Picture this: It’s six thirty in the morning. Golden rays of sunshine stream over the hills. Wrapped up in your fluffy dressing gown, with a steaming cup of green tea keeping your hands warm, you walk outside. All you can hear are the birds tweeting and the soft patter of webbed feet as a parade of upright duck’s waddles past your tomato patch.
This is the Pinterest cottagecore dream. It’s also the most effective and adorable way to control pests in your garden. This is why I’ve been trying to convince my family to get Indian Runner Ducks.
Why Runner Ducks Are Slug-Eating Champions
Indian Runner Ducks aren’t just for making your dream cottagecore garden even cuter. They’re hardworking, slug-eating garden helpers that align perfectly with natural, chemical-free living for families who care about health and sustainability.
The History of Indian Runner Ducks
Indian Runner Ducks evolved from Mallard Ducks. These unique ducks walk upright and can actually run—which is how they got their name. They’re normally coloured with dark, light, or ginger fawn and white patterns. As the ducks age, their feathers become lighter. They have a lifespan of around 10 to 12 years.
When farmers domesticated these ducks centuries ago in mainland China and Indonesia, they used them to control pests on rice paddies—slugs, frogs, snails, and insects didn’t stand a chance. Their upright stance allows them to run efficiently through gardens. Charles Darwin even nicknamed them “Penguin ducks.”
I haven’t had Indian Runners before, but I’ve talked to people who own them and read countless posts from bloggers who swear by them in their gardens.
Natural Pest Control That Actually Works
Runner Ducks excel at pest control because of their unique body structure. They can run around your garden and between rows of vegetables, eating slugs and snails along the way.
You may be wondering what mum asked when trying to convince her to get some Runner Ducks: Will they scratch up my garden like chickens do? Not as much. I talked to a man who owns Runner Ducks, and he confirmed they’re far less harsh on grass and soil.
If there aren’t enough slugs or snails to eat, the ducks may create small holes in the soil. They gather soil and then go to their water source to filter it through their nose, to fins insects and worms to eat. But this is minimal disruption compared to chickens scratching and creating a mess.
Also, their narrow bodies let them run down plant rows easily. But make sure to protect new seedlings before letting out the ducks, as they may nibble on tender young plants.
How Runner Ducks Keep Your Family and Animals Safe
Runner Ducks will eat all your slugs and snails on your vegetables. This means you don’t need toxic slug bait in your garden. Which means your children and pets can play safely without exposure to harmful chemicals.
This also reduces insecticide use significantly. Say goodbye to chemicals leaching into your soil, food, and water. This helps keep our pollinators like bees and butterflies safe too.
If you’d like to learn more about chemicals leaching into food and affecting pollinators, check out these blog posts: Regenerative Earth: Food, Health, Hope and 5 Ways to Create a Bee Friendly Garden.
Health and Environmental Benefits of Runner Ducks
Garden Gold: Nutrient-Rich Manure
Duck manure is nitrogen-rich gold for your garden. This helps build healthy soil that keeps your plants thriving. You can collect their manure and use old bedding from their coop to add to your compost pile.
Want to learn more? Check out Composting at Home: Easy Steps for Healthier Soil.
Fresh, Nutritious Eggs
Indian Runner Ducks can lay an average of 180 to 250 eggs annually. They begin laying at 4.5 to 6 months old. The eggs are large and either white or green-shelled. Runner Ducks remain productive for five to six years.
I love having fresh eggs for breakfast- and both duck and chicken eggs contain many vitamins and minerals. However, duck eggs tend to have higher amounts of folate, iron and vitamin B12 compared to chicken eggs. This makes them an excellent addition for vegetarians who don’t get B12 from animal protein.
A Biodiverse Garden Ecosystem
Indian Runner Ducks create a healthier, more balanced ecosystem in your garden. Because they’re eating unwanted pests, beneficial insects like bees, ladybugs, and butterflies are attracted to your healthier plants.
This creates more biodiversity, which mimics natural ecosystems. The ducks act as predators to your pests, keeping their numbers down. This means you have healthier crop plants, which produce more flowers for beneficial insects to pollinate. The result? More food for you and your family, and for your hardworking Runner Ducks.
It’s a beautiful circle of life, and I love seeing people’s backyards that work this way.
Runner Ducks in Real Life (Not Just on Pinterest)
A Hardy, Low-Maintenance Breed
Runner Ducks are pretty low-maintenance day-to-day. The breed has adapted to living in zero-degree weather and hot, dry summers with proper care.
They’re a social breed and need friends. So, always keep at least two or three ducks in your flock. For general health maintenance check regularly for lice or damage to their feet.
Food and Shelter Requirements
Feed your ducks on a grassy paddock or let them roam your garden. They need fresh and clean drinking water every day. Runner Ducks drink around one litre of water per day per duck. If you don’t have a pond for them to swim in you can use a kids’ swimming pool or an old bath. Just make sure to add a shallow ramp for easy access to the pool. Which allows your ducks to swim and clean themselves.
Runner Ducks struggle to go up steep ramps, so a ground-level coop works best. Make sure it’s large enough to house all your ducks and is movable if possible. Runner Ducks sleep on the ground on straw or wood chips. So, provide nesting boxes and clean the coop regularly.
Key requirements:
- Well-ventilated and predator-proof
- One and a half square meter per duck
- Lock them in at night if you have predators
Kid-Friendly and Educational
These ducks are gentle and entertaining. They help teach children about where food comes from and how to care for animals. They also make amazing pets. My seven-year-old cousin has some ducks, and she loves being outside feeding them and giving them cuddles. She also comes up with very creative names for each individual like Dumpling and Mr. Hamilton.
Start Your Chemical-Free Garden Journey Today
Are you ready to ditch the slug pellets and embrace a gentler way to garden? Start by creating your dream cottagecore garden board on Pinterest for inspiration. Then research local breeders of Runner Ducks in your area.
When you’re ready to make the switch, a few cute and cuddly Indian Runner Ducks may just become your new best friends—and your garden’s secret weapon.
I hope you have a lovely rest of your day!
Georgia xoxo
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