Runner duck breeders?

[CaliFarmsAR]

Hey y’all, do any of you breed show quality Indian Runner Ducks or really good quality? I’m working on being a show quality and color breeder so I’m looking for good Runners. Thank you for your time.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

For me as a chicken breeder there one simple truth.. no matter how hard I select.. only about 1% are the best of the best. I usually settle for my top 10%.

Having bought from show breeders and hatcheries.. birds come with faults.. especially there is NO way to tell the true quality of a juvenile IMO, short of obvious DQ's. ANYONE who sells "show quality" chicks or juveniles is a liar. FROM show quality lines.. okay.

I would/have ordered from hatchery.. which helps avoid disease.. I order way more than I need and grow them all out.. keeping only the best of the best and eating or selling the rest.

I don't have a lot of experience with duck qualities.. but the ones I got from https://www.metzerfarms.com/ we all good representations of their breed AND healthy.

Have also heard good things about.. http://www.holderreadfarm.com/

Adding your general location to your profile might help folks make their best suggestion possible at a glance! Your user name offers little help.. cali might be California.. AR.. maybe Arkansas.. Point being I'm clueless, I guess.

Consider checking with your local feed store or 4H leader as they may know of someone local to you. Maybe check some club websites.. surely they have some.. are waterfowl shown under APA? I have had good luck, using LOTS of discernment finding some decent quality animals on Craigslist farm and garden section.. noting I have also paid for some really valuable lessons early on. KNOW your animal, ASK questions.. any vagueness, RUN! Folks who do this with passion also radiate that passion and enthusiastically discuss it.

Best wishes on your adventure!

 

[CaliFarmsAR]

For me as a chicken breeder there one simple truth.. no matter how hard I select.. only about 1% are the best of the best. I usually settle for my top 10%.

Having bought from show breeders and hatcheries.. birds come with faults.. especially there is NO way to tell the true quality of a juvenile IMO, short of obvious DQ's. ANYONE who sells "show quality" chicks or juveniles is a liar. FROM show quality lines.. okay.

I would/have ordered from hatchery.. which helps avoid disease.. I order way more than I need and grow them all out.. keeping only the best of the best and eating or selling the rest.

I don't have a lot of experience with duck qualities.. but the ones I got from https://www.metzerfarms.com/ we all good representations of their breed AND healthy.

Have also heard good things about.. http://www.holderreadfarm.com/

Adding your general location to your profile might help folks make their best suggestion possible at a glance! Your user name offers little help.. cali might be California.. AR.. maybe Arkansas.. Point being I'm clueless, I guess.

Consider checking with your local feed store or 4H leader as they may know of someone local to you. Maybe check some club websites.. surely they have some.. are waterfowl shown under APA? I have had good luck, using LOTS of discernment finding some decent quality animals on Craigslist farm and garden section.. noting I have also paid for some really valuable lessons early on. KNOW your animal, ASK questions.. any vagueness, RUN! Folks who do this with passion also radiate that passion and enthusiastically discuss it.

Best wishes on your adventure!

Thank you! I live in Arkansas!

 

[CaliFarmsAR]

For me as a chicken breeder there one simple truth.. no matter how hard I select.. only about 1% are the best of the best. I usually settle for my top 10%.

Having bought from show breeders and hatcheries.. birds come with faults.. especially there is NO way to tell the true quality of a juvenile IMO, short of obvious DQ's. ANYONE who sells "show quality" chicks or juveniles is a liar. FROM show quality lines.. okay.

I would/have ordered from hatchery.. which helps avoid disease.. I order way more than I need and grow them all out.. keeping only the best of the best and eating or selling the rest.

I don't have a lot of experience with duck qualities.. but the ones I got from https://www.metzerfarms.com/ we all good representations of their breed AND healthy.

Have also heard good things about.. http://www.holderreadfarm.com/

Adding your general location to your profile might help folks make their best suggestion possible at a glance! Your user name offers little help.. cali might be California.. AR.. maybe Arkansas.. Point being I'm clueless, I guess.

Consider checking with your local feed store or 4H leader as they may know of someone local to you. Maybe check some club websites.. surely they have some.. are waterfowl shown under APA? I have had good luck, using LOTS of discernment finding some decent quality animals on Craigslist farm and garden section.. noting I have also paid for some really valuable lessons early on. KNOW your animal, ASK questions.. any vagueness, RUN! Folks who do this with passion also radiate that passion and enthusiastically discuss it.

Best wishes on your adventure!

We got our ducks from Metzerfarms. I will not get ducks from them because the have males and females in with each other and they could be related so I don’t want to Inbreed.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

We got our ducks from Metzerfarms. I will not get ducks from them because the have males and females in with each other and they could be related so I don’t want to Inbreed.

Inbreeding is a valid concern.

It does not effect poultry in the same way it does humans.. The most common side effect.. after several generations of CLOSE inbreeding (brother to sister) would be reduced vigor.

However ALL pure breeds are inbred and were created by Line breeding.. used to set traits etc. The accepted practice is father to daughter and son to mother.. And there are tools that help show how to breed your line farther apart ultimately.. terms to research would be line breeding or clan breeding or spiral breeding.

Since the hatcheries keep several males and several females per pen.. it's possible the few I select may have no CLOSE relation at all. But If I start out and presume they are full or even half siblings.. I can run my math to breed them farther apart.

A few links to sample...
https://ultimatefowl.wordpress.com/2009/02/11/line-breeding/

https://www.barnevelders.net/inbreeding-in-chickens.html

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/inbreeding-and-line-breeding-poultry.734859/

https://www.iowabluechickenclub.com/line-breeding-via-spiral-breeding-program.html

http://www.reach-unlimited.com/p/56...r-breeding-methods-for-fixing-gamefowl-traits

On the heels of that though.. I have found that as much as I may want to avoid inbreeding.. many others have gotten their line from the same place mine came from. I know because I ask now. The only thing is MAYBE they selected for different qualities.. or MAYBE there have been some adaptations to that STRAIN due to different feed, different weather, etc. Since starting out though and feeling VERY serious about gathering diverse genetics.. I'm not so sure it applies any more or at least not in the way deformities are to humans.

Other hatcheries sell ducks. I've gotten chickens successfully from..
https://www.meyerhatchery.com/productlist.a5w?subcat=1021&cat=1045

https://www.mcmurrayhatchery.com/fawn-and-white-runner-duck.html

https://www.purelypoultry.com/premium-runner-ducklings-p-1118.html

https://www.mypetchicken.com/catalog/Waterfowl/Ducklings-Blue-Runner-p2567.aspx

Also..
https://runnerduck.net/breeders.php

Sometimes right now is late in the season for availability. But hopefully you will get some good leads AND stock!

 

[CaliFarmsAR]

Inbreeding is a valid concern.

It does not effect poultry in the same way it does humans.. The most common side effect.. after several generations of CLOSE inbreeding (brother to sister) would be reduced vigor.

However ALL pure breeds are inbred and were created by Line breeding.. used to set traits etc. The accepted practice is father to daughter and son to mother.. And there are tools that help show how to breed your line farther apart ultimately.. terms to research would be line breeding or clan breeding or spiral breeding.

Since the hatcheries keep several males and several females per pen.. it's possible the few I select may have no CLOSE relation at all. But If I start out and presume they are full or even half siblings.. I can run my math to breed them farther apart.

A few links to sample...
https://ultimatefowl.wordpress.com/2009/02/11/line-breeding/

https://www.barnevelders.net/inbreeding-in-chickens.html

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/inbreeding-and-line-breeding-poultry.734859/

https://www.iowabluechickenclub.com/line-breeding-via-spiral-breeding-program.html

http://www.reach-unlimited.com/p/56...r-breeding-methods-for-fixing-gamefowl-traits

On the heels of that though.. I have found that as much as I may want to avoid inbreeding.. many others have gotten their line from the same place mine came from. I know because I ask now. The only thing is MAYBE they selected for different qualities.. or MAYBE there have been some adaptations to that STRAIN due to different feed, different weather, etc. Since starting out though and feeling VERY serious about gathering diverse genetics.. I'm not so sure it applies any more or at least not in the way deformities are to humans.

Other hatcheries sell ducks. I've gotten chickens successfully from..
https://www.meyerhatchery.com/productlist.a5w?subcat=1021&cat=1045

https://www.mcmurrayhatchery.com/fawn-and-white-runner-duck.html

https://www.purelypoultry.com/premium-runner-ducklings-p-1118.html

https://www.mypetchicken.com/catalog/Waterfowl/Ducklings-Blue-Runner-p2567.aspx

Also..
https://runnerduck.net/breeders.php

Sometimes right now is late in the season for availability. But hopefully you will get some good leads AND stock!

Oh wow! Thank you! Your have sooo much info!!!