, it’s chickens. It’s easier to get chickens than any other type of bird.

They even send them to you in the mail. At some point, though, people want to expand their flocks with new types of birds.

Ducks and pheasants are beautiful animals that add a lot of flavor to your home or farm. They look amazing and raising them can be very fulfilling.

But can ducks and pheasants live together? Typically, yes, birds can live together relatively well as long as you have the conditions right.

Chickens huddle in the backyard

Ducks and pheasants can live together but usually don’t because of housing requirements. These birds have some similarities, but they’re also very different animals.

If you’re interested in keeping ducks and pheasants together, here are some things you can do to make everyone happy.

Giving Your Birds Enough Space

One of the biggest things you can do to keep harmony in your flock is to give your birds enough space. Ducks, particularly, can become aggressive if they feel like pheasants or other animals are encroaching on their space.

Ducks prefer, for example, deeper water than pheasants, so, if possible, find somewhere with two separate water features to accommodate each type of bird.

Keeping your birds in cramped spaces will raise their anxiety levels and confrontation between species becomes more of a problem.

You can tell when your birds have enough space when they’re not acting skittish when you’re not around. If you notice ducks and pheasants attacking each other or running around crazily, then your enclosure is likely too small.

Ducks can be counted on to roam a good distance every day, so you need an enclosure that will accommodate their needs.

Pheasants can thrive in smaller spaces, but they will need room to feel at ease as well. If they feel too much stress they can become very skittish and even take ill and die.

Ducks & Pheasants Need Different Feed

If you’ve got a flock full of a mix of ducks and pheasants, don’t make the mistake of thinking you can just pour any old bird feed into their pen. Ducks will need duck pellets, and pheasants will need game bird feed.

pheasant in the field and ducks swimming

Thankfully, it’s not too hard to find either, so all you have to do is make sure you have an adequate supply to keep both your pheasants and ducks well fed.

If you feed either bird the wrong food, it could make them sick or kill them because their bodies aren’t equipped to digest it.

If you are new to raising birds, then you should do some research on the best types of feed for your animals and their specific breed. These days, it’s relatively easy to find the feed that you need online or at your local pet shop.

When it comes to water, ducks tend to get the water they swim in very dirty. Their immune systems can handle it though, so drinking the dirty water isn’t a concern.

For pheasants, though, especially if your water area is small, it can be an issue. Give your pheasants freshwater that’s not contaminated by the ducks if possible. They’ll be in better health and will live longer.

You’ll need to change out the water every day or a few times a week to keep them in the best possible condition.

Where the Birds Sleep?

Pheasants are a lot more like chickens when it comes to roosting preferences. Your pheasants will love to be out and about during the day, but at night they feel most comfortable retreating to elevated roosts.

Pheasants enjoy resting on multiple roosts at various heights depending on how many birds you’ve got in your flock.

Ducks, however, will typically sleep in the water because that is where they feel the safest. They’ll also need a place that’s dry where they can lay down and preen their feathers.

Build a shelter away from the pheasant roosts to prevent them from disturbing them while they sleep.

Avoid Putting Hatchlings Together

Ducks and pheasants can live together, but they should only be in the same area when they are fully grown adult animals. Too often, people think it will be cute if the hatchlings are in the same area.

That should only be done if you’re interacting with them and can give them your full attention.

Duck hatchlings grow much faster than pheasants, and even well-meaning duck hatchlings can end up hurting baby pheasants.

Baby pheasants are very fragile, and will always be smaller than their duck counterparts. Also, if they end up eating the wrong food or walking around the wrong adult bird, it could spell curtains for them.

Pheasants Will Try to Escape

pheasant flying

Ducks, when given food and a comfortable environment, will typically always find their way back home to your property. Pheasants, on the other hand, don’t have as much attachment to humans or where they were born.

If given the opportunity, these guys will make a break for it and you’ll probably never see them again.

Most pheasant owners keep them in a covered yard. If you want the pheasants and ducks to mingle, you can build an entrance for the ducks that they can get in and out of as they please.

These are some tips to get you started on raising ducks and pheasants together. As long as you pay attention to the small details about space and food, it’s going to go well for the most part. The birds will get along just fine and will mostly stick to themselves.

Raising these wonderful animals is a ton of fun and will provide you with years of fulfillment as you tend to their needs.

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