*~*Runner Duck Club*~*

[Pollo Blanco]

The spring is getting closer! I'm going to order a dozen runner duck eggs to hatch when it warms up! I've had a few before but is there anything that I should do for them that I don't do for my other three ducks (two muscovies and a crested cayuga)? They'll be free ranging during the day. They won't have access to the big pond unless they go through the fence. They will have a large kiddy pool though.

I think that Runners are pretty easy, really, but I haven't had any other breeds before.
Contrary to assumptions made about the breed due to their name, they do love water!

 

[knwisdom]

Newest lot of babies Cadbury and Snickers, chocolate and chocolate pied runners.
View attachment 2534712View attachment 2534713View attachment 2534714

Ok how did you get them to stay on your lap? When my girls were on my lap they would run right up my chest to my shoulders and bury themselves in my hair.

 

[igorsMistress]

These girls literally pose when I bend down with camera in hand lol. They are almost six months old and one has started to lay.

 

[Suprasoup]

The duck and koi ponds veggie filters have hit critical mass. Fresh veggies for the rest of the season for the ducks and bunnies! Fish and duck poo are no match for water parsley and water cress!

 

[Amiga]

As requested, some photo's of my runners.

Sieben yesterday

Acht earlier this year

The gang watching Mutterente (Mother Duck) wash their dishes in the tub, when they were about three months old. Still living in the house.

 

[galgo98]

Quote:
Cute Ducks!! The white highlighting is very interesting. I especially like the pic w/the toilet.. Did they figure out they could drink from there?? I think that a toilet would be an excellent idea in the duck house (except in winter). I could just walk out and flush out all of the mud and debris a couple times a day, instead of dumping and refilling buckets; plus it's a perfect height for runners!!

 

[Tevyes Dad]

The simple part:
Living crested usually have 1 crested gene.

If two crested are bred together the ducklings will be:

25% - no crested gene.
50% - 1 crested gene - crests of various sizes.
25% - 2 crested genes (one from each parent) - dead in shell or shortly after birth from head splitting open.

If a crested is bred together with a non-crested the ducklings will be:

50% - no crested gene.
50% - 1 crested gene - crests of various sizes.

So obviously if you want crested, you should breed a crested with a non-crested. BUT.......

The ducks with a crested gene will be affected varying amounts. Most of them should be fine, but the largest crests could still have problems and some could die just like those with 2 crested genes. Some will have crests so small that they will be unnoticeable or even completely absent. This means that all "non-crested" from such breeding should be considered suspect and never be bred with cresteds nor should any further generations from them be bred with cresteds. This leaves you in somewhat of a moral pickle since your non-cresteds should be the end of the line in order to make sure a non-showing crested isn't inadvertently bred with another crested leading to the first scenario above.

I own a crested and I love him very much but I would never let him breed because I couldn't keep a whole clutch of offspring myself, and I couldn't give away or sell a non-crested that might be harboring the gene knowing it could bring great sorrow on someone down the line.

 

[Tevyes Dad]

*** RUNNER SAFETY ANNOUNCEMENT ***

Just a friendly reminder since a lot of ducklings are becoming ducks around this time. Ducks will want to stay out all night, stay in the pond overnight, do many things that aren't returning to a secure area at night. Many times new owners might be tempted to give them their "head" thinking the ducks know what's best for them. Now I will admit having owned ducks a few years now, they are smarter in many ways than I would ever have thought. But survival instincts have been COMPLETELY bred out of them. In fact, I would go as far as to say they have been reversed into suicidal tendency so as stewards of our flocks, we must frequently be party poopers.

As an illustration of this reversed instinct, this morning I went out to get the lawn tractor to mow the yard. I found Noir doing her best job at hiding from potential hawks...

Probably sleeping with her head on the nice cool blade

 

[Duck Hill]

Thank you Ravynscroft and Casportpony - without your input I would not have known which questions to ask and might have euthanized my friend (duck) when she still had a chance. She owes you her current happy existence. And thanks for the hug, Ms. Lydia. I have really appreciated everyone's support.

The vet explained, when I asked, that last time she could not operate because the bump was "too hard." Today the bump was "not as hard" and therefore operable. (I had mistakenly understood that an operation was never possible for this problem instead of "not right now." Without your suggestions I would simply have asked the vet to euthanize her.) The vet was kind enough to fit Cinnamon into her tight schedule (she was flying out at 6:00!) and operated. She took out lots and lots of stuff (hard, whitish). Now Cinnamon can finally breathe easy. She does have an infection in her lungs (vet thinks Aspergillosis, maybe), but it's not too bad (says the vet) so there is hope.

Right now Cinnamon is sleeping (which she hasn't done in two days) because she is finally getting enough air to breathe. And I am breathing a lot better, too!

Again, thank you so much, everyone. One duck is alive tonight only because of your suggestions and support.

(Pictures taken two weeks ago when she still felt well.)

 

[Sillyduckmom]

My runner Bean