Indian Runner Duck

The Indian Runner Duck is a breed domestic duck. They are native to the Indian-sub-continent and Malaysia. The breed, it is thought, was first brought to Europe, via Whitehaven in Cumbria, England, by a sea captain prior to 1835, as the were exhibited at the London Zoological Gardens by this date. Later imports were also made and by the end of the 19th century the breed’s popularity had spread considerably. In the ‘Encyclopaedia of Poultry’ by J. Stephen Hicks, it is stated that the true Indian Runner Duck were developed by a Mr J. Donald of Wigton, Cumbria and it is from his original flock that the present day stock descend from.

Description

An extraordinary looking duck, it is characterized by an extremely short Femora, the thigh or upper bones of the legs, with consequence that their feet are not brought, as other ducks, under the middle of the body, but are placed much farther behind. This means that to bring the duck's centre of gravity over the point of support (its feet), the duck must assume an erect attitude, like that of a penguin (it has been called mistakenly in the past as a Penguin Duck). In size they can be up to 14” tall and can weigh around 3 to 5 lb, the drakes being heavier than the ducks. They are quiet and known for their excellent egg laying production (up to 365 per year, or one per day in one year old ducks from the best utility strains; however production can vary quite a lot between strains), and only very rarely go broody. The eggs are white, off-white, blue, or light green in colour and around the size of a large hen’s egg (approximately 2½ oz or 70.88g).

The breed does not require the same food intake as the larger breeds, and the Indian runner likes nothing better than foraging for tidbits amongst ground cover and foliage, this will include a lot of slugs and worms and insects found in the grass and streams. It will also include greens, such as grass and duck-weed and with this in mind are also bred on farms for their natural pest control abilities. The birds are bred in many colours, including, white, black, (Cumberland) blue, chocolate, fawn, fawn & white. pencilled( similar to fawn and white)trout, mallard, silver (silverwildfarben) and apricot. Although these ducks have small bodies and are not bred as table birds, many regard them as being well flavoured, rather similar to the taste of wild duck. In Australia the breed is used extensively for meat in Chinese restaurants, despite it being labled unsuitable for meat production by many people.

References

* Batty, Joseph Walker (1996): "Domesticated Ducks & Geese": Beech Publishing House. ISBN 1-85736-091-5
* List of Animals in the Zoological Gardens (1837); ZSL.

External links

* [http://www.runnerduck.net/ British Indian Runner Duck Association]
* [http://www.feathersite.com/Poultry/Ducks/Runners/BRKRunners.html Indian Runner Ducks]