Indian Runner Ducks

Indian Runner ducks are known for their excellent egg laying production, are quiet, and love foraging for tidbits amongst ground cover and foliage, and swimming in ponds and streams. They enjoy running around grassy meadows looking for worms, slugs, and even catching flies. Runners will be happy in gardens but prefer open spaces. Only hens will quack while the drakes are limited to a hoarse whisper. They eat way less than table ducks but should have calcium and protein rich diets especially in laying season. Runners weigh between 3-4.5 pounds and range from 50-66 cm tall. Indian runner duck are also sometimes called penguin ducks because of there stance and unlike other breeds they don’t waddle, they run or walk. The runners brought with them unusual colour genes when they were imported to Europe. Many of the new colour varieties being introduced and that have been introduced in other ducks are due to the runners. One of the biggest impacts of the runners has been their use in developing the “light” breeds of ducks. Before 1900 ducks were bred for meat production and laid very little eggs. Once runners showed up and became fashionable demand for dual purpose breeds started. These were created by crossing the meat breeds to runners to produce a ducks that had size for a table bird and produced eggs. Perhaps the most famous breed the runners created was the Campbell which is now considered as the most prolific egg laying breed of ducks, slightly better than the runners. Indian runner ducks don’t swim as much as other breeds and are more often distracted by running around on shore looking worms, slugs, flies, etc.