Runner ducks

[Yardmom]

If you only have one drake the drake doesn't need to compete for his hen(s). 1 drake with 2 hens should work fine. As they come into breeding he may be a bit rambunctious as he will be trying to get both hens to choose him.

 

[RollinWithTheStones]

Thanks, everyone. We're thinking of doing 1 drake and 3 females. We're thinking of sticking with runner ducks. Now I'm just trying to sort out a coop, run, etc. for them.

Right now I'm thinking of a small A-frame coop. A run (9ft x 9ft x 6ft) that the coop can sit in with a small pool. I plan to use wood chips for the run as it's readily available and free. I'm going to line the bottom with hardwire cloth as well as the top of the run.

I've only had ducks once; they were mallards, and once they could leave, they did. So they never spent much time in the coop at all. Which type of bedding do you like in yours? Also, which waterer and feeder do you find most beneficial?

I'm in NY so it does get both very cold and very hot, we plan to let them free range as much as possible. We also know we want an automatic door for some consistency. I found this pic online and wonder if this would be a good set up for 4 ducks.

 

[OneEggToRuleThemAll]

I raise runners and love them. The drakes are VERY VERY PERSISTENT in the spring time, and I've had to cull and separate in the past to keep my duck hens safe. Even when we went down to one drake and 4 hens, my drake decided he only wanted to mate with one of my hens and ignore the rest, and he pulled most of her feathers out of the back of her neck before spring was over. She would try to run away from him but she is a Buff Orpington and he was so fast, he caught her every time. It was annoying to watch and I thought about eating him, but he's bonded to his runner sister, so we kept him, and eventually his hormones settled down and he's back to his normal, less persistent self.