happy healthy ducks for rich eggs, fresh compost, reduced pests in a regenerative garden or farm

learn to raise, feed and care for healthy, resilient runner ducks. find out what ducks need and see the whole process from brooding day-old ducklings to free-ranging an egg-laying flock, with all the tremendous benefits that ducks bring to a small regenerative food forest, permaculture farm or large organic garden.
whether you've considered keeping ducks or just adore these happy creatures, it's delightful to see the whole process from brooding ducklings to managing them in a silvopasture system that could, with the ducks’ help, become more and more closed-loop, increasing our resilience to ecological and economic uncertainty, particularly food and fertiliser security. keeping runner ducks is such a great shift to a more reciprocal vision of how we might live regenerative, relocalised, simplified lives.
- even without the ecosystem benefits of adding fertility to the gardens, cleaning the orchard, reducing slugs and pests that trouble everything from trees to veg gardens to milk goats or sheep, transforming overproductions and food-waste into eggs, into compost, and into a new generation of laying ducks, a flock of ducks is just plain happiness in your garden -
for more simple, regenerative actions much like working with runner ducks to make a more resilient farm + garden, subscribe to @appleturnover for film, radio + writing on our experiments in regenerative living and natural farming.
look for our films 'broody hen', 'deep litter' and 'goosehouse' for more useful films from this series on a *small farm future on the appleturnover playlist.
follow elisa @appleturnover on instagram / appleturnover and facebook / appleturnoverfarm for more stories of building a resilient life on the microfarm.
find out more about elisa rathje and appleturnover farm, films, letters, podcast and events at appleturnover.tv.
if this is the sort of work that appeals to the way you’d like to live, you can
get on the appleturnover mailing list to hear when new films, shorts, podcasts,
newsletters, interviews, q & a’s and mentorship calls are happening
eepurl.com/dO0KAz
huge thanks to the appleturnover film, letter + radio patrons ( / appleturnover )
if this small work feels like an inspiring fit, do join us.
elsewhere:
if you like a radio companion as you're pottering about your day, subscribe to the small work* podcast, here (podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast...)
more: subscribe to the appleturnover letters for elisa rathje's new writing on positive futures / appleturnover
#homesteading #regenerativeagriculture #ducks

[@woolandtheforest]

Finally got a chance to sit with you tonight and oh what a treat. A beautiful film! And I learn so much every time I watch one of these. So much to dream of, to aspire to, to envision. Your little piece of earth is a blessed place. 💚🙏🏽

[@appleturnover]

that is so, so encouraging, thank you my friend. it is a beloved place, it seems clear that everyone who has lived there adored and tended it and contributed more.

[@trucid2]

2:44 The runner duck is chasing a goose...

[@DunkNat]

Could watch this all day, just beautiful.

[@appleturnover]

oh, i’m glad. thanks for writing x

[@jennsinkona]

Beautiful video. I had a Muscovy drake show up at my acre property that’s started following me around and hanging with my chickens. After a week and many a community post asking if he belonged to someone to no avail we adopted him. A week later we got him a girlfriend and they are just as sweet as can be. And while my 20+ chickens are all young and just should come into laying soon our female duck has given us an egg almost daily since she’s been here so it’s been a real treat. I also love just watching them as he is so sweet with her❤

[@appleturnover]

it’s a ducky love story! thank you for this.

[@switchstitch7950]

beautiful art with your film and how peaceful is was to watch the runner ducks

[@appleturnover]

i’m so glad to hear this! thank you

[@egggggggggggggggggggg]

Need more videos like these, so soothing to watch. Thank you so much for this wonderful gift.

[@appleturnover]

this is so encouraging, thank you!

[@extracaliber432]

Love your videos, very heart warming.

[@appleturnover]

i’m glad! thank you.

[@FreeRangeLiving]

Our compliments on some really beautifully shot and edited videos. We watched the goose house video twice through! 🥰

[@appleturnover]

that’s so encouraging thank you! the geese will be particularly pleased ( ＾∀＾) some short pieces are next, you might like to be on the list eepurl.com/dO0KAz

[@Thaonguyenvx]

Your garden is so beautiful❤

[@appleturnover]

thank you so much! it has its own magical life

[@klauskarbaumer6302]

Beautiful. We had our ducks free-ranging our farm, too, and liked seeing them on our pond - till they got discovered by coyotes. After some losses we decided to keep them inside a fenced area.

[@appleturnover]

oh, poor ducks! yes, fences are critical and we have begun bringing ours up to the top, away from the big pond and creek in early spring because the otters are so dangerous. not easy! we just adore them x

[@maren807]

I'm getting 2 runner ducks to add to my flock this spring! I can't wait! They are just adorable 🥰

[@appleturnover]

so exciting maren! they are just sweethearts (´∀｀*)

[@susiekang8646]

The ducks and the appleturnover farm are lovely! :D

[@appleturnover]

thanks susie! ( ＾∀＾)

[@wooden_branches]

Thank you for this beautiful film. Your ducks are gorgeous and are living a wonderful happy life.

[@appleturnover]

thanks ann! they are such happy ducks.

[@jamep1]

Thanks for the video. Your property is beautiful and seems perfect for the ducks!

[@appleturnover]

thanks jim! it just feels right to have them here. we got to meet a granddaughter of the original homesteaders and she told us they kept geese by the pond half a century ago! so there’s a nice history…

[@jaimegibbs2751]

Love this video and the regenerative message! Beautifully delivered. Thank you.

[@appleturnover]

i’m delighted, jaime, thank you for your kind words.

[@elsbeet396]

Love Love Ducks🥰🦆 Thanks for sharing this incredible,wonderful,elaborately and sensitively filmed DuckMovie👏🤗

[@appleturnover]

thank you so much! ( ´∀｀)

[@iamGrowing]

Awesome video. I love this one and the one about the goose house. When I built my goose house this past summer I did it very similar to yours. Thanks for posting these videos.

[@appleturnover]

thank you! that’s so great, i’d love to see pictures…

[@pattiereasor5193]

I just found your channel! I love your little farm. Thank you for sharing.

[@appleturnover]

i’m so pleased, pattie!

[@Duskbear]

Fantastic video, I could watch this all day.

[@appleturnover]

i’m so pleased, luca! you caught today’s short? ducks in the kitchen garden…run ducks in the veg garden to reduce pests organically, collaborating with animal and plant systems kzbin.infokZgGI_O_0nU?feature=share

[@barbararussell897]

I really enjoyed this. Thank you.

[@appleturnover]

that means a lot to me, thanks for writing barbara.

[@catnipacres]

Your videos are a work of art! I am thinking of getting runner ducks and this video was just what I was looking for. Your care for the land shines through in everything you do! Blessings from Ontario! 💙

[@appleturnover]

this is so kind, i’m delighted! and to you☆彡

[@IzzyDelauniere]

We once had 1 runner duck and 3 chicken. We called him Billy!! Your video brings back sweet memories!

[@appleturnover]

so sweet, isabelle. i’m glad

[@irisalosavalos1945]

Its lovely juat lovely. Instead of getting a flower bouquet i got duckling from husvand and chicks💗💗😁 now i have to see videos of ducks since i have no clue and learning with such a beautiful voice juat makes learning fun and easy!

[@appleturnover]

oh, i’m so glad. ducklings are soooo much better than flowers!! wow! enjoy your babies.

[@margaretrosin7853]

Wow! Beautiful video. Love the documentary style with your calm voiceover. Very nicely done 😊. New sub.

[@appleturnover]

thank you margaret!! xx

[@octoale]

That was the best video I’ve seen about ducks so far ❤

[@appleturnover]

(๑˃̵ᴗ˂̵) thank you so much!

[@cacosta6294]

Beautiful video , Best ive seen

[@appleturnover]

oh, thank you so much.

[@torynndaland7295]

Thank YOU

[@appleturnover]

my pleasure. thank YOU (о´∀`о)

[@melanieoberting4616]

I have a Muscovy pair in Napa CA too ❤

[@appleturnover]

lovely! ( ´∀｀)( ´ ▽ ` )

[@od1bo]

Informative and a treat to watch. Thanks for sharing

[@appleturnover]

thanks for the encouragement! (*´∀｀*)

[@rickyberger]

My absolute favorite channel. I can hardly wait for a new video! 🥰❤️

[@appleturnover]

oh, ricky, i’m delighted!

[@mousiebrown1747]

✊🏻Water is Life ✊🏻 Thank you . I needed to see a good view of runner ducks. They seem delightful. I may, or I may not, follow your path-I’m older with mobility issues, & a history of coyotes hereabouts. But….. I would add in a few geese for fun! Had some years ago & they did great. Neighborhood fox got their chicks, tho….. free range nesting….. You’ve been a big help to me. I had been thinking about a few Swedes, rather than a larger breed. But the runners would meet my purpose - eggs & entertainment- as you clearly show. There are rattlesnakes & moccasins here and the occasional turtle. Hopefully the commotion of ducks would discourage them to the very nearby water and woods. I’m toying with the idea of releasing some native type turkeys as some live nearby, and some neighbors feed the deer. I’ve only seen deer once in the yard but people tell me their hoof prints are everywhere. I have completely enjoyed this quality presentation ❤❤❤. Love the cats! I have 3.

[@appleturnover]

amazing plans. wonderful. ganders complicate everything but the geese are so great! glad to have been of help. see my other comment and do join us over at patreon.com/appleturnover if it is a fit. i do a farm tour film monthly and there’s a good 8 months in the archive now.

[@horvathritaeva1144]

Thank you!!!🙏❤ Very good and helpful video! And your voice is incredibly comforting, I love it!😊😊😊

[@appleturnover]

oh, you are welcome! thank you so much. you might enjoy the readings i do on the journal of small work podcast-

[@robertfrederick5226]

Thank you

[@appleturnover]

You're welcome

[@magsterz123]

Such a beautiful video! Thank you.

[@appleturnover]

oh, thank you maggie!

[@wandamannsmith8469]

Beautiful!

[@appleturnover]

thank you wanda!

[@daveandkatyreadings-bower2282]

Such a lovely informative video

[@appleturnover]

oh, i’m glad. thanks dave & katy

[@ElizaA12345]

So beautiful ❤

[@appleturnover]

thank you eliza!

[@cleonawallace376]

How lovely! I love your gentle style, and your property is really beautiful. Ducks always seem like such happy souls quacking away to each other, and yours seem to be living a really idyllic life! Is there anything to know about why you chose running ducks, rather than the rounder type? We are in the very early stages of planting fruit trees, so it may be too soon, but one day I hope to have some ducks. Hearing that they can tolerate heat too is great...we are in Italy and in recent years our summers have been intense, so I was worried that it might be too dry and hot for them.

[@appleturnover]

italy, how wonderful. it’s worth seeing what breeds are thriving in your part of the world or south of you, but if you do have shade and sufficient water sources (i love that they are reused for the trees!) ducks should manage. some faster growing trees in between fruit trees, that also set nitrogen might be an option for speeding that process up. i just adore the runners and could find local sources, they are good layers…loving the breed goes a long way i find, the attachment means we are a better carer and spend more time watching them, tending them, and we catch injuries faster. they are little sweethearts. i hope you love the other films and you might like to be on the list as i write and make a podcast as well: eepurl.com/dO0KAz or find me @appleturnover on instagram. thanks cleona! best luck.

[@appleturnover]

runner ducks are from bali and thereabouts…imagine it runs pretty hot!

[@michaelhamiltonaeroplane43]

we've got 2 of those ducks in Scotland in a wee loch next to farmland...........at 11:09 in the video it's the dark green one we have and an older one with white/grey feathering in Scotland......i thought Cayuga Ducks at 1st until i got a clearer view in your video..........thanks for sharing

[@appleturnover]

are they wild ducks then? the green head indicates mallard, i should think. runner ducks and cayuga are both relatives of mallards if i have my genetics straight (i suspect my younger runners have a bit of cayuga in them as they aren’t as long and they lay white eggs, not blue!)

[@EZ.SJ8892]

one day I will definitely be able to have a farm garden like this after I retire, your videos are very inspiring, keep making videos like this, I love them so much❤❤ from malaysia 🥰🥰

[@appleturnover]

oh, i’m so glad. i wish it all for you!

[@okiegeneral3074]

Well done. Beautiful video :))

[@appleturnover]

oh, thank you!

[@chokmah3926]

❤

[@appleturnover]

(=´∀｀)人(´∀｀=)

[@atlantapage1153]

I switched my ducks from grain to running free in the orchard yard which is a grassy lawn with fruit trees. They completely stopped laying. We resumed grain on top of letting them out in the newly fenced yard but still no eggs. We went from 5 a day to 0 and no they are not laying in the yard. There are other chickens and some turkeys with them in the yard so... What do you think happened. We slowly returned their normal feed on top of the free ranging. Fingers crossed they will resume. It is April.

[@appleturnover]

i do give mine grain as well as free ranging but it’s not much. do they have access to oystershell? perhaps their minerals dropped too much. the land here is acidic so i just add oystershell around the trees, both tree and duck love it.

[@barnabyvonrudal1]

Very interesting to see, would love to have ducks if I get the opportunity! I was wondering do the nutrients build up in the pond? Or maybe the duckweed sucks them out?

[@appleturnover]

i will have to test that but there are a lot of factors. this is an ephemeral pond, so it dries out late summer. there are willows sucking up a ton of energy. i’d like to add more plants into the pond for filtering but i’ve not got the rushes to take yet. maybe next year! the ducks seem to take long months off of pond time too.

[@stcampia]

Can you share the plans you used for the duckhouse? It's absolutely beautiful!

[@appleturnover]

thanks! i’d really like to, as soon as i can get to it! you might like to get on the mailing list to hear when i do: eepurl.com/dO0KAz

[@TheEnchantedDuat]

All gardens should have ducks... but I'm a tad bias :)

[@appleturnover]

agreed! ( ´∀｀)

[@TheEnchantedDuat]

@@appleturnover Ohh and those goats :) As a child I would go for a walk and come home with animals to my parents frustration who had no idea where and how I got them including a lamb and another time a little black goat I called minnie. So would love to have a pair of black goats also some day :) thankyou for the shares of your patch of dirt x Raven

[@appleturnover]

i missed this, raven. what a magical childhood! you might like to follow along on the appleturnover instagram or patreon.com/appleturnover.

[@barnabyvonrudal1]

Watching this a second time 😊. Is that clumping or running bamboo? Looks like it grows reasonably well there

[@appleturnover]

a second time is high praise! some of the bamboo runs like mad and others quietly clump. sounds like it is time for a film about how we control it? barnaby you might like to ‘follow’ over at patreon.com/appleturnover or even become a member. there’s also the mailing list for updates, if you’re not already subscribed, eepurl.com/dO0KAz. i have plans for shorts that are suggested by patrons…

[@Potist]

Great vid=) What are those trees at 20:14 called?

[@appleturnover]

thanks! if i’m seeing the right moment (silvopasture with ducks in long grass?) those are a variety of old apple trees i have been restoring for seven years now.

[@Jess-kd3su]

This was such an informative video, thank you!! I do have a question; you mentioned that you feed them potatoes- did you mean actual potatoes or the whole plant, leaves and all?

[@appleturnover]

they will eat my potato plants if i don’t fence them, no one has told them they’re not edible. but cooking potatoes for your ducks is a thing. i’m just working on potatoes enough for the people first. it would be great to be able to feed them entirely from this land.

[@BrookeS190]

Lovely videos, do you have any videos on your natural goat keeping style ? 😊

[@appleturnover]

i have a wee film about kid goats, more of a love letter to them. goat-keeping is still only a few years under my belt but i will venture in bit by bit! are you keeping goats, brooke?

[@barnabyvonrudal1]

How do you manage the duck population? For example if you regularly have ducklings then you'll increase the population

[@appleturnover]

we don’t have ducklings very often at all. three of our ducks will turn seven next spring! and have never gone broody. but when we do we try to locate (in advance!) homes for the boys as slug-eating trios…to keep the ratios functional. if we were raising yearly i guess we’d need to eat some drakes? as we do with excess roosters who don’t have a home in the community (which ours often do as we raise special, friendly breeds with fresh genes for other flocks). if you don’t need more ducks, gather the eggs and don’t let them sit on any….

[@mousiebrown1747]

Important question: do you bother about determining fertility of your eggs? If so, how? I remember as a kid learning a bit about candling eggs, which I’ve long since forgot! Secondly, I’ve got a large double sided doghouse (for a Great Pyrenees-who never used it) designed for like 2 labs, and the roof lifts off for egg hunting. What would be a rough guess as to how many ducks could comfortably sleep or nest in there? It’s at least 4 1/2 ft x 3 ft, 2 large entry flaps (which can be rigged into doors that secure them inside. Thank you for your good help. I have no dogs at present. I’m trying to trap pesky raccoons: the fact raccoons are thriving is a sign coyotes aren’t here.

[@appleturnover]

the iphone/handy is made for candling! i do try to, just so i know i have some little lives happening for my broody. rough guess, 6? as long as they are free ranging. more if you attach a secure run that stays open to the house (like my chicken run) plus they freerange. just mind it is not on the ground. rats easily eat in and then other predators. you might like to come over to patreon.com/appleturnover to see what that’s like. you sound very at ease with it all but if you need a few weeks of mentorship to get a project well off the ground there’s a tier for that. and free stuff etc.

[@La_Habana_Farms_TX]

What herbs do you use for worming your goats naturally?

[@appleturnover]

so many - check out fiasco farms for their approach/products

[@asmallholdersjourney3618]

We are doing similar. Might I ask where you are roughly? Scotland here.

[@appleturnover]

we’re on a tiny island off the west coast of canada. i always wish we’d gotten up to scotland when we lived in the uk.

[@MistressOP]

Do you feed chopped fine bamboo leaves?

[@appleturnover]

we feed chopped bamboo shoots but they aren’t keen on the leaves-our goats love them at certain times of the year, though, as do the geese.

[@rachealballiu9260]

Are their wings clipped so they don't fly away?

[@appleturnover]

the runner duck doesn’t really fly, they might beat their wings to pick up some speed and catch a bit of air but they are best at swimming and pretty great at walking. they did once find a hole in the fence and went to sample the grass on the other side-but only for a day trip! they know where home is and want to be here.

[@MommaMystic99]

What kind of goats do you have?

[@appleturnover]

nigerian dwarf goats.

[@sarahsher673]

Do you get 4-5 eggs a day?

[@appleturnover]

something like that, yes! more this time of year. none in autumn and early winter.

[@user-pb7sb7we4t]

What’s every tree in this video ?

[@appleturnover]

this is an old apple orchard with many layers of food forest added.

[@nata180774]

How they don’t fly away?

[@appleturnover]

they don’t really fly. and this is their home and their family! ( ◠‿◠ )

[@user-xi3rd4un8o]

Идилия 😊🌲🌺

[@appleturnover]

(о´∀`о)☆彡

[@pianofanCH]

Simply beautiful, every second of this video! Thank you so much for these harmonious moments that I was allowed to enjoy.

[@appleturnover]

oh, i’m so glad to hear it! my pleasure.