Small drakes and big(ger) hens - QUESTIONS

[Waddlewoods]

Hi.



Ok...
...I thought BEI was, in fact, the exact same size than Mallard ducks...



I have bred a Bibbed Black Indian Runner drake with several Light Dusky Indian Runner hens, and the ducklings were Bibbed Black OR Light Dusky coloured...!

(BUT : if your two boys are, in fact, Mallard patterned, then 100% of the ducklings should be Bibbed Black.)



The fact you have ducks hens that go broody is amazing to me, because apart from just one, none of my ducks has never been willing to sit on eggs.

I had my very first broody duck hen only last Summer : an 1-year-old Indian Runner hen that was hatched (in my yard) by a chicken hen...

I was very surprised, because Indian Runners are renowned to NOT go broody...!

(...I had to remove the eggs eventually, because she had chosen a bad location to sit on them, and I did not want her to be killed because of that...)



...What?

What do you mean, by "throw off"?
(Sorry : I am not sure I really understand what you actually mean, so I prefer to ask...!)



Yeah... that would be really expensive, and the fact I would have to also find a mean (and the time) to go to the airport to retrieve the ducks would be much too bothersome.

But still : that's great to be able to buy ducks from America and have them shipped in France!



Woooow...
You are, in fact, lucky she had not thrown them in your yard!!
(I know that happens sometimes...!)



Again : thank you!
Sincerely...!

I am obsessed with the idea of mini runners!! A guy close to where I live in Ontario, Canada has bred them but not sure how. Here is a pic...

I just recently took on a gorgeous snowy runner drake and I'm wondering if it would be safe to have him in a pen with my snowy call duck? I also just took on 2 crested appleyards, one drake and one hen and was thinking of throwing the hen in there too.
Imagine Bantum Snowy Runners or crested Snowy Runners!?

 

[Luv Ducks]

I am obsessed with the idea of mini runners!! A guy close to where I live in Ontario, Canada has bred them but not sure how. Here is a pic...View attachment 3999141

I just recently took on a gorgeous snowy runner drake and I'm wondering if it would be safe to have him in a pen with my snowy call duck? I also just took on 2 crested appleyards, one drake and one hen and was thinking of throwing the hen in there too.
Imagine Bantum Snowy Runners or crested Snowy Runners!?

View attachment 3999147View attachment 3999148

I have Mallard Ducks, Muscovy, Rouen, Black East Indies, Khaki Campbell, a Mule Duck, and a Pastel Call duck, all females and have 3 Call Duck males. I have had bigger males with mine with no problem but I usually sell them before mating age so that none of my females get hurt. I have not gone through a spring yet with all 3 of the Call Duck drakes but I don't see any problem as I have 16 Hens with them. The one is very attached to one of my Mallards and the other one likes a Khaki Campbell. I see that some of my eggs have been fertile but I am not sure which Call is managing it. I have lots of room for them to get away from each other. They have 5 different 8 by 8 foot pens they are in all connected together and then they have a 10 foot by 10 foot pen they get access to during the daytime hours as it is not as predator proof as the other pens. Good enough for daytime hours though as it is covered but not as secure as my new pens I just purchased. Good luck with your decision. I have had a Call Duck mate my Mallard once as it was a Black Bibbed one and the one duckling was Black Bibbed and the rest were all Mallards.

 

[Luv Ducks]

I have Mallard Ducks, Muscovy, Rouen, Black East Indies, Khaki Campbell, a Mule Duck, and a Pastel Call duck, all females and have 3 Call Duck males. I have had bigger males with mine with no problem but I usually sell them before mating age so that none of my females get hurt. I have not gone through a spring yet with all 3 of the Call Duck drakes but I don't see any problem as I have 16 Hens with them. The one is very attached to one of my Mallards and the other one likes a Khaki Campbell. I see that some of my eggs have been fertile but I am not sure which Call is managing it. I have lots of room for them to get away from each other. They have 5 different 8 by 8 foot pens they are in all connected together and then they have a 10 foot by 10 foot pen they get access to during the daytime hours as it is not as predator proof as the other pens. Good enough for daytime hours though as it is covered but not as secure as my new pens I just purchased. Good luck with your decision. I have had a Call Duck mate my Mallard once as it was a Black Bibbed one and the one duckling was Black Bibbed and the rest were all Mallards.

I just found pictures back from 2022 of where someone on here managed for their Call Duck to mate their Runner Duck female. Not sure how big it ended up getting but it thought it was impossible and 5 of their eggs hatched out. So it is possible I guess.

 

[Papaye]

Hi!

I am obsessed with the idea of mini runners!! A guy close to where I live in Ontario, Canada has bred them but not sure how. Here is a pic...

Woooow...

I don't know how to react to this miniature Indian Runner hen : she looks so different from what I have imagined the breed would look like... and yet, so perfect I don't know how I could have thought the ducks would have not looked like it...

Thank you so much for the picture...!!
I am really so happy to have an image on the concept of mini-Runners...!!

(That's really nice to see the bill is actually longer from what I imagined...)

I just recently took on a gorgeous snowy runner drake and I'm wondering if it would be safe to have him in a pen with my snowy call duck? I also just took on 2 crested appleyards, one drake and one hen and was thinking of throwing the hen in there too.

I can not help you : Indian Runner drakes are not heavy; but given I have still never seen an actual Call duck in real life, I don't think I have a clear enough picture (in my head) of the weight/size difference between these 2 breeds to give a worthy opinion here...

(I hope somebody will be able to intervene...!
Maybe do ask to somebody who bred Call ducks what they think...?)

Imagine Bantum Snowy Runners or crested Snowy Runners!?

I would like to see them, indeed : the Snowy colour is one of the most beautiful, in my opinion, and seeing ordinary Snowy Indian Runners is already really nice... but Bantam ones?!
...Would be amazing to see...!!

Your Runner boy is really handsome, and I hope you are/will be interested to share pictures of his future ducklings...?!

Your Crested ducks are beautiful too, but I have learned it is a bad idea to breed a Crested drake on a Crested hen...?
(It is indeed adviced to only use one Crested parent to avoid any issue with the ducklings' development...)

 

[Waddlewoods]

Hi!



Woooow...

I don't know how to react to this miniature Indian Runner hen : she looks so different from what I have imagined the breed would look like... and yet, so perfect I don't know how I could have thought the ducks would have not looked like it...

Thank you so much for the picture...!!
I am really so happy to have an image on the concept of mini-Runners...!!

(That's really nice to see the bill is actually longer from what I imagined...)



I can not help you : Indian Runner drakes are not heavy; but given I have still never seen an actual Call duck in real life, I don't think I have a clear enough picture (in my head) of the weight/size difference between these 2 breeds to give a worthy opinion here...

(I hope somebody will be able to intervene...!
Maybe do ask to somebody who bred Call ducks what they think...?)



I would like to see them, indeed : the Snowy colour is one of the most beautiful, in my opinion, and seeing ordinary Snowy Indian Runners is already really nice... but Bantam ones?!
...Would be amazing to see...!!

Your Runner boy is really handsome, and I hope you are/will be interested to share pictures of his future ducklings...?!

Your Crested ducks are beautiful too, but I have learned it is a bad idea to breed a Crested drake on a Crested hen...?
(It is indeed adviced to only use one Crested parent to avoid any issue with the ducklings' development...)

I have also read that you should not breed 2 crested however, I asked the guy I got them from (he breeds all sorts of beautiful birds) and in all his years he has not come across any issues when breeding crested to crested. I think mostly you run a risk of eggs not making it to hatch.

I really only picked up the pair because I wanted the hen and will most likely re-home the drake come mating season as I only have 1 breeding pen and the rest of my flock free ranges and I only want pure runner eggs from my free range flock.

Here is a pick of Rusty, my Snowy runner beside Everest, my snowy call. He is huge!! He is way taller then all my other runners.

I will certainly share photos. My first spring hatch will be like Christmas morning. I can't wait!

 

[Luv Ducks]

I have also read that you should not breed 2 crested however, I asked the guy I got them from (he breeds all sorts of beautiful birds) and in all his years he has not come across any issues when breeding crested to crested. I think mostly you run a risk of eggs not making it to hatch.

I really only picked up the pair because I wanted the hen and will most likely re-home the drake come mating season as I only have 1 breeding pen and the rest of my flock free ranges and I only want pure runner eggs from my free range flock.

Here is a pick of Rusty, my Snowy runner beside Everest, my snowy call. He is huge!! He is way taller then all my other runners.
View attachment 4001605

I will certainly share photos. My first spring hatch will be like Christmas morning. I can't wait!

Hopefully it will not hurt your little Call Duck if they breed. I have never kept any of my big drakes to keep that from happening to the one female Call Duck that I have. She has a Pastel mate and that is what she is so I am keeping it that way. Good luck and I hope all works out well for you.