*~*Runner Duck Club*~*

[knwisdom]

My little runners laid their first eggs for me. They buried them pretty deep in the wood shavings so I almost didn’t see them. One of them was buried in the middle of the coop, Coco dug it up for me when I grabbed the others. It was like, “Hey, don’t forget this one”. They are now using their nest box. Such good girls.

 

[featherfinder]

I have 4! Love them all!

Amiga!!! Can i make a request? I hear you talk about your runners all the time and give great info about them but i have yet to see a picture of them. Can you please post a picture of them?

 

[BirdyGirl7198]

My little runner duckling, Edgie. She is always with me in spirit <3

 

[animalpro24]

Better pictures of Spock, I just took them!

 

[katie246]

I have just had a new addition to my runner family first one from my own eggs.

 

[Blue Crow]

Choco taking a victory lap after a very successful sea to air launch.

 

[Miss Lydia]

What are these runners colours called?

I have just the 1 white and brown runner (girl)
1 of the blue girl (is that right)and 2 blue boys.

We want to try to hatch some eggs and are pretty excited about it. I have 9 ducks total for 2 boys. Should that be enough girls even if they are not all runners?

You have a fawn and white and of course the blue. That should be enough girls for your 2 boys but watch for the boys ganging up on the females.

 

[Pekin747]

Hi all can I get some opinions on my Indian runner drake want to show him this summer if all goes well
Hes 11months old
Never p

 

[Pekin747]

Not everyone is so happy about being separated
By the end of this year if everything goes to plan I'll have my trio of saxony Indian runners 2 trios of trout Indian runners and I'm hoping to get a pair or trio of black and maybe iill get another colour but I'm still deciding on a 4th colour

 

[Duck Hill]

UPDATE: I lost my very favorite Indian Runner "Cinnamon" a couple of years ago after a long fight with Aspergillosis. At the same time I lost her son and two grandchildren who looked like her to West Nile virus. I was afraid I would never again have a duck like her. I simply didn't have the right colors in my flock to re-create her. And... the person who had originally bred her was no longer breeding Runner ducks.



So... I went and purchased a pair of Welsh Harlequins. Why? I really don't know. It didn't make any sense. I got a first generation of Runners x Welsh Harlequins. They mostly had very poor head-stripes and dark bills. The bills were dished. But there were some interesting feather colors.

I got a second generation from the first one. A single drakelet, amazingly, looked just like Cinnamon's son. I still don't understand how that happened, because as far as I know he does not have a single drop of actual "Cinnamon" genes in him.



This spring, I bred that drake back to an unrelated duck from my first crosses. Magic clearly happened. Here are some photos of the ducklings. Isn't it just amazing? "Cinnamon" ducklets and drakelets are all over my yard!!!



At first, the new ducklings were walking low. Being incubator babies, they didn't know they were supposed to stand tall. Then Rose - a dusky Runner - took over their education. You can see her in the lower left picture. Now they all walk around tall!

Below: The drakelet on the left is very narrow and tall! I noticed it when he came out of the egg. He is more "Runner" than many of my purebred runners. The second photo is another drakelet - but just look at that long white neck! I even see Cinnamon's spots on one of the ducklets.



Cinnamon had a convex bill shape. The first generation all had dished bills because of the Welsh Harlequin influence. The second generation had only slightly dished bills. And... the current ducklings all have either straight or convex bills. I don't know how that happened.



I still don't really believe all of this. It doesn't make much sense.
However, I'm certainly delighted!