Some new queries showing up in my website stats, so I thought I'd update my duck FAQsWhat are the ideal ducks to keep in a garden?
By ideal, do you mean ones that cause least damage to the garden? Runner ducks are not good in this respect, they are very active foragers, and will trample plants quite badly. The various kinds of bantam ducks would be a better choice.
Can ducks eat wheat?
Yes, actually wheat is a complete diet for them, though I feed mine on good quality layers pellets, and specialist waterfowl breeders' pellets if breeding. Whatever sort of food you choose, make sure you always provide poultry grit, as birds need this for helping to grind down food in their gizzard.
Is my duck a Runner Duck?
I thought this was a bit daft when I read it, but actually it's a fair question. What makes a duck an "Indian Runner"? Largely it's down to the carriage. This is what the breed standard says:
"Upright, active, nearly perpendicular when at attention, excited or trained for the show pen. When not alarmed, or when on the move, the body may be inclined between 50-80 degrees above the horizontal. The proper carriage creates a straight line from the back of the head to the tip of the tail. Total length (fully extended in a straight line, measured from bill tip to middle toe tips): drake 65-80 cm and duck 60-70 cm."
There are probably quite a lot of cross-bred ducks that have runner parents or other ancestors. Usually these will be heavier in build, but have a much less upright carriage than a true Indian runner.
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