After some advicce from newbie Runner Duck keeper

[Jonah10]

Dear All, My ten year old son and I are entirely new to duck keeping although I grew up on a farm with chickens in the yard so I've some background in looking after feathered friends...just not ducks! We live on the Isle of Wight just off south coast of England and now have three female Indian Runners. No drake. We got them about 4 wekends ago and they have settlwd in, albeit very slowly and are still quite nervous of us. They have the run of our garden but arent moving much off the lawn.

So a couple of questions for you all. First up theres no sign of any eggs yet - we werent really expecting any yey as we are moving towards winter here although still very mild. We're feeding them.mixed corn, layers pellets and grit mixed and they are now eating it avidly after a slow start. Is the lack of eggs normal?

Second is about water. We sunk a huge old victorian china sink in the ground and filled it with water but they've shown no interest in this at all. Drinking OK.from.their water bowser but should they / will they show any more interest in their "pond"?

Finally, does anyone have any tips on favourite runner duck treats? As I said they are eating OK but since we didnt raise them by hand we'd like to find a way of getting them to come to us when we appear with a handful of something irresistible. Any suggestions?! Best wishes Simon and Jonah(10)

 

[Amiga]

Amiga- where do you get sprouted wheat berries? Health food store? I be mine would love those and so would the small critter too!

I buy bags of wheat - just, whole wheat seeds - in bulk, and I sprout them here. I put a couple of inches of seeds in the bottom of a pint jar, rinse with hot water, fill the jar with tepid water. let sit overnight.

Next day, empty the jar (helps to have a screen lid - just replace a canning lid with a round piece of window screen).

Rinse the seeds twice a day. In a couple days, they start to sprout - then I feed them to the ducks.

 

[chasiekitten12]

Oh the eggs may not be until spring. About the treats though :

Watermelon (though you may not find any this time of year)
Broccoli
Tomatoes
Scrambled eggs
Worms
Cucumber
Apples
Cherries
Bannana (with no peel)
Pears
Brussel sprouts
Carrots
Grapes
Strawberries
Cooked oatmeal
Raisins
Squash
Pumpkin




Hope this helped! But remember do not give to much but if I were you I would mix some broccoli (small pecies not a giant peice) into their food)

 

[chasiekitten12]

Oh I forgot about the water. How big is it? They will problobly swim and drink from it later on just keep it clean. The more they get used to you the more likely they will (if it is big enough) Thanks!

 

[needlessjunk]

How old are they? I know runners are known to be a bit more stand offish than other breeds but it takes all ducks a while to settle in and even more time to become friendly to their new owner. I use frozen peas with my guys and they go nuts. I have been warming them is since it has been cold here but defrosted peas are great to have on hand. There is a list of duck treats thread on here if you search for it. I'm on my phone and its a pain to try to link things. Eggs could be due to a new environment or the time of year or both. For food you don't need to be mixing the grit. They will either get it from the ground or you can provide a dish of it for them on the side. If you have all females that are laying age you may also need to add some oyster shell. Corn is more of a treat and should be used sparingly. A lot of people use it when it gets cold before bed because it helps them keep warm.

 

[Amiga]

Congratulations! I have Runners. Here are my thoughts.

Add sprouted wheat berries (whole seeds) to the list of treats. Yum.

Safety concern with the tub - there needs to be a way for them to climb out of the tub. If they get in, and the sides are too steep and slick, they could drown after exhausting themselves trying to get out.

 

[veronicasmom]

Amiga- where do you get sprouted wheat berries? Health food store? I be mine would love those and so would the small critter too!

 

[veronicasmom]

Thank you!!

 

[Jonah10]

Thanks everyone for your freely given wisdom and advice. We really appreciate your taking the time to help us out. Very many sincere thanks! Simon and Jonah.

 

[Jonah10]

Oh I forgot about the water. How big is it? They will problobly swim and drink from it later on just keep it clean. The more they get used to you the more likely they will (if it is big enough) Thanks!

hi there - the ducks are only six months old max. The "pond" is a larger sized kitchen sink - what we call a Belfast sink- and its about 1ft x 1.5 ft.