What are Runners for?

[JJchiknshak]

They are comical and egg laying machines like what was said above... and who doesn't love watching them run through the yard together. lol

 

[L0rraine]

They lay eggs like crazy and are definitely conversation pieces. My husband had some of his college students over who knew we had ducks and chicken but hadn't seen them. They were sitting on the front deck when all of a sudden one of them yells, "OMG! What kind of birds are these in your front yard?!" Anyway, they thought they were pretty cool once they found out they were our ducks. Here's our most current batch.

Oh, and I have a collie who believes he's actually working when we round them up and herd them back into their pen, which adds to the entertainment factor for us.

And, what Amiga said (above) about slugs, et al.

 

[Lesa]

LOrraine, those are too cute! They made me giggle in a still photo- I can only imagine with movement!!! Do they have the same needs as all ducks? Are they good swimmers?

 

[L0rraine]

Lesa, supposedly their swimming needs are less than other ducks so they can get by with just deep bowls of water. But they do enjoy swimming, and so I have a couple of the plastic kiddie pools that I fill up for them every day. Otherwise I think they are pretty similar to other ducks. Though, as Amiga mentioned above, they are amazing foragers. Some mention that they play havoc in the gardens, but I have mostly perennials and they seem to hold up pretty well.

 

[Lesa]

How interesting! I just can't imagine them swimming-their posture is too good! Would like to try duck eggs for baking....you've got me thinking! Enjoy your beautiful birds!

 

[Wifezilla]

Runners are excellent swimmers. Chrissy, my goofy runner, is a scuba duck

She is a little torpedo under the water and loves to swim laps in the kiddie pool. You should see her dive after feeder fish!

 

[Lesa]

Yes, I can imagine the swimming under water- that is what they look like- penguins!

 

[lorihadams]

THEY ARE AWESOME!!!!!! I love mine, hubby is a duck hunter and even he loves our runners. They are really good in a free range situation, if you have any wooded areas on your property they love to dig through leaf litter and weeds and stuff. They lay for me faithfully, only problem is, we found out the hard way that my hubby is allergic to duck eggs

....the rest of us eat them but he can't have them at all.

 

[chick4chicks]

So cute, I love runner ducks, well maybe someday.

 

[goosedragon]

Quote:
What purpose do call ducks serve now other than the pet trade? I believe duck hunting with live decoys has been illegal since 1935.

You might as well ask what purpose any duck now serve other than the pet trade. The number of commercial duck farms can be counted on your two hands, and that includes a huge growth in the last few years in meat for fine dining establishments. Btw in case English is not your first language I explained what Calls were developed for, not what they are currently used for.