Indian Runners are not that easy to get at the moment so we were delighted to be offered this beautiful pair to join our lonely duck.
We have named them Henry and Hattie.
Sadly we lost four ducks and a drake in a fox attack last year.
Since then Hannah has been hanging out with the hens.
Not anymore!
She gladly joined forces with the new Indian Runners.
They have become quite the happy threesome wandering around the garden although so far Hannah has resisted Harry’s attention, dismissing him with a few sharp pecks when he gets too close.
INDIAN RUNNERS
Indian Runners originated from Malaya, brought back to Britain by the captain of a ship.
At the time ducks were perceived as hardier than hens and breeders hoped that ducks would provide eggs throughout the winter when the hens stopped laying.
It will be interesting to see how this bears out.
Our hens have been providing us with eggs all year round.
They seem to take turns at stopping laying for a while, never all stopping at the same time.
This is great for us as we love getting fresh eggs.
The new Indian Runners are very lively and it’s been lovely to see them moving around.
They stand upright a lot and they look a bit like penguins.
They are great layers and Hattie has wasted no time – she was in production straight away and her eggs are beautiful.
I’ve heard it said that duck eggs are too strong!
But, fresh duck eggs are nothing like the ones from factories – the white is much softer and the yolk has a much milder taste – perfect for dipping your soldiers in.
The eggs are white and Indian Runners can lay up to 200 eggs a year so fingers crossed for that!
Our hens and ducks are free to roam our acre and a half rocky garden but since the last fox attack, we decided to make some changes.
We have lost many hens and ducks to the fox as well as a beautiful pair of guinea fowl so now we take more precautions.
We now keep them our hens and ducks in the coup when we are out because the fox has so far never attacked when we are actually at home.
We have a very large coup as well as a chicken tractor so there is still plenty of space for them to roam.
There’s no much else we can do to guard and hens and ducks against the fox.
I have the feeling that the fox is always watching and waiting for a chance to pounce.
We have also suffered the loss of several hens to a careless neighbour’s dog – the fox is not the only predator.
This is the downside of keeping chickens and ducks but the upside is so great that despite setbacks we are determined to continue keeping them.
They are great at keeping slugs down although I had to fence off my vegetable beds as they are capable of demolishing them at an amazing speed.
Keeping hens and ducks brings many rewards.
It’s not just the joy of enjoying a freshly laid egg from your own hens and ducks.
It’s also great fun just to sit relax outside with a cup of tea and watch the little flock performing their merry little dance around the garden.
The best reward of all is yet to come.
We are hoping that with the addition of our new pair of Indian Runners we might also be rewarded with the patter of some little ducklings.
Ducklings take a little bit of looking after but they are a pure joy to see.
So fingers crossed our Indian Runners will produce! Will keep you posted.
Grace
More about Hens Ducks and All Things Fowl
BALLYYAHOO – ENCOURAGE YOUR CHILDREN TO LOVE NATURE
I grew up in the inner city of Liverpool and as you can imagine I was surrounded by buildings and pavements.
So you can understand why I looked forward to spending summers in my granny’s house in County Wicklow in Ireland.
In the countryside, we could roam free in the fields, woodlands and beaches – the only rule was to be home in time for tea.
These wonderful memories are why I began writing my Ballyyahoo stories and is why I developed the website to go with them.
Ballyyahoo is a fictional town located in Galway where I live.
The Ballyyahoo books and website are my favourite personal project and labour of love.
My aim is to share my love of nature with children.
I want to encourage children to put down their phones and computers and enjoy the fun and freedom of the outdoors.
There’s so much to love about nature – best of all it’s free!
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