Ducks

[Andkingquail]

I was thinking of maybe getting Indian runner ducks. I'm wondering what are some pros and cons of owning Indian runner ducks.
Thank you for any responses.

 

[sourland]

What are your goals for a duck flock?

 

[Andkingquail]

Mainly eggs and particularly colorful ones as well as ducks for slug and snail control.

 

[sourland]

Mainly eggs and particularly colorful ones as well as ducks for slug and snail control.

Then runners should work well for you. Good luck in establishing your flock.

 

[Papaye]

Hi.

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▬ ▬ ▬ PROS of owning Indian Runner ducks :

• The hens lay a lot of eggs.

Indian Runners are indeed renowed to lay 200 eggs per year - approximatively.

And contrary to chicken hens, Runner duck hens do lay the same amount of eggs during their first three years of life - may even be more depending on the hens.

Also : if ever a Runner hen does start laying eggs during her first year, she will also lay the next winter - meaning you will be able to eat her eggs even during her first winter.

• They come in very various colours.

Indian Runners have so different colours you won't get tired of them...

You want to see them easier at night?
Do take White coloured Runner ducks home.

You want shiny ducks?
Do adopt Black or Chocolate Runners...

You want ducks that will be harder to see by predators?
Do choose Blue ducks...

Or would you prefer to see colours that will make you remember your childhood?
...Gray/Mallard Runner ducks will make you happy...

...You have the choice to get what you prefer to see.

• Some of the eggs are coloured.

Runner hens' eggs can of course be white... but they also can have other colours, or even have patterns.

For examples :
- Bibbed or not, Black coloured Runner hens do tend to lay blue, or green, or even grey eggs... that are sometimes completely black at the start of (laying) season.
- Light Dusky Indian Runner hens lay striped eggs.

• They love eating pests.

Indian Runner ducks prefer to eat insects, slugs, snails... (instead of grass.)

They will eat the big slugs even your chickens don't want to eat.

• They are light-weight.

They are so light they don't make any damage, even if they walk on flowers...

• They are sturdy.

Even though they are light-weight ducks, Runners are strong : they rarely get sick, don't shy away from the cold, and are very energic ducks that like to run and explore.

• They don't fly away.

Even the biggest ducks are actually able to fly, but - apart from rare exceptions - Indian Runner don't fly.
And if ever one of them do : he won't fly away - but he will try to get back instead -, because Runners are much too coward to explore an area far from their friends.

• They are fun to look at.

Indian Runner ducks have an uncommon, upright stance that makes them (kind of) look like penguins.

(Nevertheless : they are really graceful swimmers!)

• They are easy to direct to bed.

Indian Runners are always together - meaning we don't have to catch them one by one to put them to bed : guiding their group alone is easy enough.

• They are ideal for herding dogs.

Indian Runners are sometimes used to educate herding dogs and/or keep them (happy).

• They serve as an alarm.

Runner ducks can be very vocal, so if ever there is animals or persons (such as burglars) in your yard during the night - AND your Runners' house is close enough from your house -, you will be alerted as soon as they spot them.

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▬ ▬ ▬ CONS of owning Indian Runner ducks :

• They are not pet quality.

Indian Runners are naturally cowardly, so they generally don't like to be approached... and so, to be petted.

• They are not the best layers.

Even though Indian Runner hens do lay a lot of eggs, they are not the best layers among ducks : indeed, Khaki Campbell hens are actually the ones that lay the most of eggs among all domestic duck breeds.

• They are prone to minor injuries.

Because of their upright, vertical stance, Indian Runners can easily suffer from a twisted foot.
Nothing usually so severe that swimming won't fix, but Runners still need to be monitored because of that.

▬ ▬ ▬
▬ ▬ ▬ ▬ ▬ ▬
▬ ▬ ▬ ▬ ▬ ▬ ▬ ▬ ▬ ▬
▬ ▬ ▬ CONCLUSION :

Indian Runner ducks are scared of everything, so interacting with them will be complicated.

But : they still are pretty ducks that will make you happy just by watching them.

They also are low-maintenance, sturdy ducks that only need to be slightly monitored - just in case they injure themselves while walking or running.

...They are great ducks to get rid of slugs in your yard, and to clean a vegetable garden...
(They are better than pesticides!)
(And since they are ducks, you can - of course - use their poop to fertilize your garden!)

They also lay a lot of nutritious eggs, so you won't be starved once you hens has started laying.

And if ever you have a herding dog - or even a goose - that is bored, give him Indian Runners : he will be happy to herd them!

 

[Andkingquail]

Hi.

▬ ▬ ▬
▬ ▬ ▬ ▬ ▬ ▬
▬ ▬ ▬ ▬ ▬ ▬ ▬ ▬ ▬ ▬
▬ ▬ ▬ PROS of owning Indian Runner ducks :

• The hens lay a lot of eggs.

Indian Runners are indeed renowed to lay 200 eggs per year - approximatively.

And contrary to chicken hens, Runner duck hens do lay the same amount of eggs during their first three years of life - may even be more depending on the hens.

Also : if ever a Runner hen does start laying eggs during her first year, she will also lay the next winter - meaning you will be able to eat her eggs even during her first winter.

• They come in very various colours.

Indian Runners have so different colours you won't get tired of them...

You want to see them easier at night?
Do take White coloured Runner ducks home.

You want shiny ducks?
Do adopt Black or Chocolate Runners...

You want ducks that will be harder to see by predators?
Do choose Blue ducks...

Or would you prefer to see colours that will make you remember your childhood?
...Gray/Mallard Runner ducks will make you happy...

...You have the choice to get what you prefer to see.

• Some of the eggs are coloured.

Runner hens' eggs can of course be white... but they also can have other colours, or even have patterns.

For examples :
- Bibbed or not, Black coloured Runner hens do tend to lay blue, or green, or even grey eggs... that are sometimes completely black at the start of (laying) season.
- Light Dusky Indian Runner hens lay striped eggs.

• They love eating pests.

Indian Runner ducks prefer to eat insects, slugs, snails... (instead of grass.)

They will eat the big slugs even your chickens don't want to eat.

• They are light-weight.

They are so light they don't make any damage, even if they walk on flowers...

• They are sturdy.

Even though they are light-weight ducks, Runners are strong : they rarely get sick, don't shy away from the cold, and are very energic ducks that like to run and explore.

• They don't fly away.

Even the biggest ducks are actually able to fly, but - apart from rare exceptions - Indian Runner don't fly.
And if ever one of them do : he won't fly away - but he will try to get back instead -, because Runners are much too coward to explore an area far from their friends.

• They are fun to look at.

Indian Runner ducks have an uncommon, upright stance that makes them (kind of) look like penguins.

(Nevertheless : they are really graceful swimmers!)

• They are easy to direct to bed.

Indian Runners are always together - meaning we don't have to catch them one by one to put them to bed : guiding their group alone is easy enough.

• They are ideal for herding dogs.

Indian Runners are sometimes used to educate herding dogs and/or keep them (happy).

• They serve as an alarm.

Runner ducks can be very vocal, so if ever there is animals or persons (such as burglars) in your yard during the night - AND your Runners' house is close enough from your house -, you will be alerted as soon as they spot them.

▬ ▬ ▬
▬ ▬ ▬ ▬ ▬ ▬
▬ ▬ ▬ ▬ ▬ ▬ ▬ ▬ ▬ ▬
▬ ▬ ▬ CONS of owning Indian Runner ducks :

• They are not pet quality.

Indian Runners are naturally cowardly, so they generally don't like to be approached... and so, to be petted.

• They are not the best layers.

Even though Indian Runner hens do lay a lot of eggs, they are not the best layers among ducks : indeed, Khaki Campbell hens are actually the ones that lay the most of eggs among all domestic duck breeds.

• They are prone to minor injuries.

Because of their upright, vertical stance, Indian Runners can easily suffer from a twisted foot.
Nothing usually so severe that swimming won't fix, but Runners still need to be monitored because of that.

▬ ▬ ▬
▬ ▬ ▬ ▬ ▬ ▬
▬ ▬ ▬ ▬ ▬ ▬ ▬ ▬ ▬ ▬
▬ ▬ ▬ CONCLUSION :

Indian Runner ducks are scared of everything, so interacting with them will be complicated.

But : they still are pretty ducks that will make you happy just by watching them.

They also are low-maintenance, sturdy ducks that only need to be slightly monitored - just in case they injure themselves while walking or running.

...They are great ducks to get rid of slugs in your yard, and to clean a vegetable garden...
(They are better than pesticides!)
(And since they are ducks, you can - of course - use their poop to fertilize your garden!)

They also lay a lot of nutritious eggs, so you won't be starved once you hens has started laying.

And if ever you have a herding dog - or even a goose - that is bored, give him Indian Runners : he will be happy to herd them!

Thank you, it's kind of sad that they don't like being interacted with but they seem like a great ducks to have. Do you own any?

 

[Papaye]

Thank you,

You are welcome.

it's kind of sad that they don't like being interacted with but they seem like a great ducks to have

They are great ducks.

If ever you can : do hatch Indian Runner ducks' eggs yourself, and then interact with the ducklings as much as possible - so they will imprint on you.

Do you own any?

Yes.
Most of my ducks are Indian Runners...

But honestly, even the ones born in my yard are kind of cowardly : I have not interacted enough with them their first days of life, so they have not imprinted on me.

...Funnily enough, I don't even think they are actually scared of me : they just seem to not like things to approach them.
They indeed clearly prefer to be the ones to do the approaching, and to take their time (sometimes days) doing so...

At least, their personality makes them easy to herd, and so, to educate in order to make them learn to go in their run/coop hastily if needed (for example : when a storm is coming, and we need to keep the ducks enclosed so they are not flown away by the wind).

Otherwise, they actually are curious birds.
But they are scared of surprises, and of suddenly discovering new things in their "territory"...

(They need time to understand what/who is new is not necessarily dangerous for them.)

They still are fun to look at.

I have had Runners for years, but they really never bore me!
(And I would insist they are very useful to me - for the eggs, but also for pests control and to fertilize the soil.)

 

[Dontworrybequacky]

These are 4 of my 5 month old Indian Runner ducks. I'm new to raising ducks but I have found them to be delightful. They run up to greet me, begging for treats whenever I come into view. As they grew, they went through a very fearful stage but that may have been nature's way of keeping young ducks aluve. I specifically wanted black because I have been advised that they are less likely to be preyed upon by eagles and hawks. They take a few weeks to adjust to any difference in their housing or routine but do come around in the end. I have thought so many times of the Simon and Garfunkel lyrics, they "are sceptical of changes in their cages." Mine are approaching laying age. That's exciting! I have several pairs that I would like to sell. I wasn't able to find what I wanted locally so I had to mail order a minimum of 15 from a hatchery and got 17 lovely, healthy baby ducks! Good luck to you.

 

[Dontworrybequacky]

- also, I trained my ducks to run into their house when I ring a bell. It's so darned cute!