I’ve decided to get Runner ducks any advice for me?

[DuckyDonna]

So I

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That is too funny! This is our first runner duck as well about 10 years ago, long before ever thinking about owning ducks. Also purchased at a yard sale
We now have 4 real runners who are so much fun. They are friendly, hilarious and always happy to see us.
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Oh and I can't wait to get some of your eggs!

 

[dpenning]

View attachment 1682634 Oh that’s my fur baby Dante with his grandmom (my mother) she’s only 5ft btw her tiny size makes him look way bigger than he is hahaha

Beautiful Corso. I would love to have one but my hubs thinks they are too intimidating to friends and family who come over. We have English and French Mastiffs.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Cackle was rec to me because they sell only females and they are in MO instead of CA. Closer and not in transit as long.
I have heard good things about them though.

I have heard good things about Metzers also.

 

[IsabellaMarilyn]

Beautiful Corso. I would love to have one but my hubs thinks they are too intimidating to friends and family who come over. We have English and French Mastiffs.

Aw; thank you. They’re handsome dogs for sure. We got my boy at 7 months; his ears were already cropped (which gives a tougher appearance) tail docking is breed standard (they have thick heavy tails so I can’t complain lol). They’re really not much different than other mastiffs; personality wise when raised right. He is very protective of me though (especially with strange men) other than that he’s a goober. French mastiffs are adorable; I love their coloring. English mastiffs are big cute love bugs too.

 

[DuckyDonna]

My fawn and white is named Brendan. He breaks up fights between my ducks.
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And Bill is my black runner. He's very bold and is the first to try new things.
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They've actually taught my pekins a few behaviors, and encourage my lazy pekins to forage more.

Your ducks are so beautiful. Do black runners all have green heads?

 

[DuckyDonna]

I forgot to say that I’m definitely going to use your bucket idea! It’s brilliant to have the cut holes on the sides but a lid ontop to keep water out. I like the idea of stones around it to make sure it doesn’t fall too! Thanks!

I just put the stone around the water buckets which are just Sun laundry detergent buckets from Walmart. I don't put anything around the food bucket and it works great all by itself.

 

[thumper650]

Your ducks are so beautiful. Do black runners all have green heads?

In the sun he's green all over. Not sure if they're all like that.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Does he also have purple on his feathers too?

 

[DuckyDonna]

In the sun he's green all over. Not sure if they're all like that.

My little chocolate runner boy seems to change colors in different light too. We hardly ever have any sun so I can't speak to that!

 

[IsabellaMarilyn]

Sounds like you've got a good plan but if I were you I'd go a little taller on the height of the pen to save on your head injuries!

Also, we've got a lot of land but where my ducks are is not that big of an area at all. I have 2 runs which communicate with each other but can be closed off too. I used 2 100' rolls of fencing. I used 100' of that fencing for my inside run which would be plenty for you with just 3-4 ducks and you'll be surprised how quickly you will be fenced in. Attach it to or around the pen so you just open the door in the morning to let them out into their run, put out the food and that is all until night time. 100' may sound like a lot but it really isn't once you start running it. I have a chair I keep in the run so I can sit and be entertained.

My larger pen, where I have 7 ducks, is the size of a full sheet of plywood 8' x 4'? I'm not sure of the width measurement but they have plenty of room and almost always lay their eggs in there. I thought about putting some ducks in the other pen but they all want to go together so they do. If you look back to the picture I sent you yesterday on the left side of the pen I laid some cardboard up against that side because of the cold but it's all open with hardware cloth on that whole side except for about 1/2 way up in the back. They have tons of ventilation which is important.

I'd wait until warmer weather to get the ducklings so you won't have to worry with keeping them warm. That's what Miss Lydia is doing. Her's come in April. You won't believe how fast they grow! I agree that if you have no more room for more ducks it doesn't make any sense to get an incubator and hatch yourself although it is most excellent to watch the whole process! My neighbor lent me hers last spring and I enjoyed every bit of it even though I was clueless and a little bit scared. I watched so many youtube videos and did so much reading and then I joined BYC so you're already way ahead of me!

Sorry! I just noticed your reply now. Yes; you’re right I should make it at least my height. Great tips. I noticed Hardware cloth is kind of expensive at Lowe’s/Home Depot; where did you get yours? I find it strange how much the prices vary for different types of wire fencing. I love the idea of having a small chair in their run for me to hang out with them. We plan to attach the run to our exsisting vinyl fencing that’s almost 5.5 ft tall- we don’t have a fenced in yard just one side of privacy fencing. We’ll put 1/2” hardware cloth on the bottom of the vinyl fence for safety. Do you think the coop should be inside the run or just attached with the door opening inside of it? I think it will give them more space and may make cleaning easier if it’s not behind the gate lol I plan to put a metal roof on it and make the whole side of the coop open up for easy cleaning but if it’s inside the run maybe it’ll be too tight for me to clean it out easily. Lol. Also do you think a partial metal roof on one corner of the run is good enough?- I still want them to have sunlight and will put wire on top for protection. Will the sound of rain hitting the metal roof terrify them on their coop or run? I’m literally thinking of everything that can possibly go wrong lol. I haven’t decided if I should get two or three ducklings for my space. Since I plan on spending a bunch of time with them I don’t think I need 3 or 4 because they won’t be alone that much (I work from home) and maybe if I only have two it’ll be better for them and me. I could make them an 8 ft long x 5 ft wide run and a 4ft tall 3x3 coop. Do you think that’s big enough for 2 or 3 ducks? Less ducks means less worry about space for them. That’s my biggest concern (as I’m sure you noticed). I’m not 100% confident in my coop/run plans yet of course! I’d just like your take on it. As for the warmth I plan on brooding them inside (up until around 6wks old) I have a bedroom they can stay in safely away from my dog. I have a 4x4’ 2.5 ft tall puppy play pen for them to be in once they get too large for the brooder but not feathered enough to be outside. I think I’ll wait until mid March or April for sure just so we have time to build their set up. Yes I could see hatching eggs to be so beautiful and so stressful at the same time! I wish I knew someone with an incubator I could borrow and someone able to take the male ducks if I ended up getting any lol. If I went that route I’d probably get at least 5 eggs. So much to think about. You’ve been so helpful to me, thank you!