Indian Runner Duck Association
Indian Runners are a very special breed of domestic duck. When
they were imported into Europe they
attracted attention because of their tall, upright bodies and their
incredible reputation for egg-laying. They had been found in the
East Indies, from where they get their present name, but were
referred to as ‘Penguin Ducks’ by Dutch explorers and some of the
early importers.
The Indian Runner, like most breeds of domestic duck, is a
development of the wild mallard. Its evolution was probably
determined more by human influence than natural selection over the
hundreds of years they have been in the islands of Indonesia. They
are set apart from other domestic ducks not only by the geography
but in their shape, bone structure and blood proteins. They are
unique, and that is why the INDIAN RUNNER DUCK ASSOCIATION wishes to
protect the pure breed.
The Runners have been a determining factor in the commercial market,
especially for quick-growing egg-layers but also for adding
cross-breed vigour to the traditional table breeds, like Aylesbury
and Rouen. From their early importation they were crossed with other
domestic ducks to such an extent that the pure Indian Runners were
almost extinct in Britain by the beginning of the twentieth century.
They were used to create Khaki Campbells, Buff Orpingtons and the
rush of 'Light Duck' breeds that now fill the commercial farms and
exhibition pens.
It was only by the enthusiasm of people like Joseph Walton and
Matthew Smith that fresh importations were made in the early 1900s
and the pure breed Indian Runners are still to be found alongside
their cross-breed relatives. It is one of the aims of the INDIAN
RUNNER DUCK ASSOCIATION to preserve the purity of the breed and
contribute to the accurate standardization of the Indian Runner
Duck.
Waltons' Runners
More about their unique history
