*~*Runner Duck Club*~*

[Duck Hill]

I've been pondering today- is there a colour chart out there on the world wide web? I mean a colour chart that shows duckling colour and the possible adult colour. I could have sworn I've seen one but with all my googling... it's no existent now.

I would LOVE to see such a color chart. Do let me know if you find one!!!

I would also love to see a breeding chart - pictures of which ducks were mated (of various colors) and what their offspring looked like (as grown ups)!

 

[Duck Hill]

A wing can be a beautiful thing.

 

[Duck Hill]

Interesting markings, but only part way through the juvenile / drake molt, so they likely will change.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Pretty!

 

[brotherdust]

Oh, thank you for sharing your chart! I thought I was the only one using charts! I too have charts, but they are in Word format and I don't know how to upload that. On my chart, I also charted the difference between each day's weight and the previous day's weight.

I was charting 12 purebred Indian Runner ducklings. Here are some of my findings:

1) By subtracting the previous day's weight from the current day's weight I discovered that daily weight gain was quite variable from one duckling to the next - and especially from one day to the next. Some ducklings gained almost nothing one day only to gain a lot the next. Others were pigs and gained a lot nearly each day.

2) Using hindsight, I also discovered that the heavier ducklings at 3 weeks were NOT necessarily the males. The weights were evenly distributed according to gender at that age.

3) Using hindsight, I saw that by 9 weeks, the males were beginning to overtake the girls ON AVERAGE. However, individuals still varied so widely that weight could not be used as a clue to gender. In any case, by that age voice was a good predictor of gender!

I had hoped that weight could be used to help determine gender. My conclusion: weight was not usually an accurate way to determine gender, and weigh/gender trends tended to begin to appear after the ducklings had already shown gender by voice.

Let me know if you analyze your data!

Interesting! I had the advantage of purchasing sexed ducklings, so I knew which one was the boy. You're right you really can't tell much difference until a couple of months have passed. I don't really have much to add to your observations except the few points below.

So, interesting things I've learned from the data and from experience:

• A healthy runner duckling will gain, on average, 20% of their initial hatching weight DAILY for the first couple of weeks.
  
• The ratio of the haunch-to-toe measurement and bill-to-tail measurement is almost always 50%. It's a pain in the butt to get those measurements because they are so squirmy! When the ratio would get out of balance for a particular duckling, they would have problems with mobility and tend to be more sedentary until they grow back into balance.
• Injured ducklings will stop growing. Even if it doesn't look like they're injured, if they stop growing for more than a couple of days, there's trouble.

 

[Duck Hill]

@brotherdust, I love your observations.

1) Wow - I've never worked it out as a percent. It is because they gain so much at the start that niacin and other vitamins simply cannot wait! I had observed that ducklings fed ample niacin during the first couple of weeks seldom show a deficiency later - but when supplements are started after a couple or three weeks, it's almost impossible to catch them up. With the 20% a day figure, it makes sense!

2) I'm going to try your comparison of haunch to toe v.s length. I wonder if this varies between breeds. I also plan to try something like haunch to breastbone vs. breastbone to tail - if I can manage, to see if this is different for runners vs another breed. I'm trying to figure out the exact difference that makes runners stand taller.

3) I have also observed what you have about the two day/no growth is a bad sign, especially if it is seemingly without cause.

I had a duckling that was stepped on. She did not eat or grow for two or three days due to stiffness and being uncomfortable. She grew just fine afterwards and caught up - because there was an obvious cause for her slow growth at that time.

On the other hand, I did once have a newborn duckling that didn't grow at all for ten days and she required tube feeding. After ten days she perked up and grew normally and lived normally and happily for three years. She then died. Autopsy revealed extensive liver/heart disease.

 

[Ducks4comicrelief]

These are my week old blue runner and white crested ducklings. The runners crack me up. Just a big body and long legs zipping around the room. I've spoiled them. They cry if I don't let them sleep in bed with me! Oops.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Adorable little ones.

 

[brotherdust]

@brotherdust, I love your observations.

1) Wow - I've never worked it out as a percent. It is because they gain so much at the start that niacin and other vitamins simply cannot wait! I had observed that ducklings fed ample niacin during the first couple of weeks seldom show a deficiency later - but when supplements are started after a couple or three weeks, it's almost impossible to catch them up. With the 20% a day figure, it makes sense!

2) I'm going to try your comparison of haunch to toe v.s length. I wonder if this varies between breeds. I also plan to try something like haunch to breastbone vs. breastbone to tail - if I can manage, to see if this is different for runners vs another breed. I'm trying to figure out the exact difference that makes runners stand taller.

3) I have also observed what you have about the two day/no growth is a bad sign, especially if it is seemingly without cause.

I had a duckling that was stepped on. She did not eat or grow for two or three days due to stiffness and being uncomfortable. She grew just fine afterwards and caught up - because there was an obvious cause for her slow growth at that time.

On the other hand, I did once have a newborn duckling that didn't grow at all for ten days and she required tube feeding. After ten days she perked up and grew normally and lived normally and happily for three years. She then died. Autopsy revealed extensive liver/heart disease.

Very good info! Thanks! I noticed you mentioned that you use Microsoft Word for your data tracking. It's definitely not made for that! May I suggest using Excel or AirTable? I'd be happy to get you started either way by providing some templates. AirTable is pretty neat because I can share the data with a simple link, as you've seen. Plus, I can attach pictures to every measurement. In the same database, I also keep records of observations of abnormal behavior, how I treated it, and what I treated it with. It helps if I ever need to take one of them to the vet. I have all the data right there in the AirTable app on my phone!

Here's some charts I generated from the data in Excel:
View attachment 1923804
View attachment 1923805

 

[Duck Hill]

Very good info! Thanks! I noticed you mentioned that you use Microsoft Word for your data tracking. It's definitely not made for that! May I suggest using Excel or AirTable?
View attachment 1923804
View attachment 1923805

I have Excel and can do a spreadsheet, but I don't know how to make it do anything, so it's just as easy to make a table in Word. But I know Excel can do all sorts of wonderful things. I just haven't learned how to use it yet. I will look into AirTable.

P.S. I could not pull up your attachments.