The short answer for an adult Indian Runner
An adult Indian Runner needs feed available throughout the day, not a counted number of meals. An Indian Runner stands upright, moves in a quick single-file trot, and spends her waking hours probing grass, mud edges, and leaf litter for insects, so her eating is dozens of small bouts rather than breakfast and supper. Keep a suitable waterfowl ration in a sheltered feeder she can return to, and treat your morning fill and evening top-up as the two managed points in an otherwise free-feeding day.
Why constant motion changes a Runner's eating
An Indian Runner's build explains her appetite pattern in a way a heavier duck's does not. She carries little spare bulk on that slim, vertical frame, lays reliably when conditions suit her, and covers surprising ground in a garden or small field, all of which draws steadily on the feed she takes in small amounts. Restricting a Runner to two brief meals leaves long hungry gaps in a day she spends actively hunting, and a hungry Runner will overfill uncomfortably when feed finally appears. Greens, safe garden trimmings, and the insects she finds herself round out the feeder ration, but foraging alone rarely balances a laying Runner's day.
Building the Runner's day around feeder and water
Place the feeder where the flock passes often, under cover so rain does not turn the ration to paste, and set deep drinking water right beside it so a Runner can dip her whole bill and clear her nostrils as she swallows. In the morning, fill the feeder, refresh the water, and watch the flock come in, because a Runner who hangs back from that first rush is telling you something before any other sign appears. Scatter a small handful of feed or greens on clean ground in the afternoon if you want an extra foraging bout, especially in winter when insects vanish. In the evening, top up rather than empty the feeder, shut the flock safely away from night predators, and leave enough feed that early risers are not waiting hungry at dawn. A Runner flock kept on a small lawn will strip the insect supply within weeks, which makes the feeder even more central once the easy foraging is gone.
When a Runner's appetite should worry you
Notice the Runner who stops joining the line at the feeder, because in this sociable breed a bird eating alone or not at all stands out quickly. Wet, matted feathers around the face, repeated head shaking after drinking, a drop in laying alongside reduced feeding, or lameness on those busy feet all warrant prompt advice from a veterinarian who treats birds. Feed left soggy overnight also grows mould that ducks are sensitive to, so tip out spoiled ration instead of topping it up and hoping. A Runner who has had access to stagnant puddle water and then goes quiet and off her feed should be seen the same day rather than watched for another round of meals. When several people share the garden rounds, KinsLe Care Teams spells out who fills the Runner feeder, who refreshes the deep water, and who locks the flock in, with finished rounds time-stamped in one place.