*~*Runner Duck Club*~*

[Sagibaro]

Awww! I am so sorry. Ducks are usually so hardy.

Thank you. It was a rough year for my little runner -- coyotes got her drake three months ago along with the two Trouties who were the rest of her flock, and when the heat came I think she just didn't have the heart to soldier through. I tried to get her integrated into a replacement flock, but none of the ducks were cooperating and I just ran out of time . Still, I had her for a bit over four years and I'm grateful for every moment she was here.

The replacement flock is a pretty little trio who still eyeball me as if I have the blackest of intentions. I was told they were Trouts, but one of the ducks has a black bill and legs so...probably mixed at best. She's very striking. I'll have to dig out my camera and then see if she'll stand still long enough for a decent i.d. photo.

 

[WestKnollAmy]

Oh my! She did have a rough year!
I can't believe the other group would not take her. I move mine into different breeding groups quite often and enjoy watching them meet and greet each other and talk over all kinds of issues but they are always nice about everything. My Runners especially. My Pekins are just as good to get along. The Muscovy, not as good. I have to call them down if I introduce a new member.

I sure hope you get another special love. Runners are pretty cool. I have one girl named Marbles and she comes up to me every evening to tell me about her day. She stays back about 5 feet or so but she comes to me and just talks and talks. I am sure she is asking for treats, the little mooch but I talk to her like she is telling me all about her day.

I would love to see a photo of your irregular Trout. I breed some of my different colors together to get neat colors and patterns. Locals love the variety in the colors and enjoy seeing tehm out in their yards and gardens. The blues attract them but then they see my other neat mixed colors and want those, too.
I keep saying I am going to show my originals but never have. I just love looking at them and growing the babies. I have 10 from my last hatch that are just too cute and I enjoy kissing and petting them every day when I take them outside to the day pen. Those are about 2 weeks old. I have 2 that are a month old that are looking sharp and 4 that are 3 months old that can be moved over to the breeding pen since ther is plenty of room and they can get used to every one by next laying season.

I will try to take a photo of my beautiful black girl that is growing up. She has sleeked out and looking prime.

 

[DuckMamaNH]

Hi everyone,
I'm fairly new to this group and was glad to see a forum for just Runners, since they are a different build than other ducks.
I have two 3-week old Runners, a Blue named Lucky (unknown gender, but we think of him as a "he") and a Fawn & White girl, Lucy. They are both considerably leaner than their "sister", a 3-week old Khaki Campbell, which we expected, but I'm a little concerned about Lucky--he is so lean that he shivers, particularly his legs.
The babies were in the kids' toyroom for a while, but they became so noisy (esp. in the middle of the night) that we moved their pen into the basement. They get food and water 3-4x daily and a radio in the background to keep them company, litter changed every 2 days, etc. We are in NH and right now it's been in the 30's and 40's this past week so the basement temp has dropped to low 50's, high 40's. This morning I brought Lucky upstairs and he's hanging out in a bin next to the woodstove to warm up.
Has anyone else experienced a chilly, shivering Runner? Or is there another reason his legs shake?
Thanks everyone!

 

[Amiga]

Welcome!

Yes, some of my runners would get the chills, especially during their first year and a half. Based on what I have seen and read, that basement is too cold for three week old runners. Get them up to 70F somehow (safely). They need all their energy to grow and develop immune systems. Are they on a concrete floor? How much bedding? If you get them up higher, like in a rabbit hutch with a lid (needs to be tall enough - they will top out around two feet in height), the air temperature will be a little higher and the bedding a little drier. I found the brooder would lose 10 degrees F with damp bedding.

The rule of thumb (subject to much debate among a few) is 90F the first week, dropping about 5 degrees a week until they are comfortable at normal indoor/outdoor temperatures. With only two babies, they cannot keep each other warm enough.

Since he has gotten a chill already, please pay close attention for any signs of illness, such as pneumonia. Get some poultry vitamins and give them once a week. What is their feed?

 

[DuckMamaNH]

Thank you for your response.
To answer your questions, they are not on the floor directly, they are in the pen which has a plywood subfloor with linoleum squares on top, then pine shavings & pine needles on top of that. I also have a 125 watt heat lamp on them.
It's not possible to bring the basement temp to 70, and running an electric heater down there 24/7 is out of the question...I could run it a few hours daily, though, to help bring the temp up.
There is three of them all together to keep each other work, however, not counting the two 6 week old Harlequins that are on the other side of them (sharing the same pen but separated by a board). As for their feed, it's Blue Seal Grower/Layer Crumbles, I forget which number.
In the meantime, Lucky seems to be enjoying being inside the warm house, no shakes, just follows me around peeping very loudly if I move out of the room (he is much more affectionate than the others)
Maybe I need to bring him in a few hours a day?

 

[Amiga]

Hmmmm. Do you have a thermometer you can put in the brooder? The whole basement doesn't need to be 70, just at least one section of the brooder.

So he definitely doesn't shiver when he's up in the house, do I understand that correctly?

(Selfish request . . . . do you have any photo's?)

 

[galgo98]

....Has anyone else experienced a chilly, shivering Runner? Or is there another reason his legs shake?
Thanks everyone!

Low temps can definitely cause shivering. But, shaking legs may also be a deficiency of niacin. I noticed that some of my runner duckling's legs were shaking until I added brewer's yeast to their food ( 2-3 cups per 10 lbs feed until they were 10 wks old).

 

[DuckMamaNH]

Thanks Amiga, and thanks galgo98. I will get a thermostat and niacin to my little guy pronto....didn't notice the shaky legs as much when he was up here in the house, but then again he was mostly running around! I will gladly post pictures of my little Lucky, definitely one of my favorite ducks (I know I'm not supposed to have favorites, but can't help it!)

In the meantime, here is a little video of him

 

[DuckMamaNH]

Thanks for the tip on the Facebook page for Runners! I have sent a request to join.

 

[Disco Hen]

I have 2 runners! Can I be a member?