Recently, domestic farmers have begun to show an increased interest in poultry farming. Especially popular is the Indian runner - a duck who eats simple food and does not try to fly away. In addition, it is famous for its juicy, tender and incredibly tasty meat. After reading today's article, you will learn about the main features of the breeding and content of these birds.
Brief historical background
Scientists failed to come to a consensus on the origin of this bird. According to one of the most common versions, her ancestors are penguin ducks. It was with the breeding of this species that the history of the Indian runner began.
Initially, these birds spread throughout the territory of East Asian states. In the XIX century they were brought to England. In Russia, the duck is an Indian runner, the photo of which is presented in the article, appeared only in 1926. Initially, they were considered exotic birds and were bred exclusively in zoos.
Breed description
It should be noted that these birds are very different from their relatives. They have a cylindrical elongated body, a narrow chest, a long thin neck and straight legs. Externally, the Indian runner (duck) is more like a penguin. The average weight of an adult is about one and a half or two kilograms.
Short wings of the bird fit snugly to the body, covered with white, black or brown plumage. Among them there are also individuals of blue, light willow, silver-wild, pea and yellowish-white color.
Coloring features
As mentioned earlier, Indian runners are ducks with a variety of colors. For example, individuals of the color “trout” can be easily recognized by the presence of a white open ring that adorns the green neck. Such a bird has a beautiful red breast, dark back, gray wings and willow beak.
The drake of the so-called wild color can be recognized by the emerald head and red-brown chest, connected to the neck with a white ring. Such individuals have dark gray wings and a black-green tail.
Males of silver-wild color are easily recognizable by their red-brown breast. They have snow-white wings, a grayish belly and a black head with a greenish tint. As for the females, their body is covered with yellowish plumage.
Conditions of detention
It should be noted that the ducks of the Indian runner breed cannot live without water. If there is no possibility of free walking in the poultry yard, it is necessary to organize a bath.
Regular water treatments allow birds to keep their feathers clean. Otherwise, they begin to dramatically lose productivity. Indian runners are not afraid of light frosts. They can even walk in shallow snow.
Nutrition
These birds are good in that they can be kept in free grazing. There, without any problems, they find themselves a sufficient amount of food. The Indian runner (duck) eats fresh greens, insects and snails with pleasure.
It is recommended that you feed the birds in the house with nettles, dandelion leaves, lettuce, spinach and dill. It should be borne in mind that representatives of this breed are distinguished by excellent appetite. They are especially partial to duckweed. It can be collected in open water.
These voracious birds must not be restricted in feed. Their diet should be varied. In addition to greens, their menu should contain root vegetables, vegetables and animal feed. In private courtyards, these birds often receive waste from the master's table. In addition, the Indian runner (duck) must receive cereal feed. It is desirable that the diet contains wheat, corn, oats, barley and peas.
In winter, it is enough to feed the birds three times a day. But during the laying period, they are transferred to four meals a day. It is important to ensure that the birds do not overeat. But at the same time they can not be kept on a strict diet.
Breeding Features
Just note that these birds quickly reach reproductive age. Six-month-old individuals are already quite capable of breeding. The main feature of this process is that there should be five females per drake. It is this ratio that is considered optimal for breeding. By the way, there is one more nuance. To create a breeding herd, it is advisable to choose ducklings born in spring. Unlike other birds, runners can mate even at sub-zero temperatures.
It should be noted that these ducks grow quite quickly. Weekly babies weigh about half a kilogram. And by the age of one month, the chicks are practically no different from adults. Ducklings of an Indian runner are a rather funny sight. They are incredibly agile and thus have received the ridiculous nickname “running bottles”.
Indian runner (duck): reviews
According to farmers involved in the breeding of these birds, the latter are characterized by high egg production. If there is a sufficient amount of feed, their productivity does not drop even after the onset of cold weather. In order for birds to rush regularly, females should not be allowed to gobble up. Experienced poultry farmers recommend adding special vitamin supplements to the diet of these individuals, which can significantly increase productivity. Interestingly, in the protein of their eggs, cholesterol is completely absent. In addition, these birds are considered an excellent source of delicious dietary meat, which is rich in all kinds of useful vitamins and minerals.
Also, farmers breeding Indian runners, note that representatives of this breed are quite thermophilic. In addition, they rarely get sick. The conditions for keeping these individuals are not much different from those in which the same Peking ducks live. Among the mandatory requirements that must be observed by those planning to grow representatives of this breed are the availability of free access to the reservoir and the presence of a well-insulated house.