Indian Runners

[Wifezilla]

The runner I had loved to swim. The only duck I had that wouldn't go in the pond was a buff mutt. She had her favorite bucket and that was enough for her...

 

[kswaterfowl]

My Trouts love the pool, but they spend much of their time just roaming the lawn and digging around under the raised hutches. I personally like these birds, I got them to show my 4-H kids what real Indian Runners look like, but they have won a semi-permanent spot here in our duck flock. I will have to seperate the trio come spring but for now they are the "shepherds" herding my Welsh Harlequins across the snow.

Here is a pic from back this Fall...the drake was still molting back into nuptial, but the hens were pretty much done by this point.

 

[AdamD77]

My runners all love the water! If they're anywhere near it then there's almost always one dunking their head in or one in the water splashing around.

5 of the 6 ducks in the pool together. Unfortunately one got out before I could get a picture of all 6 in there together

All 6 gathered around the pool

 

[kelidei]

I have be come intrigued with these ducks... right now all I have are chickens but am feeling very tempted by these runners. I do not have a pond but could supply a pool... what kind of housing do they require? What about predators... can the ducks fly? It sounds like due to the messiness factor brooding them outside in warmer weather may be a good idea... yes?

 

[FenDruadin]

@kelidei: Runner ducks are awesome. They will keep you well entertained.

You don't need a pond--a kiddie pool will do just fine, and they really do need that bathing water to keep their feathers in good condition. They don't need much in the way of weather protection--they wear a waterproof down coat all year long and really don't mind the cold--but they *will* need protection from predators. Everyone has their own method, and most people (including me a few years ago) find out the hard way that they have way more predators in their area than they thought. At night, they need protection very similar to that offered to chickens. The main differences are that they will sleep on the ground against the walls or fence, meaning that they must be protected from raccoons reaching through the wire (and pulling off heads--I have had this happen--not fun), and they will not automatically put themselves to bed without bribery. Mine are in a chain link dog kennel reinforced around the bottom with 1/2" wire hardware mesh, with wire underneath and above to prevent climbing, flying, and digging predators. They have shelters either attached or enclosed. They are released every morning to forage and free range, then closed up again before dark. The "before dark" part is critical for me--even 15 minutes after dark can be disastrous, which I also found out the hard way.

Outdoor brooding is wonderful. Indoor brooding is STINKY. I have done it both ways. I now have wire-bottomed outdoor brooders that I LOVE in the summer--I bed them with straw, but the wire allows water to pass through instead of pooling up. They still get stinky, but at least I don't have to smell it in my living room.

But you are right that this can't be done in winter unless you have a heated outbuilding. Even in summer, I usually keep them indoors for a day or two to ensure they are healthy and hearty, and so I can keep an eye on any that seem weak. It also ensures they maintain a consistent temperature for those first critical hours. The good news is, they are usually not very messy for that first day or two.

You can probably house your ducks with the chickens, after providing a few precautions (water up high for chickens where the ducks can't muddy, ledge under chickens to prevent sleeping ducks from being pooped on, etc.).

Good luck, and have fun!

 

[TLWR]

I had my 3 outside in a dog crate the day they arrived and they've been outside since.
I have a dog house we bought at lowes that they use at night. Mine do head up onto the deck at dusk and if we are home and the lights inside are on, they snooze right outside the door of the duck house. If we aren't home or the lights are off, they get right into their house and snooze away until somebody closes the door for them.
2 of my 3 fly - off the deck in the morning to the ground. The 3rd one does every now and again, but very infrequently. They also sort of fly by running like crazy and flapping their wings getting them off the ground a tiny bit - technically flying, but not really. But they aren't able to just up and fly away.


Ally can get a little higher than this now, but not much

And the duck house - comfy for 3 indian runner ducks. Probably would be fine for 4 or 5 of them, but not more than that.

 

[AdamD77]

^ Great action shot!

When we got out first two (the boys - black one and mallard coloured one), we got them Easter Sunday last year at 5 days old and had them in our conservatory up until November when we wanted to get them out of the house ready for putting the Christmas tree in there in December!

Pros:

We saw them all day every day so now they are very tame
Safe from predators as I should hope nothing would be able to get inside the house!
Protected from the elements, however during the summer months I did worry about them overheating since that room gets very hot

Cons:

VERY smelly
A lot more cleaning up

When we got our girls this Easter, we kept them inside until about when they almost had their adult feathers I think. We now have all 6 in the 'den' (basically a room at the bottom of our garden with proper walls, windows and flooring) with the boys and girls seperated by a piece of wiring. Both lots have their own house, drinker, feeder and quite a bit of space.

In terms of flying, all of them can get up maybe 3ft into the air if they really want to, but they can't sustain that and come crashing back down to earth after a couple of seconds

 

[kelidei]

Ok... now I am really getting the itch... they are so interesting looking and they sound like they have great personalities... I am ordering some turkey poults this summer would they be able to live together until the turkeys are processed?. I have a small psture where I was thinking of putting the turkeys and with fencing and housing it sounds like a good place to put them if the two would be compatible.

 

[crj]

My Runners LOVE there pool. They even sleep in it during the summer nights. Even in this cold weather they like it. No special needs for these birds although they do love to run as much as swim....... LOL!

Waiting for the pool to fill up. No patience at all!

Hot summer day snooze.

 

[DuckyMom]

Some of them are alittle less hydrohappy then others. they dont need to bathe as often (they have less active oilglands compared to other ducks.) Some of them ADORE the water while others just enjoy the occasional bath. It really depends on the duck!