Indian Runners

[Miss Lydia]

Great idea!! I'll go shopping tomorrow

 

[spiderlady]

How about good old fashioned shavings? Wouldn't that be easier? Any particular reason to not us them? I dunno, I guess some people have posted on other threads that they can be expensive, but they are cheap here if you buy them from the wood shop... Smell good too =) I also have used shredded paper from my home shredder, but just for the first few days when they're not as messy. I figured it was softer than the wood, and I had a bag of it I needed to recycle somehow =)

By the way, everyones babies are SOOO cute!! I especially loved the pics of the babies (fuzzy butts!) with the adult ducks, Patrick and Penelope... I thought you couldn't keep adult ducks with the babies because they would hurt/kill them? It would make my life a lot easier I think to let them run together. Is it pretty common, or only some lucky people have friendly ducks/drakes?

 

[stonykill]

How about good old fashioned shavings? Wouldn't that be easier? Any particular reason to not us them? I dunno, I guess some people have posted on other threads that they can be expensive, but they are cheap here if you buy them from the wood shop... Smell good too =) I also have used shredded paper from my home shredder, but just for the first few days when they're not as messy. I figured it was softer than the wood, and I had a bag of it I needed to recycle somehow =)

By the way, everyones babies are SOOO cute!! I especially loved the pics of the babies (fuzzy butts!) with the adult ducks, Patrick and Penelope... I thought you couldn't keep adult ducks with the babies because they would hurt/kill them? It would make my life a lot easier I think to let them run together. Is it pretty common, or only some lucky people have friendly ducks/drakes?

why thank you for the compliment on Patrick, Penelope and their fuzzy butts!


Brooding is natural. If ducks couldn't raise their own, they would have been extinct thousands of years ago. With that said, we watched Patrick really closely. As some drakes can be mean to ducklings. He is fine with them.

 

[spiderlady]

Brooding is natural. If ducks couldn't raise their own, they would have been extinct thousands of years ago.

Yeah, in the wild... unfortunately we have bred a lot of the 'natural' out of domestic animals. *sigh* I was SO excited I thought I was gonna get to experience the whole natural brooding thing this year, because one of my runners went broody... she sat faithfully on a clutch for about a week and a half and then decided she didn't care anymore.

They are in an incubator now. So I guess I'm jealous of you, haha. I will try again though!

Thanks alot for the info on keeping them with the flock. If one of my ladies goes broody again next year and is actually successful, maybe I will give my drake a try and see what happens.. They would all be so cute together.

 

[Miss Lydia]

How about good old fashioned shavings? Wouldn't that be easier? Any particular reason to not us them? I dunno, I guess some people have posted on other threads that they can be expensive, but they are cheap here if you buy them from the wood shop... Smell good too =) I also have used shredded paper from my home shredder, but just for the first few days when they're not as messy. I figured it was softer than the wood, and I had a bag of it I needed to recycle somehow =)

By the way, everyones babies are SOOO cute!! I especially loved the pics of the babies (fuzzy butts!) with the adult ducks, Patrick and Penelope... I thought you couldn't keep adult ducks with the babies because they would hurt/kill them? It would make my life a lot easier I think to let them run together. Is it pretty common, or only some lucky people have friendly ducks/drakes?

As for shavings when real young first hatched some ducklings will eat shaving[not a good idea] Storeys Book on Raising Ducks recommends you don't use shavings for the first 2 weeks, I had shaving under the paper towels that I used.

 

[spiderlady]

OK, thanks. Good to know about the shavings. I have always used them with no troubles, however, the shredded paper I used this time worked our pretty good too so maybe I will stick with that from now on just in case. They get pretty nasty pretty quick though, so will definitely still be using shavings after the first week or two.

Cheers

 

[stonykill]

Yeah, in the wild... unfortunately we have bred a lot of the 'natural' out of domestic animals. *sigh* I was SO excited I thought I was gonna get to experience the whole natural brooding thing this year, because one of my runners went broody... she sat faithfully on a clutch for about a week and a half and then decided she didn't care anymore.

They are in an incubator now. So I guess I'm jealous of you, haha. I will try again though!

Thanks alot for the info on keeping them with the flock. If one of my ladies goes broody again next year and is actually successful, maybe I will give my drake a try and see what happens.. They would all be so cute together.

yes we have. Pretty much only in this country I think. Somehow we seem to think we can be better foul than foul can.

.

Some 1st time broody's lose interest. It happens. My advantage was Miss Penelope and Patrick were both born from broody's last year.

 

[imanerd]

Are these indian runners?


We purchased them on a whim from the feed store. They were supposed to be pekin (not that it matters cause we love them regardless). Their color looks like pictures I've seen of runners but they don't seem to stand as tall. I can post more pics if needed.

 

[fowlman01]

Are these indian runners?


We purchased them on a whim from the feed store. They were supposed to be pekin (not that it matters cause we love them regardless). Their color looks like pictures I've seen of runners but they don't seem to stand as tall. I can post more pics if needed.

Yes, they are fawn and white runners.......a far cry from being a Pekin though and not easily missed as duckling compared to a Pekin which are a heavy duck and all white.

Walt..

 

[Miss Lydia]

Are these indian runners?


We purchased them on a whim from the feed store. They were supposed to be pekin (not that it matters cause we love them regardless). Their color looks like pictures I've seen of runners but they don't seem to stand as tall. I can post more pics if needed.

They sure are pretty.