Hello duck experts! My boy has fallen in love with runner ducks and its looks like we will be getting some this summer. We are having trouble finding specific info on their care and was wondering if you guys could help us out. How different are they from regular domestic ducks? Do they swim much? How big of a pond do they need? Will they leave my garden alone? Any info would be great! Thanx a bunch, -Tony
I, too, am in love with runners. I can tell you about my flock, not all runners. We currently have nine, with four adopted rescue buffs. I have seen all kinds of different descriptions of runner personalities, so I think it depends on their upbringing and perhaps a little of their genetics. I did not realize how high-energy my runners are until we adopted the buffs. My runners are not skittery - they react to threats, but typical suburban loud noises and goings on do not seem to worry them. Mine are very friendly. Two or three like to be petted, no one likes being picked up. But if I sit with them, they will cuddle up next to or near to me. We have two concrete mixing pans for them. That way everyone can bathe at the same time if they wish. Some are more waterbabies than the others. A few members of the flock are not very cold hardy below 35F, so everyone is kept in a shelter that doesn't get below 40F. That seems to have affected their laying more than light. My ducks like to nibble tender plants. They sometimes nibble on leaves of perennial vines (kiwi). So garden areas are fenced off. I do let them wander through gardens for a few minutes at a time, when we are on our walks, so they can eat slugs and such. They have decimated the slug population here. It's dropped probably 90%.
