Question re: runner duck egg numbers, and for others?

[nao57]

So...question about runner duck production numbers.

These are especially quoted SUPER BADLY for runner ducks in terms of production per year. I'd seen some quote 150 a year. Some quote them 200 a year. And others quoting them pretty high, like less than 300.

I find this confusing because the numbers are too far different from each other.

There might be a few other duck breeds also with bad numbers. And I wonder about those too. (By bad numbers I mean more like there seems to be more than one range quoted that are so vastly different.)

And maybe some of the discrepancy on the runners is due to some people putting different genes in runners. Like I've heard there are people that mix khakis with runners (more than the normal khaki, which already has some runner genes in them supposedly). And there might be other situations like this.

Also, wondering how you tell buff ducks and khakis apart? Given that not all genes are pure it seems hard to tell them apart? One of my khakis sort of looks different than the others. So I've been wondering if it could actually be a buff duck that looks kind of khaki-ish?)

This is really fun actually!

I look forward to reading your comments and appreciating your experience from so many helpful people.

 

[333113]

I have four flocks of runners, two grays and two Fawn and White, and it's a fact that I have four different counts on eggs. The fawn and white flocks are about 220 and 250, and the grays are 260 and 205. Last year they all did better than they are doing so far this year which I attribute to the mild fall last year, and the many rainy days this spring. They don't lay as much in dark rainy weather, in my experience.

So, besides individual flock differences and weather, I think some people may not count very exactly, if they get enough eggs for their needs. I do count eggs, because I am breeding. I count as a flock average, by taking the number of eggs in a month, dividing by the number of females, and multiplying by 12. So, the number is a yearly average rate, so far this year. This is the high part of the year, so it will go down some in the fall.

And breeding choices can make a difference, too. I am breeding for a set of characteristics, which in the F&As included egg color, and that shows in the results: my blue-egg flock does not lay as many eggs as my mixed egg color flock, but their eggs are a darker blue. My show-quality grays lay fewer eggs, but they are taller and more typey than the other flock.

Hope this helps. I only have runners and Dutch Hookbills and Calls, so I don't know anything about khakis or buffs. Though I believe you are right about Khakis being derived in part from runners.

 

[nao57]

I have four flocks of runners, two grays and two Fawn and White, and it's a fact that I have four different counts on eggs. The fawn and white flocks are about 220 and 250, and the grays are 260 and 205. Last year they all did better than they are doing so far this year which I attribute to the mild fall last year, and the many rainy days this spring. They don't lay as much in dark rainy weather, in my experience.

So, besides individual flock differences and weather, I think some people may not count very exactly, if they get enough eggs for their needs. I do count eggs, because I am breeding. I count as a flock average, by taking the number of eggs in a month, dividing by the number of females, and multiplying by 12. So, the number is a yearly average rate, so far this year. This is the high part of the year, so it will go down some in the fall.

And breeding choices can make a difference, too. I am breeding for a set of characteristics, which in the F&As included egg color, and that shows in the results: my blue-egg flock does not lay as many eggs as my mixed egg color flock, but their eggs are a darker blue. My show-quality grays lay fewer eggs, but they are taller and more typey than the other flock.

Hope this helps. I only have runners and Dutch Hookbills and Calls, so I don't know anything about khakis or buffs. Though I believe you are right about Khakis being derived in part from runners.

The really tall thin runners do look very cool!

Do you also think the tall thin ones will eventually be phased out because so many people can't help but mix their flocks? (I guess this has pros and cons).

And do the fawn and whites do anything different from other runners? They seem interesting but I have always wondered if it would be possible to get the fawn and white to sort of be bred to be full white only eventually without changing other things?

Thanks for your comments also. Its quite fascinating to talk with people about what they have.

 

[333113]

Actually, I believe that whites were the original color. People crossed them with other breeds to pick up additional colors, then bred and selected back to the runner type, but with the new color. When you go to shows, it's usually the whites on Champion Row, because most of the color runners aren't quite as typey or tall as the whites.

I think there have always been people who mix their flocks, accidentally or on purpose. Picking up a new color from another breed or generating an entirely new color is one purpose for mixing or outbreeding. The Tolbunt color in Polish chickens is a current and very active example of mixing for color. You can see examples on the Polish Breeders Club on Facebook or at feathersite.com's Polish section at http://feathersite.com/Poultry/CGP/Polish/BRKPolish.html

The American Poultry Association publishes a standards book that describes the breeds of poultry, including runner ducks. The standard is focused on the bird the judge sees at the show, so it doesn't address things like eggs-per-year or personality. The standards book has been around since the late 1870s, I think. New breeds and new variations of existing breeds are constantly added to the standard as they become more popular.

Hatcheries use the standard to describe the birds they sell. However, many hatcheries do not show their birds or select their stock for anything other than general type, so how well they match the standard can be debatable. In other words, you can't just buy a bird from a hatchery and expect it to win a spot on Champion Row.

There are other organizations that focus on maintaining heritage birds that are no longer commonly sold. The Livestock Conservancy has a duck breeds comparison chart that shows the heritage breeds and their characteristics.
https://livestockconservancy.org/index.php/heritage/internal/duck-chart
The Rare Poultry Society and the Society for the Preservation of Poultry Antiquities also maintain a body of knowledge about heritage breeds. I am sure there are more clubs and groups that promote breeds, but those are the ones I read most often.

Most people who raise poultry aren't looking to show them or promote a particular breed. But there are a substantial number who attend shows and compete, and some of them breed birds competitively. Those folks adhere closely to the standard, because that's how to win the prizes.

Runner ducks are somewhat unique in that they are judged in a ring, on the move, in addition to their appearance. Runners are especially skilled at moving in a group and eating bugs. They are used to keep crops bug-free. YouTube has videos of this. You'll notice in the videos that the ducks' work rather than their color is what counts on the farm.

Hope this helps.