Freaked out Runners!

[Cottage Rose]

Thanks for all the encouragement...your folks are GREAT!

NO! Goslings when hand raised are like puppies, so tame and follow you around and nibble on you constantly.
You know... it just occurred to me the Runners were with some goslings during the day and then I had to move the
goslings to a bigger day pen....that must be it!
But never-the-less, even before they were with the goslings in their brooder...they were much more calm and no afraid of me
but apparently they felt more secure with the goslings and did peep for them for a few days after the move.


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[jmc]

Hi dearie!

Remember too, that Runners are perhaps the most skittish of all domestic duck breeds--generally speaking. they are sort of famous for that--generally speaking. my campbells really tried my patience last year. miserable creatures. they really taught me about real duck raising. good lesson. but how they have calmed down over time. i love them. perhaps your runners will be similar, though my campbells were never so skittish as what you described (100 ft. away!!!!). just give them and yourself time, really..........now my anconas are in a skittish way, but i know now from experience that they will get over it. but i should add this about the anconas: that even now at 9 wks. old, several of them, when it comes to "Pea Time" are tamer than muscovies and way tamer than the campbells. they'll take the peas out of my mouth out of my lap, nibble on my toes (yuk, even flies don't do that), my arms, my shirt, my glasses....................
give yoiur babies some time, do approach them low. i learned that valuable lesson last year--like sit on the ground for a while with them, and just be there; write a letter there, like i do sometimes.....................but remember, they are perhaps the most nervous of all the breeds, nonetheless--generally speaking.

 

[Cottage Rose]

Well today to make matters worse I saw a Fox go after the Runners in broad daylight!
I've never had Fox problems so close up to my barns but i wonder if the
Runners quacking and peeping has attracted them.
My Muscovies sat their mystified at the presence of the Fox.
Thank goodness I was outside and heard a commotion and saw the Fox,
yelled at it and it took off.
I herded all the Runners and Muscovies inside (the geese are all out in penned areas).
Now what???

 

[Cottage Rose]

Quote:
I guess I didn't know how hyper they were.
Its more like terrified, screaming and stampeding.

 

[jmc]

Yes, but really, give them, and yourself time. But they will never ever be like the scovies...................

 

[Amiga]

My eighteen week old runners (eleven of them) happily trot around their yard, come up to me for treats and hugs, and are a fairly mellow bunch of ducks. If they get startled, they quietly hustle into their duck house, and in a few minutes, meander back outside to continue noodling around.

At three to about six weeks old, these were the ducklings that cowered, screaming, or literally ran over one another trying to get away from me when they saw me.

We have foxes, coyotes, and a whole list of predators here. I am building them a secure day pen in addition to their house and night pen. I have two strands of electric fence wire running around their nighttime accommodations.

 

[Cottage Rose]

I'm aware it will take time.
Now in addition to peas its electric fencing.
Dang Foxes!

 

[mominoz]

I have runners now a year old l, they went thru a stage too, but everytime I fed them I say "dinnertime" and when I brought grass or lettuce I said "greens"! I do this with all my animals and I can call "dinnertime "and my horses come, say "cheese " and our terriers come, and say "dinner or greens" and the geese and ducks come running!!!! All association, Pavlov's dog....experiments on conditioning. Now that I let my runners and geese out into a acre fenced pasture in the daytime, the stinkers know where my backdoor is and since I come out with a dinner bucket to put them in their night pen, the 6 runners "hang around" the backdoor and trip me all the way up to their pen . ....They still pile a bit if I reach down to pick one up, but they more or less trust me, the grey female I had to handfeed when she had some weakness and couldn't walk, has no fear of me and is the most likely one to get under my feet. YOu might call the same word and leave the food pan the same time every day, and slowly get closer , till you can sit near them, a little closer each day. Find out where their comfort distance is and start there.

 

[jmc]

about the time thing, just trying to give you some encouragement

. i know with your experience in livestock of all kinds, you are aware of this. maybe you needn't do the fencing just yet??????????? i know it could be a risk, but maybe you don't really need it; but i surely understand where you're coming from--and again, yoiu have way more experience than i............