Ducklings: Chocolate Runner

Initially bred in Southeast Asia, all Runners have ancestry that dates back to Java over 2000 years ago. They were mistakenly named “Indian” Runners when first imported to England in the 1850s because they arrived on a ship from India; the importing family finally disclosed in 1909, that these runners were in fact from Southeast Asia. The first Runners imported into England were Fawn, Fawn-and White, or White. They were first exhibited in 1877 at the Dumfries Show in Scotland. Later in 1898, they were admitted into the American Standard Registry, though the Black, Blue, and Chocolate varieties were not recognized until 1977.These Chocolate Runners have chocolate brown plumage, dark brown eyes, a blackish brown bill, and dark brown shanks and feet. They breed true, so if you mate a Chocolate Runner with a Chocolate Runner, all of the progeny will be Chocolate Runners. Runner ducks are hardy because they typically cover hundreds of miles in their travels over the course of their lifetime