Bob Blosl's Heritage Large Fowl Thread

[Wynette]

Barb, are you thinking about getting into them?

I only have four total so someone else can speak more to this than I can, but my one black runner looks just like the rest do in the water (2 Welsh Harlequin and one Black Swede). Someone who obviously really knows her ducks (

) told me, before I got a runner, that they don't care for water. Well, I beg to differ. Our runner duck is in the water more than the others! She's quite the diver, too!

 

[fowlman01]

I've been thinking about these guys ever since you posted this picture. What do the Runners look like in the water? Do they spend as much time in the water as the ducks I might be more familiar with? Do they exist in the wild somewhere (or something similar) or are these a man-made duck?

They spend a lot of time in the water and they don't look like Runners in the water, they look like most ducks in the water. They are man made. All the ducks with a male sex curl feather are derived from mallards. That is the curly feathers you see on the tail of a male. They would not do well in the wild, they are easy prey.

Walt

 

[BarnGoddess01]

Barb, are you thinking about getting into them?

I only have four total so someone else can speak more to this than I can, but my one black runner looks just like the rest do in the water (2 Welsh Harlequin and one Black Swede). Someone who obviously really knows her ducks (

) told me, before I got a runner, that they don't care for water. Well, I beg to differ. Our runner duck is in the water more than the others! She's quite the diver, too!

I would LOVE to have some ducks but I'm not sure they'd survive long here. My property includes a ravine with water running through it and a pond (an old tobacco irrigation thing) very near my property where the coyotes like to frequent. Basically, I'm surrounded by water. (I've seen FABULOUS Wood ducks in/at that pond. Followed them around with my camera more than once. They nest in trees so I assume that gives them an advantage with the coyotes.) I don't think I'd be able to keep ducks home because of all the water around me and I'm not keen on confining the birds. (I LOVE the white Sebastopol geese. Those are some SERIOUSLY swanky birds and with blue eyes!)

Just particularly curious about the Runners because they have such an odd posture. I would LOVE to see some pictures of them in the water. I'll have to see if Mr. Google can help me out ....

And all those funky egg colours!!

 

[3riverschick]

Hi,
Well, I am excited!

Posted on the Phoenix board and a breeder from central PA contacted me. If all goes as planned, will be picking up 5 started pullets this July to work the 2014 season hatching our Light Sussex eggs.
Per my request, the Phoenix will not be breeding quality and I will not be breeding them. All my runs are fully enclosed so I have control over who breeds whom. Each Phoenix will have a 4x4 broody coop with attached run. 4sq. ft. per broodie and 2 sq. ft. per chick. In the run, 10 sq. ft. per Phoenix in the run and 5 sq. ft. per chick in the run where they will stay till 6 weeks when they go to the grow out pen.
Plan on marking LS vents with dye and setting eggs on turners until I get a set of 6 for each Phoenix. (all hatch the same 2 days (pedigree mating)
**or** flock mating, where each day the eggs from all hens would go under a different Phoenix until all had eggs. The eggs would all hatch the same week. This way all the chicks will be only 1 week apart and I can put them all together in the grow-out run at 6 weeks old when they leave the Phoenix broody.
I think I have the timing and space numbers right. If anyone knows otherwise, please advise.
Best Regards,
Karen

 

[1MrsMagoo]

I've been thinking about these guys ever since you posted this picture. What do the Runners look like in the water? Do they spend as much time in the water as the ducks I might be more familiar with? Do they exist in the wild somewhere (or something similar) or are these a man-made duck?

I have 6 Runners amongst my flock of 21 ducks. They are really wonderful to have around and watch and are my family's favorites. Large flocks of these are raised in Asia and used in the rice farming industry. I have seen videos of hundreds of them being herded to and from the rice paddies. I can only imagine how many eggs those folks get a day considering how well this breed lays!

 

[lildinkem]

Once, just for fun, I put 18 Guinea Fowl eggs in the incubator. Ididn't put any water in the humidity pan & never touched or checked the eggs 'till day 28 when I removed 15 healthy keets from the incubator [I don't have a bator]. After that I decided I could be a little less attentive to detail when incubating.

hahaha I guess "bator" is a term that we can lump in with "rooster". I had a similar experience with 28 eggs I forgot about until I heard a roar of little ones chirping. Before then I was always loosing more due to too much humidity. Now even during the colder dry weather I use no water and have good hatches.
Talking about "roosters" or "roos" reminds me of the first time I met Doug Akers. I called him for a Buff Orp "rooster" on the phone. He did not say anything until I showed up at his farm. I said "I was the guy calling you for a Buff Orp rooster". Doug smiled and gritted his teeth and said something like, "I know you said you we're interested in showing birds, if you do, the word is either cock, cock bird or cockerel". He also added, it does not matter to me, but others will think you are a hick, and I know you probably do not want that. Ever since it has been cock or cockerel. I appreciated him telling me.

 

[BarnGoddess01]

Quote:
I have to say, I think the prejudice against the term "rooster" is terribly snobby. "Rooster" has been around forever. All my egg customers refer to the boys as "roosters". The general public knows male chickens are roosters. Roosters are the ones that crow in the morning and make all the noise. Only serious breeders refer to the older males as cock birds (as I've learned.) In my opinion, we aren't doing ourselves any favours by cramming that distinction down the newbies' throat.

 

[3riverschick]

Very well said. I post very little now days for fear of saying or asking the wrong thing to the wrong person on this site and some others that I go on. I don't really have anyone near me into chickens like I am, so now I hold off and have one or two people that I go to that I met at shows and ask them when I see them. I like to think I've improved in the way I think and speak to people over the last year but who knows....
Again your post was very well written!
Chris

Hi Chris,
Then you came to the right BYC thread. I ask questions here because I feel safe doing it. Have never had anyone here take me to task for doing it. I admit many of my questions are very novice and fall under the catagory of the veteran poultry person banging their head on the table and exclaiming ,"Oh no, not that same old question again!". However, they always answer me. In the times they don't?...I take a look at my questions again and realize I could have easily answered them with a quick search...or the question needed more research to be intelligent, smile. Frankly, when you speak on BYC, I stop to listen. Have found your answers well reasoned and able to do further research with the material shared in your postings. So please don't be a lurker.
Best Regards,
Karen

 

[3riverschick]

(snipped for brevity) Successful breeders of Call ducks and Cornish.......the two breeds I think are the hardest to hatch, spend a lot of time preparing their birds from the beginning with breeder diets that raise their chances of a good hatch.

Walt

Hi Walt,
Can we use these Call duck and Cornish diets for our regular poultry like Light Sussex?
Thanks,
Karen

 

[BarnGoddess01]

Furthermore, it still isn't sinking in for me what the "K" on the cage card means. I think I know, young male. But it's just a letter meant to express something. Why be so dang haughty if folks use the wrong words? We certainly aren't going to encourage folks to take the fancy seriously by humiliating them at the door and making them feel like idiots.

Yeah, yeah, crawling back under my cold Canadian rock ....