*~*Runner Duck Club*~*

[BirdyGirl7198]

Haha! I agree! My first hatch was with runner ducks and I absolutely loved them to bits! They were so funny. The youngest one would sit on my lap while I would check my facebook account. She would chase the icons all over the screen! It was one of the most amusing things I had ever seen. I hope your hatch goes well

 

[RileyB]

I would love to join this thread if you're still accepting new members. If not, that is fine.

I am new to duck owning and currently have three (along with my 11 chickens). One of my ducks is a rouen and the other two are fawn/white runners. I really didn't know anything about duck breeds when I got them, I just picked the kinds I thought were cutest. I am so happy with my choices. My two runners are very friendly and I love just watching them and holding them. I love my rouen too, but he is much more afraid of me than the runners.

My runners are a few weeks apart...so far I know that Amelia is a girl and Squirt (only his name until I know if he's a boy or girl) is still too little to tell.

Are runner males similar in characteristics to other drakes? Or are they calmer? I'm worried that Squirt will be a male and then there will be conflict. My rouen is a male. I also have two roosters. I'm really, really hoping Squirt is a female. If not I guess I'll figure it out when it happens!

 

[WestKnollAmy]

Of course, you can join! Welcome!

Okay, you are just lucky to have some awesome calm Runners. Mine are spastic but I adore them. As babies I hold and love and kiss them (probably what makes them crazy!) and I do this every day until they are too big to carry outside the brooder room in a tote or they start getting out of their plastic night tub. Then they have to move to the grow up pen and I lose the ability to catch and love on them.

You may already know that when they start feathering in or are already feathered in that when you pick them up if they quack they are girls and if they squeak they are boys.

In my free range flock of ducks I have 16 girls and 2 boys, a Saxony and a Runner. They fuss over the girls but they do not fight. Your roosters should be fine with them.

 

[BirdyGirl7198]

Would it be all right if I joined too? I have owned 2 Indian Runner ducks before but they sadly both died :'( I miss them so much.
As I mention earlier though, I am incubating some eggs right now and they are due to hatch at the end of July. I am more then willing to post pictures and updates whenever wanted
Please let me know
BirdyGirl7198

 

[WestKnollAmy]

Figured I would add some photos of my hatches from this year. I so love these Runners and am having a heck of a time keeping them as everyone that comes to the farm wants to buy my beautiful babies. I have finally tagged some to keep. I have so many more breeds of ducks but these Runners are too beautiful for their own good!

One of my young ladies in the grow up pen.



A newly hatched baby.



My breeding pen. The drake is the dark blue in front.



Some more in the grow up pen. The black on the left is a Cayuga, though I do have a gorgeous black Runner girl in this group. She is not at all friendly.




Now show me yours!

 

[WestKnollAmy]

Would it be all right if I joined too? I have owned 2 Indian Runner ducks before but they sadly both died :'( I miss them so much.
As I mention earlier though, I am incubating some eggs right now and they are due to hatch at the end of July. I am more then willing to post pictures and updates whenever wanted
Please let me know
BirdyGirl7198

Of course! Jump on in!
I am sure we would all love to hear updates and see photos when they hatch!

 

[BirdyGirl7198]

Awesome And those are beautiful ducks you have there

 

[WestKnollAmy]

Thank you. I do love my Runners and have more in my free range flock besides just my breeding flock. I just don't have time or room right now to hatch and raise more.

 

[poularde]

Just ran across this thread. I hatched ten Runners from WestKnollAmy. They are gorgeous. I have to admit I am glad to hear you say yours are spastic. I have been thinking I have been doing something wrong. I have them in a large pen right now and they are terrified of me. I can watch their crazy antics from the window, but if they see me coming they all run breakneck speed to the furthest corner from me. It worries me because I think they are going to hurt themselves trying to get away.

So the quaking thing works for telling the sex? Mine are about a month and a half old. I have only heard two of the ten quack.

Not sure what I will do about that. I will have to get some photos if they will let me get close enough.

 

[RileyB]

Maybe I should clarify my post better...my runners are not extremely calm or anything. They squirm and try to run when I pick them up. But usually once I pick them up they're fine. But...compared to my spastic rouen, the runners are definitely considered calm.