Lesley Wheatley quite simply loves ducks. Lesley breeds Indian Runner Ducks and Khaki Campbells – and rescues, feeds, and generally looks out for any other ducks who might waddle onto the ten acre block she and her partner Len have in the hills behind Silverdale.

Lesley Wheatley's Indian Runner ducks are more endearing than their Muscovy cousins (rear left).

“Our ducks are free to come and go.  They are only penned at mating and hatching time to keep the breeds separate,” Lesley told Rural Living.

From all accounts Khaki Campbell and Muscovy drakes are not above indulging in some serious gang bullying of the smaller, more delicate Indian Runners – and a group of lovely, chocolate coloured Indian Runner-Khaki Campbell crosses peering over the fence of their pen are witness to this.

The pens are in reality little more than a section of paddock that has been sectioned off with wire netting to make a small play area.  Neither the Indian Runners nor the Khaki Campbells fly so the netting is an effective barrier. 

But it is easy to believe any self respecting duck would simply choose to remain on this block.  Much of what was at one time garden is now long lush grass with strategically placed ponds made from baby baths and paddling pools and is clearly home for the ducks. 

When they want more than a brief dip they can make their way down to a beautiful big dam and pond surrounded by trees and grass.

If Lesley had to choose only one breed of duck to keep on the property she doesn’t hesitate. “The Runners. They’re lovely.  I don’t know if it’s just our Runners or Runners in general but they seem to pair for life and they are devoted to each other.”

Proof of this is Donald and Gundel – a pair that seem to be almost human in their pairing.

“At one stage Gundel had a nest at the top of the drive and Donald would sit and keep her company.  One night he wasn’t there and didn’t come for food. I looked all over for him but couldn’t find him. The next morning he still wasn’t there and I told Gundel he’d run off and left her.  She promptly got up, fluffed up her feathers and waddled off to an old sunk-in bath behind the trees.  We hadn’t used it in ages because it was over grown and we’d let it go dry.  But we’d had a bit of a shower and there was a couple of inches in the bottom of it.  And Donald.  He’d got in for a swim but couldn’t get out.  And of course they can’t fly.  I don’t know how Gundel knew to take me there, but she knew.”

Indian Runner ducks are smaller than Khaki Campbells and much smaller than the stocky Muscovy – which is more of a goose than a duck anyway – and its easy to see they would be the bottom of the pecking order so to speak.  While Khaki Campbells are bred for both their eggs and their meat, Indian Runners are egg layers. “Well, you could make soup with them,” Lesley said with a laugh. “But they are egg layers.”

Unless you have predators – rats, feral cats, pukekos – ducks don’t generally need housing.  They do however need to have water – and not just for swimming in.  It is vital they be able to put their heads in the water and clean their nasal passages which can get blocked when they are eating. If unlike Lesley you don’t have a dam and decide to use a manmade swimming pond, it will need to be cleaned regularly and to avoid a repeat of Donald’s saga – ensure it has sufficient water for the ducks to be able to get out of.

As with chickens, good quality mash is a must for ducks – but they are also great at keeping garden pests at bay. “They scoop up slugs and snails but they never touch my Monarch butterflies.”

The Indian Runner is the only duck in New Zealand bred exclusively as an egg-producer. In its heyday the Indian Runner was the ultimate egg machine, with laying records that greatly exceeded those of any hen.

An official world record of 363 eggs in twelve months was established at Papanui in Christchurch early last century by a Runner duck, which on several occasions laid two eggs in one day. Around the same time, a team of five Indian Runners laid 2887 eggs over a two-year test period.

The Runner originated in Malaya (as it was then called) and was introduced to Britain in the 1870s. It is a slim, upright, active duck with relatively long legs, which should walk or run without the roll or waddle of most ducks. Fanciers have tended to breed to exaggerate this stance and have been accused of aiming for “Too much Runner and not enough Duck!”