Is there any increased risk by allowing the ducks and sheep to intermingle...same pastures? ie. disease increase for one or the other I want to broaden the ducks grazing(bug) territory and hope that will benefit the sheep from being harassed by biting flies. Diana
We kept sheep and ducks together but the dicks would stay near the barns regardless. My only complain was the ducks would seek out every bucket, trough, or water bowl of clean drinking water and totally mess it up. Foxes cleaned out the ducks and we didn't replace them.
Thank you, Ross. Dh was wondering about the water attracting the ducks and leaving their mess for the sheep to drink. Guess, I'll leave them in the duck pasture and backyard. Any ideas re: deterring the biting flies? Shepmom central NC
Perhaps guinea fowl would be a good solution rather than ducks. Guineas are good for pest control, but wont swim in the water and foul it all up.
They tell me to keep the chickens away from the sheep for fear of coccidia loads in the lambs from free ranging chickens and standing puddles. Whether or not the same is true for ducks I do not know, but would also like to know if anyone can confirm the chicken/sheep connection as well.
We had a problem with flies bothering our burro and sheep. We started adding a little bit of diatomateous(sp?) earth to their grain and found it really reduces the problem. This is how it works: The animals (all of them if possible) eat the D.E. and it passes through their system. It ends up in their droppingings. The flies lay eggs in the droppings which hatch into maggots. D.E. is very small like dust but is very sharp and cuts the skin of the maggots which kills them. On the way through it helps with intestinal parasites. We couldn't get rid of the cat's hook worm with medicine for more than a week at a time until I started putting it on his food too. Now he doesn't get hook worm. We also put in on the dog's food. You can put in every meal. Sort of sprinkle it on like lightly salting. We mix it into the whole bin of grain, dry dog food, dry cat food. We put about 1/4 cup into 100 lbs. of feed. We sprinkle it on top of the bin and stir about the top six inches. It is very small and sifts down through the rest of the bin as we take feed off the top. Be very careful to not breathe it. It has an abrasive affect on your lungs, too. That's why we like to get the whole bin at once. Less exposure. This is the same stuff that is used in some pool filters. A little goes a long way.
I have sheep, goats, chickens and ducks all together. They are fed in seperate areas however. I haven't had a problem with cocci in any of the animals. (knock on wood) As for the water problem, the ducks have pools they swim in and they stay out of the water bins. I made it so the pools are VERY easy to get in and out of while the drining bins are hard to get in. My friend has the same set up, ducks, chickens and goats and also hasn't had a problem.
We also ran sheep, chickens and ducks in the same pastures, and even though we tested,, never had a problem. Chickens get rid of many of the pests the bug the sheep,, and the Ducks will help get rid of Liverflukes. Like was said before the ducks like to make a mess with any water bucket they can get their beaks into. You can cut down on this if you have the taller sheep,, with water tanks tall enough that the Ducks can't get their bills in it.
We decided to try just herding the WH ducks in and see if they are helpful or more trouble than it's worth. Trial and error. Would the diatomaceous (sp) dirt be a problem if the sheep snorted it up their nose? They are pigs when it comes to grain....just about choking trying to get more than the rest.
I tried DE and felt it wasn't worth the trouble but I can't say I noticed it doing any harm either. Well except maybe when one ewe fell into a large tub of it offered free choice (as suggested by...??? I forget now) she was fine but I'm sure the other sheep were laughing at her, so goodness knows the emotional scarring.
