Chocolate Runner Duck

Chocolate Runner Duck is a charming and unique breed, best known for its upright, bottle-shaped posture and rich, dark chocolate-brown plumage. A variant of the Indian Runner duck, this breed combines elegance, energy, and utility in one slender package. With their comical, upright stance and active personalities, Chocolate Runners are as entertaining as they are productive.

Unlike traditional ducks that waddle, Runner ducks have a more vertical build and are known for their swift, almost penguin-like gait. Chocolate Runners typically stand tall and slim, weighing around 3.5 to 5 pounds, making them a lightweight breed well-suited for both backyard flocks and small farms.

These ducks are excellent egg layers, often producing 180 to 250 eggs per year. Their eggs are usually white or lightly tinted, and they’re highly valued for their size and consistency. Chocolate Runners are active foragers and thrive in free-range environments where they can roam and hunt for insects, slugs, and weeds, helping with natural pest control.

In addition to their productivity, Chocolate Runner Ducks are known for their friendly and curious disposition. They’re social animals that do best in groups and enjoy interacting with both their flock mates and caretakers. Their unique appearance and energetic personalities also make them popular among duck lovers and poultry show enthusiasts.

Though not typically raised for meat due to their slender build, they’re a great choice for those focused on eggs, aesthetics, or natural gardening solutions. With their striking color, quirky behavior, and excellent laying ability, the Chocolate Runner Duck is a delightful and practical addition to any poultry setup.

All Runners were originally bred in Southeast Asia for high egg production and excellent mobility. There is evidence of their ancient ancestry from stone carvings in Java that are over 2000 years old. These ducks are still being used as they were then. Flocks of ducks are herded daily from field to field eating waste rice, weed seeds, insects, slugs and other bugs. They are then put in a bamboo pen at night where they lay their eggs and are released the following morning to clean other fields. During the course of their lives the ducks may cover hundreds of miles in their travels. Therefore, a hardy mobile duck is absolutely necessary – you will not find a better foraging duck than the Runner.