The Indian Runner is home-laying ducks that resemble penguins in their appearance. The bird is in demand in agriculture, as it has low-calorie meat, healthy eggs. Before breeding Runners carefully read the specifics of this breed.
History of breed origin
The first Runners were not used for breeding. Having an original appearance and a funny gait, poultry were part of circus troupes, they participated in public performances with pleasure. They were often flaunted at zoos, and there were plenty of spectators.
Indian Runners first appeared more than 2,000 years ago in East India, and gained particular popularity in the territory of South Asian countries. Over time, these unusual birds moved to England, and in 1926 to Russia. There is an erroneous version that their homeland is Great Britain.
For the past 30–40 years, Indian Runners have been distributed throughout Europe, America, and Australia. English breeders continue to experiment with this breed to improve productivity and change external data, a variety of colors.
Appearance of Indian Runners
Previously, this breed of domestic ducks was called a “penguin” because of its unusual physique in the shape of a bottle. These birds have the most unexpected color, which makes them a tourist attraction of any bird yard. Outwardly, the Indian Runners resemble penguins, only the speed of their movement is several times faster.
Exterior
The Indian Runners have an elongated torso, the chest is slightly rounded. A small head is set on a thin, slender neck. The domestic duck has upright posture, smooth sides, a rounded chest, a convex back.
The wings of the Begunks are massive, tightly attached to the body. The eyes are dark brown, set wide, are located vertically above the tips of the fins. The beak is wedge-shaped, pale pink and long, the size of the head or slightly larger.
Orange paws resemble the lower extremities of penguins. Their shade depends on the color of the bird, gender. The multi-colored tail is shortened, contains 18 tail feathers, does not reach the ground, which facilitates the movement of poultry.
Color
When buying Indian Runners, the breeder is faced with a variety of colors. Below are the most popular colors and their brief description:
- Wild. The colors of the drake and the duck are different. The male has a neck and head of emerald color, breast is bright brown, tail is black with a green tint, wings are gray, darkened. The female has a brown plumage and a rich yellow beak.
- Trout. The drake has an olive beak, a green neck, red chest, gray wings and a dark back. The duck is not so motley - a yellow beak and light brown feathers that change the color saturation in different parts of the body.
- Silvery wild. The drakes have a silver belly and a dark red breast, a black head with a green tint, white wings and an olive beak. Ducks have light yellow feathers, a more modest color.
- White. Ducks and drakes have white feathers throughout the hull, beak and lower limbs saturated yellow. Individuals differ in body size (larger drakes).
- The black. Males and females are monophonic, black feathers in the sun acquire an emerald hue. Beak is dark green. The colors of the drake and duck are no different.
An overview of the duck breed Indian runner, see the video below:
Weight
The ducks themselves are small in size. The average weight of an adult female varies from 1.5 to 2 kg. Drake is not much more - up to 2.5 kg. Ducklings are premature, quickly gain weight. Already in 2 weeks reach 1-1.5 kg. With proper feeding and maintenance, the weight of an adult is gained by the age of one month.
Breed characteristics
A distinctive feature of Indian Runners is the ability to run fast and swim well over long distances. When breeding, the duck does not need an artificial pond, calmly dispenses with swimming.
By nature, the birds are calm and non-conflict, but are in constant motion and bustle. Ducks are noisy and show signs of anxiety in cases when they feel threatened, dangerous. They quickly get used to a new place, adapt even to harsh climates, stress-resistant.
There are several criteria to distinguish a drake from a duck. For example, a female has more light feathers on her body. If the birds are brown, black or plain, the determining factor of gender is the color of the beak and paws. In ducks, they are always lighter. The females quack, while the drakes wheeze more and make muffled sounds.
Productivity
The Indian Runner is an egg breed that attracts breeders with high production rates. For 1 year, poultry carry up to 360 eggs weighing 70-80 g each. The eggs are tasty, satisfying, stored longer than other inhabitants of the poultry yard.
The color of the shell depends on the color of the Indian Runner, ranging from white to light olive.
When breeding ducks, you can get a soft diet meat with a delicate taste, popular even among true gourmets. From an adult carcass weighing 2 kg, the output is 1.5-1.7 kg of fresh meat. Dietary product, contains protein without cholesterol, which is great for menus losing weight and is useful for low immunity.
Content Features
Indian Runners endure Russian frosts without loss, the main thing is to observe the diet and dietary features, not to violate the rules of care and keeping these unusual birds. If possible, equip an artificial pond in the aviary. In general, ducks live without water procedures, but this may lead to a decrease in their productivity.
Bird house
House requirements are standard. The room should have a dry and clean litter, otherwise the ducks get sick, and from dampness, they can even die.
When equipping a poultry house, consider other equally valuable recommendations from experienced breeders:
- In winter frosts, heat the house. To do this, use mineral wool for exterior walls, a stove or infrared lamps inside.
- Maintain a constant room temperature. The daylight hours should be 12-14 hours.
- Avoid drafts and dampness in the house, otherwise such factors negatively affect the health of ducklings, adults.
- Provide ventilation in the room, avoid stagnant air, specific smells of the house.
- Timely clean the room, change the litter for ducks once every 2-3 days, more often if necessary.
- Install feeders and drinkers in the house, check their cleanliness, the presence of fresh food, clean water.
Set up an aviary near the house taking into account this requirement - 10 sq. M. m per 1 individual. If this rule is violated, the birds will not have enough fresh grass, and they will begin to conflict, fight.
The presence of an artificial reservoir is also welcome. In the water, Indian Runners feel comfortable, rinse their wings, clean off the feathers from the feathers (so as not to carry them in the house).
Care
Clean the house, clean the feeders and drinking bowls, and release the Indian Runners daily for grazing. First make sure that the aviary is fenced, the birds will not run away, and other pets will not enter their territory.
During the walk, the ducks run, frolic, prey on insects, worms and snails. Make sure that the Indian Runners do not enter the garden, as they will only spoil the crops, reduce the yield. This is especially true of ducklings, which recently began to let out for a walk.
Watch out for the health of poultry. Regularly disinfect the house, examine the plumage of each individual. If parasites are found, immediately consult a veterinarian, start treatment on time. Poultry care includes a number of preventative measures, including vaccination.
This interesting breed of ducks, which are constantly on the move, have excellent egg production, are unpretentious in maintenance, is described in the video below:
Feeding
In winter, the diet of birds contains crushed grain, animal feed, vitamin and mineral supplements. In summer, you can save on feeding the herd if you regularly let the birds out into the fresh air in search of food. In the latter case, it is important to control what the Runner eats and in what quantities.
The daily diet depends on the age of the individuals, the time of year, and breeding goals in agriculture.
Adults
Indian runners have a good appetite. Do not limit birds to food, but balance their diet, enrich it with vitamins, mineral supplements, premixes.
Power Features:
- Crop crops in the evening, pre-grind them into crumbs (for better digestion). Focus on corn, wheat.
- During the day, feed ducks with fresh herbs, such as spinach, cabbage, dill, nettle leaves and dandelions.
- Be sure to include special feed in the daily menu.
- Give the birds wheat bran, alfalfa, bone meal, shells, sand and gravel. Boiled potatoes, carrots, beet tops contribute to weight gain and satiety.
- Control the amount of clean water in the drinking bowls, regularly disinfect and update them.
Ducklings
In the first days of life, feed the ducklings only with pre-chopped yolks, which are poured onto the back of the cubs. It is imperative to develop a grasping instinct in the offspring, necessary for the further production of food on their own. Gradually introduce proteins, also in crushed form (starting from 2-3 days of life).
From day 4 add to the ducklings menu a small amount of pre-softened compound feed necessary for digestion, stable immunity, strengthening bones, and preventing vitamin deficiency. Fresh greens are especially useful for the younger generation, including cabbage leaves, lettuce, and dill.
Winter season
In the cold season, access to fresh herbs is absent. To maintain the dynamics of weight gain, include flavored potatoes, chopped eggs, beet and carrot tops, silage, sprouted grains, vitamin and mineral supplements in the daily diet.
Fruit and vegetable waste, wet mashrooms strengthen the immune system, minimize the risk of disease. In winter, feed ducks 4 times a day, control digestion by feces in the house, and respond to the first symptoms of the disease in a timely manner.
Breeding Features
White ducks rush well in the winter, black ducks in the summer. There are up to 5 females of productive age per 1 drake.
Ducks have special requirements:
- good development, rounded chest;
- spectacular plumage;
- well diluted pelvic and pubic bones;
- volumetric abdomen.
If the ducks molt prematurely, they are considered defective and do not participate in the breeding of the Indian Runners breed. A prerequisite is the age of the female 5-6 months, when she is already in a state of reproductive activity. With the right choice of pair for mating, the rate of egg fertility is 80%.
The rate of chickens during natural incubation is 90-95%, in the case of using an incubator is reduced to 80%. Since the ducks themselves are small in size, they can hatch no more than 8-10 eggs. Russian breeders are more likely to choose the natural incubation of eggs by laying hens.
Incubation
For the incubator, whole eggs of medium size are used without deformation or other external defects. Before incubation, they are stored for 8 days at a temperature of 9-11 degrees with a humidity indicator of 70-75%. After the eggs are laid in an incubator, where 25-28 days are left until the offspring are hatched.
Basic incubation requirements:
- 1-7 day: permissible temperature - 38.2-38.0 degrees, humidity - 70%. Eggs roll over 4 times a day without incubator cooling naturally.
- 8-14 day: temperature - 37.8 degrees, humidity - 60%. Eggs roll over 4-6 times a day without freezing.
- 14-25 day: temperature - 37.8 degrees, humidity - 60%. Eggs turn over 4-6 times a day with natural incubator cooling for 20 minutes 2 times a day.
- from day 26: temperature - 37.5 degrees, humidity - 85-90%. The eggs do not roll over; no natural cooling of the incubator is required.
Read more about the incubation of duck eggs in our next article.
Chick Care
Cubs are characterized by increased activity, have stable immunity, reach the weight of an adult by 1 month of life. After the birth, transplant ducklings into a clean box, provide a temperature of 26-28 degrees and round-the-clock lighting (especially on the first day).
Gradually reduce the day length of ducklings to 14 hours, as in adults. Maintain a suitable air humidity of 60-75%. Avoid drafts and dampness, otherwise the fragile immune system of Indian Runners may not cope.
If the weather is nice, there is no strong wind and frost, let the ducklings walk on a walk, starting from 2 months of age. Make sure that they do not end up outside the enclosure, where other inhabitants of the poultry yard may trample them.
A duck from early childhood teaches kids to swim. Place a shallow container of fresh water for these purposes, otherwise the ducklings may drown.
Disease
Indian Runners have good health, stable immunity. The breed does not have specific diseases, but it is worthwhile to beware of the pathologies inherent in all inhabitants of the poultry yard:
- Avitaminosis. With nutritional errors, ducks receive an insufficient amount of vitamins, minerals, trace elements. Possible complications include rickets, feather loss, apathy, lack of appetite and weight loss.
- Cuticular. Chicks up to 1 month of age were at risk. The disease is accompanied by loose stools, loss of appetite, and slight weight gain. Poultry may even die from exhaustion.
- Cloacite. In the duck, cloaca becomes inflamed, a growth with purulent contents forms. Among the potential causes is a lack of vitamins in the diet. The consequences - the death of young animals.
- Level disease. This is a consequence of nutritional errors, in which birds begin to pluck feathers from themselves, there are sawdust. Potential complications include cannibalism.
Advantages and disadvantages
The Indian Runner attracts the attention of most Russian breeders. This poultry is suitable for dietary meat and eggs. The main advantages of the breed:
- high egg production;
- quiet behavior;
- stable immunity;
- attractive exterior;
- rapid maturation of chicks;
- frost and stress resistance;
- quick acclimatization;
- tasty, dietary meat.
When breeding, there are minor flaws that are better to familiarize yourself with before buying Indian Runners:
- light weight;
- timidity;
- not a meat breed.
Farmer Reviews of Ducks Indian Runner
Eugene, 39 years old, agriculture, Molodechno. I have been breeding Indian Runners for many years and am very familiar with this breed. Ducks are outwardly unusual, unpretentious in food and maintenance. I don’t use them for meat, they are painfully small in size. But the eggs are almost all year round. Enough for the family and for sale. Hassle with the birds has not yet arisen. Immunity is strong, rarely sick. By behavior - non-conflict and cleanliness.
Anastasia, 42 years old, farmer, Eagle. I took a couple of Indian Runners to the poultry yard. I liked their extraordinary appearance and character. They are so funny, always in a hurry somewhere and scurry about. But eggs hatch regularly and approximately, and in large quantities.Already there were 2 offspring. The laying hen does its job perfectly, even the incubator did not have to buy. Ducks are healthy, they weigh by the age of one month, like adults.
Karina, 45 years old, housewife, Mogilev region. These ducks are characterized by high egg production. At the end I get up to 400 eggs, where each one is up to 90 g. We tried the meat of ducks, are also satisfied. Gentle to taste, dietary in quality. The only drawback is that there is not enough output, although my family and I had enough for dinner. We cut the duck only for the holidays, otherwise, we breed for eggs. There are already regular customers, so the profit is very tangible.
Hide
Add your review
The Indian Runner is a popular breed of ducks among Russian breeders. Ducks are fussy and shy by nature, so they need constant monitoring. At the exit, you can get up to 400 eggs per year and delicious dietary meat.