A Wacky, Quacky Pest Control Crew

Twice a day, over a thousand Indian Runner ducks commute to their jobs at the Vergenoegd Löw wine estate near Cape Town, South Africa. One of the perks for the winery’s duck employees is lunch on the job. The ducks enjoy an all-you-can-eat buffet of weeds, aphids, slugs, snails, and other insects that attack the vines and cover crops. This natural pest control program eliminates the need for pesticides, plus the ducks’ droppings enrich the soil. The winery literally has its ducks in a row, or rows, between the grapevines as part of its commitment to sustainable farming.

Indian Runner Ducks

The Indian Runner duck, Anas platyrhynchos domesticus, is a breed of domestic duck. They have slender bodies with long necks and slim heads. Their legs are set back closer to their tails, so the ducks stand up like penguins. Their upright posture allows them to run instead of waddle, which is why they’re called “runner” ducks. The “Indian” part of their name is a bit misleading but offers a glimpse of the ducks’ origins. In the 1830s, Runner ducks were imported to Britain from their native habitat in the Indonesian archipelago, historically part of an area referred to as the “East Indies.” Now, the ducks can be found all over the world.

Indian Runner ducks weigh between 3-5 pounds and reach 20-30 inches tall, with males being larger. Despite their light weight, their wings are too small for them to fly. The ducks are most often a light brown (fawn) and white color, but black, white, and chocolate brown are also common. Females can lay up to 300 eggs each year, but they frequently drop the eggs wherever they are at the time. They rarely nest and incubate their eggs. Farm workers at Vergenoegd Löw collect the eggs and put them into incubators to hatch the next generation of Runner ducks.

Sustainable Farming

There is a long history of using ducks as a natural pesticide. Runner ducks are believed to have been used in rice paddies in Asia for thousands of years. Ducks are omnivores and renowned foragers, dining on the local plant and the insect life. However, some ducks are better at foraging than others. This skill makes them better at controlling weeds and pests. Indian Runners, Muscovy, Khaki Campbell, Mallard, and Ancona ducks are considered good foragers. Muscovy ducks are also known to eat rodents like voles and mice.

Indian Runner ducks are thought to be the most active foragers out of all duck breeds. Unlike many other breeds, they favor roaming when foraging. So they can cover large areas searching for snails, slugs, and other insects. Their long necks and slim bodies help them get into hard-to-reach places. Plus, their waste is spread more evenly around the fields. Since the 1980s, a duck army has protected the vines at Vergenoegd Löw. They only move on to other fields during harvest time to keep them from eating the grapes they helped to thrive.