Country of Origin: Malaya/East Indies

Trout Indian Runner drake with two Trout ducks (background) and a young non-standard duck (foreground)

Characterized by their unique stance, upright and bottle shaped,  and as their name suggests, these entertaining ducks have a running motion, as opposed to the traditional duck waddle. They do not fly and like to range over a large area.

Trout Indian Runner Ducklings, hatched and brooded by a Silkie hen 

There is a popular belief that Indian Runner Ducks do not need or appreciate swimming water, however my Runners spend hours on the water, diving, swimming, preening, dozing and mating. When let out in the morning, they make straight for the pond, and are most indignant when they find it frozen and covered in snow, as it has been for the majority of this winter.

Saxony Indian Runner Drake (foreground), Blue Magpie Indian Runner duck (mid-ground), Saxony Indian Runner duck (background) & Trout Indian Runner duck (far left background).

Indian Runners flock together well, which makes life easy when moving them from one area to another. I have found that they are also very easy to 'train'; they will queue up ready and waiting, in the same spot, at the same time to be put in to their house at night.

Saxony Indian Runner Drake, enjoying a float around on the water

Indian Runners are excellent layers of beautiful blue eggs, with the utility breeds laying up to 200 eggs a year. They are excellent pest controllers; foraging for slugs and snails is a favorite activity of theirs.

As the slender females are easily injured by over amorous drakes, it is important to have a low ratio of drakes to ducks and to remove the drake if a problem arises.

As they don't fight, drakes may be kept together and make excellent pets and foragers.

Saxony Duck, preening; an important activity to keep her feathers in a good waterproof condition