Runner Ducks

[zippy3]

Hi. Just a couple suggestions. Your fenced area sounds large enough, but ducks can dirty up their water in milliseconds, so I would not sink the kiddie pool in the ground...I would leave it above ground and give them a ramp or wooden or brick steps or something for steps so you can empty the water easily by simply tipping over the pool. I would also suggest a stock tank instead of a cheap pool since stock tanks are sturdier. Also, they will probably nip any grass down pretty fast...you may end up with a big muddy area with lots of poop instead of a run. If all 10 ducks survive baby-hood and they all lay eggs by late summer or early fall, and you plan to use lights so they lay all winter, are you prepared to sell or give away alot of eggs? My 8 lay 48 eggs a week on the average. One final comment. Just by genetic luck, my fawn and whites are much smarter and lay more eggs than my very dumb chocolates...
Good luck.

 

[rgn87]

Well here is the update, I have 5 faun and white and five black runner ducklings being shipped next week to me, so there is no turning back. My sunken area was only for them to take a bath in, so it will not be filled very high, and I have another pool that will be used for swimming. Also I am aware of the mess they will make but I had 5 cayugas and except for the concrete area they did not make much of a mess. I also am aware of the egg problem and will either sell, give, or throw them away, thats what I did with cayugas eggs. I am also thinking of making two separate pens for the five ducks and that way they won't all be running in a ten duck line. Not too sound morbid, but I ordered six cayugas and one died in the first three days, so i figure not all ten will survive through babyhood. They dont exactly help each other out, the dead duck was trampled by the other ducklings, and they didn;t seem to care he was dead.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Well lets hope they all make it. When my Muscovy hen hatched out her 10 one was having a little trouble walking, being my first time with ducklings I left it with the other 9 and mom, next day it had been trampled to death, I should have taken it away and took care of it myself. It was a hard way to learn, saying all of that lets hope yours will have a safe and speedy trip to their new home and have no problems when they arrive. Best wishes! and Congratulations on the new arrivals!!

 

[WestKnollAmy]

Okay, I must have an addiction. I can't remember how many Runners I do have right now.

I think around 8 but with all the other ducks with them it is hard to count those waddle butts.

I keep my 22 or so ducks in a 10x14 old horse stall at night, they go out into a yard that is about 40x60 for a few hours in the morning to make sure all the eggs are laid and then they are let out to free range where they want. However, mine do not go the entire farm and are usually within sight of their coop and yard at all times. Even so, with the wet weather their yard is a nasty mess and I have lots of drilled holes. I don't mind, they are cutie patooties.

In moving around the place the Runners are usually at the head of the line (I so understand ducks in a row now!) and the big Pekins are last in line. But really, like everyone says, it is how you raise them because all my breeds act just as frightened of me as any others and most were raised here by me. I should have taught them the "peas" thing!

 

[FenDruadin]

Quote:
Nadine, you are familiar with Duck Math, right? Well, a not-so-well-known corollary to basic duck math is the theorem that at any given point in time, the precise number of ducks in a particular flock is in flux and may not be knowable even to the flock owner. So don't worry. It's not your fault.

If anyone needs a basic introduction to Duck Math, I outlined the essentials here:

http://curiositycat.wordpress.com/2011/01/04/duck-math/