In the spring of 2020 we added Black Indian Runner Ducks to our collection.  We had three goals in mind:  Employ a flock of ducks to take care of pests in the garden, maintain a flock of ducks for duck eggs, and sit back and watch ducks because they are really entertaining.  The ducks are still relatively new here, but we are steadily achieving our goals - especially the part where they entertain us.

We started out with some live duckings shipped from Metzer Farms in California.  Two of them arrived weak from the journey and we spent several desperate days trying to bring them around, but to no avail.  Metzer Farms graciously replaced them for us and we were on our way.

We hope to expand our small flock of ten hens and two drakes someday when our girls start laying.  We are really looking forward to mastering the art of incubating duck eggs.

These little ducks have proven to be quite easy to care for.  They require very little extra attention even as fluffy ducklings -- although they are so unbelievably cute it is impossible not to spend too much time with them on any given day.  As small babies they are extremely affectionate and followed us everywhere.  However, as teenagers things began to change and we started to notice the flighty behavior we had read about before our purchase.  Basically, the little ducklings that once hopped into our hands for treats started fleeing in terror whenever we got within 10 feet of them.  

Fortunately, despite their sudden fear of their human overlords, they proved to be easy to move from place to place.  They flock so tightly that simply convincing one of them to go in the direction you need them to go will bring along the rest of the ducks without fail.  We started herding the young ducks into the back garden in the morning for their first taste of bugs.  After only about three repetitions, we were delighted to find that they ran straight to their breakfast spot and home again without the need for direction.  

Once they all developed their adult feathers and needed more room to forage during the day, we trained them (quickly!) to move to and from the straw bale garden near the barn each day.  One of our favorite things is watching our flock of ducks run home in the evening.  

We are now patiently waiting for our girls to lay their first eggs which we are expecting near the end of this summer.  Then the next Indian Runner duck chapter will begin.  In the meantime, we have learned quite a few fascinating things about these guys -- many of which we did not know from what we had researched before we decided on the breed.  

A FEW THINGS WE HAVE LEARNED ABOUT INDIAN RUNNER DUCKS

(THAT NO ONE TOLD US)

• ​They will eat your garden.

This was an important detail that was not simply left out of the literature - it was actually contradicted.  We specifically selected this breed because they were widely reported to be awesome pest control for gardens.  Because of their light weight and upright stature, they do very little damage to gardens by trampling them.  Also, slugs and bugs are a staple of their diet and they will happily spend the day foraging for them in between your delicate spring and summer crops.  That's what the literature said.  And it is technically correct.  However, they also sample the grass and the tomato plants and even the zucchini vines as they go.   Fortunately for us, this did not turn out to be a game changer as we like these ducks more than this year's experimental garden. If you are looking for garden safe ducks - I am afraid these are not it.  In the future we will be deploying them in orchard areas as the young trees will be safe from duck damage.

• They are not lap ducks, but are friendly enough and easily trained.

As mentioned earlier, there is a point during the teenage weeks of duckdom when these guys are suddenly afraid of everything, including you - their best friend.  Our ducks actually grew out of this with maturity and once again come to us looking for treats.  They are still flightier than other duck breeds we have raised in the past.  This is probably a trait which serves such little flightless ducks well, all things considered.  However, they will easily eat out of our hands or answer when called.  It's a good balance for us.

• Black Indian Runner ducks are not entirely black.

Who knew?  They are pretty hard to photograph given the constant motion and tricks of light on iridescent feathers, which may explain why every photo we found of these guys on the internet showed a black duck that looked something like a wine bottle.  At maturity, however, both sexes develop a beautiful band of iridescent blue feathers about an inch above the wing tips which is highly visible when their wings are folded.  The males also develop a strong green coloration all over rather than the flat black of their female counterparts.  (Much like a small, skinny, upright Cayuga duck.) They are positively stunning and must be seen in person to truly appreciate.

We will be hatching from our flock as soon as our eggs are viable and extra ducklings will be available for sale. Please check our sale page often for updates or contact us for more information.

We are also planning on selling duck eggs for eating in the future.  We do not have plans to sell hatching eggs at this time as we are unable to predict fertility with such a new flock.  

Fall 2020 Update

As of September 2020, our Runner Duck hens have been laying daily for several weeks.  They are nice and steady layers of large eggs (about the size of a jumbo chicken egg) ranging from a creamy color to greenish blue.  We really appreciate the fact that the girls all lay in the morning before they are let out to free range - making things much easier than the daily egg hunt that can happen with free range chickens!  

We are currently selling fresh duck eggs for eating to local customers.  Duck eggs can be prepared any way you would prepare a chicken egg, and we can vouch for the fact that these taste great.  Quantities are limited to around five dozen per week at this time while we are still growing our flock.  

And speaking of growing our flock:  We are happy to announce that we have begun hatching ducklings from our flock!  We will be keeping the last batch of this season to expand our flock in the spring, but in the meantime we will have ducklings available for sale.  Please check out our sales page for more information.