Among the duck breeds that can be raised at home, you can find completely unusual varieties. The Indian runner duck can be distinguished from ordinary representatives of the duck family at first glance, its appearance is so characteristic. Let's consider the description of the breed, history of origin, pros and cons, maintenance features, feeding diet and breeding rules.
History of the origin of the breed
Indian Runner ducks are an ancient breed, believed to be more than 2 thousand years old. All this time they were bred in Southeast Asia. It was only in the 19th century that runners came to Europe, and to Russia in the 20th century. At first they were called penguin ducks, but then they were given their modern name - Indian Runner. In the Krasnodar Territory, a variety was bred based on this breed and Chinese Peking ducks. It was called the Kuban duck.
Appearance and characteristics of Indian runners
According to the breed standard, they have a narrow, cylindrical body, set almost vertically. In this way they are similar to penguins. The chest and sides are rounded, the belly is voluminous, but does not sag, the back is convex. The head is small, the beak is wedge-shaped, long. The neck is straight, thin, taking up 1/3 of the body. The paws are orange, set like a penguin's. The wings are pressed to the body, the tail is short and slightly raised. The plumage is white, black, brown, brown with speckles, reminiscent of wild colors, trout and blue.
These birds are active, agile, run fast and are timid. The breed is egg-producing and is bred to produce eggs. During a season, a female can lay 150-360 eggs weighing 68-80 g. The color of the shell is from white to olive. Egg production begins at the age of 5-6 months.
Main pros and cons of content
Despite this, there is a steady demand among poultry farmers for ducklings, adult birds and breeding eggs.
Nuances of maintenance and care
Despite their exotic origin and remarkable appearance, Indian runners are not picky and do not require special living conditions. They live well in an ordinary poultry house, but it must be spacious, protected from wind and drafts.
The ability of runners to withstand cold allows them to be kept in an unheated barn, but only if the winter is not too cold. It must be taken into account that if you keep a bird in a cold barn in frosty conditions, egg production will drop to 12-13 dozen. To get a lot of eggs, you need to keep the ducks in a warm and bright room. If necessary, you need to heat the poultry house and light it for up to 12-14 hours a day.
Next to the main room you need to set up a run where the birds can be released every day. Place a trough with water for bathing, feed with grass or aquatic vegetation.
Diet planning
If you keep Indian runners on a pasture where they can find pasture, for example, grass, grain, insects, worms, then you can feed them once a day, and not 2-3, as usual. When kept on a pond, you don’t have to feed them at all. Ducks eat wet mash, grains of various types, cereals and legumes. They eat grass, young dandelions, tops of root vegetables, and greens from the garden.
They can be given table scraps, boiled vegetables and root vegetables. Add chalk, salt, crushed shell or premixes. Indian runners can be fed with compound feed.
Breeding rules
For 1 drake it is necessary to select 5 females. Naturally, they must be purebred so that the offspring inherits the characteristic body position. The parents of future ducklings should be large, healthy, correctly built, without any defects in appearance. Puberty in ducks occurs at 5-6 months, egg fertilization is 88%.
Eggs can be placed on the female (8-10 eggs due to her small size) or sent to the incubator. Incubation of ducklings this breed takes place under the same conditions as for other breeds. The hatchability percentage is never less than 80; when incubating a duck, it is 90%.
Ducklings appear at 28-31 days of incubation. They are distinguished by their survival rate and grow quickly. For the first month they are kept in a brooder, under a lamp that illuminates and warms them. They are first fed cottage cheese and eggs, then finely crushed grain and chopped grass are added. After a month of growing in a brooder, the young ducklings are transferred to the poultry house.
Runners are named so because they are active and love to run. If you let them out into the yard, they will run around in a whole flock. Ducks are hardy and never tire of searching for food. If they get into the garden, they can ruin what is planted. Ducks do not feel discomfort in the pen if it is spacious. It should contain water for bathing, with which the birds will keep their plumage clean. In the absence of bathing, females may reduce egg production and become restless.
By external signs, you can determine the sex of Indian runner ducklings, if this is necessary for fattening or breeding. You can distinguish a young drake from a duck by the shade of its plumage and legs. In females they are lighter. In 2-3 month old drakes, the feathers on their tail curl upward. You can also determine the sex of the Indian runner by the sound it makes: females quack, males hiss.
Frequent illnesses
Indian runners are in good health. They have good immunity that successfully resists diseases. There are no characteristic diseases that are inherent in Indian runners. But young animals can be susceptible to hypovitaminosis, as a result of which the ducklings become weak, painful, and depressed. Adult females may develop cloacitis during the egg-laying period. This is an inflammation of the mucous membranes of the oviduct and cloaca, the cause is a lack of nutrients.
Indian runners will get less sick if they are kept on clean bedding and fed from clean feeders and drinkers. Every day you need to remove leftover food from the feeders, wash and dry them, and pour clean water into the drinking bowls. Conduct disinfection once a month.
Do not allow ducklings to live crowded. For 1 sq. m. of the poultry house it is allowed to place no more than 6-8 birds. Be sure to walk the ducks, do not keep them in the barn all the time. On the street, even in a pen, they move a lot, can find something tasty, and are illuminated by the sun's rays.
Indian runners are an ancient breed that is still bred today. In addition to their attractive and funny appearance, they have qualities that are valued by poultry farmers. They lay a lot of eggs, which is considered an advantage for a small duck; they grow quickly and do not require a lot of food.
