Judging Indian Runner Ducks

 

Before starting, I would first like to point out that I do not claim to be an expert on any variety of purebred poultry. Although, I have been involved with raising and showing a variety of birds & animals (specializing in Runner Ducks) for a number of years, and thought that the following may be of interest to some. Since I feel that separate articles could easily be written on each individual color of Indian Runner, I have decided to concentrate on the other aspects of the breed here. In my mind, probably the most important aspect of judging Runners, is HOW they are judged, and by this I am referring to whether or not they are done in a “ring”. Although I know that there are a number of well-respected waterfowl fanciers out there who feel differently, there is no doubt in my mind, that if these birds are to be fairly evaluated they MUST be judged in a   ring.
 
There are many very important points that the judge can’t see when Runners are caged. Number one, as we all know, Runners are naturally a high-strung breed and few will stand well in a cage. I have heard many comment that the best birds will stand when caged, though my experience with them is that many of the ducks that are calm enough to “cage-stand” (constantly) are the heavier, less refined specimens. Aside from putting them in a ring where they will settle a little so that the judge can see the whole bird, there are a number of other crucial points that can’t be detected in the cage, and maybe the most significant being the birds gait. The best Runners don't waddle like other ducks, though “walk” with a quick step. I have seen many birds that looked fine in the cage, though limped or skipped around the ring unsteadily.

 So, once they are in the ring, then what?

From what I have seen in recent years, most of the exhibition type Runners being shown today will “stand” quite well when in the ring, so this point alone will not help us find the best bird.

I feel that quite possibly one of the most important points to consider is the birds body conformation and size. One of the most common conformation faults is heavy shoulders or “chestiness”

This refers to the bird’s lower neck and body not blending smoothly. Many of the poorer birds look like, for lack of better terms, “a head and neck stuck on to the end of a shoebox”. What we are looking for is a nice long slim neck, very gradually tapering into a trim/refined body. When I refer to the body being trim and refined, I don’t mean bony! The best-bodied Runners should not be heavy (which often produces a small rounded “paunch”), though should have moderately small (in girth) round bodies. We have often heard that Runners should have the classic “wine bottle” shape, and that is very true, though this does not only refer to the blending of the neck and shoulders. A wine bottle is also round. Many of the otherwise superior Runners being shown have flat backs and “triangular” shaped bodies, and these are faults in the breed. Yes, they should have a straight (or “flat”) line from head to tail, but not from shoulder to shoulder – in the front or back.

As in any breed, “type” or body conformation is of prime importance in Runners. Although, there are also a few other key points that must be considered. Exhibition Runners are required to have a very long, flat and trim head. The method of placing a pencil on the skull is often used to measure how flat the head is, though this technique is also useful for comparing the length of birds’ heads. Aside from being flat and long, a Runner’s head should also be extremely trim. What we are not looking for are birds that have what I refer to as “deep jaws”, and by this I mean ones with a lot of depth between the top of the head and the bottom of the jaw. Although, I feel that these “pencil methods” of measurement can be quite useful to the breeder, at home, most veteran Runner judges can evaluate all points of the bird’s head simply by looking. One last head-point that I would like to bring up is that of eye placement. The Runner’s eye should be located very close to the topline of the skull, and in the best birds, should appear to be slightly protruding up through the top. When the eye is lower set, like in a Pekin or Call, it really takes away from that refined look that we desire. A low eye makes the entire head appear coarse.

Many of you out there are quite possibly wondering how I have written so much on Runners, and have not yet mentioned “stance” and height. Though I do agree that both of these factors are of extreme importance, I believed that the previously mentioned points are the most often overlooked. Runners need to be tall, in fact the taller the better as long as everything else is there and in proportion; meaning that I would not chose the tallest bird as best if there were others that were stronger otherwise and “tall enough”. We must also take into consideration where the height is coming from, Runners shouldn’t have extremely long necks with little short bodies, or visa-versa, though should gain from the combination of both length of neck and body

Now on to “stance”. It is my opinion that Runners don’t have to be “pushing themselves” constantly, and by this I mean that they don’t have to be standing straight up all of the time with their tail stuck down between their legs. Actually, many of these birds often show leg weakness, tremble in the ring, and even often lay down. Although, good exhibition type birds should very straight in the ring, with their tail carried in line with their back. I have seen birds in the ring with their tails pushed in past their legs, with their bodies not even overly erect, again not preferred and often a sign of weakness. The opposite of this trait would be those birds with persistently cocked-up tails, this as well is considered a fault.

 Well, it is about time for me to close. I hope that a few of you may of learned a little from this article, or at the very least found it interesting. I know for a fact that we have dozens of other breeders and judges out there who are more than qualified to write something on their favorite breeds, so please do so! 

 Until next time, all the best!

 James Carson
 APA - ABA Gen. Lic. Judge, &
Grand Master Exhibitor of White Runners