The Aylesbury is a pure white duck that originated in England and is popular there because of its white skin. If you want more colorful ducks and can accept a slower growth rate, consider choosing from other breeds that can be used for meat production. Many commercial duck operations in Europe raise mule or moulard ducks. When a Muscovy is crossed with a duck, the offspring are sterile and often are referred to as mule ducks or moulard ducks, depending on the cross. Muscovies must be butchered by 16 weeks of age, or the meat becomes too firm.Īnother option for meat production is a Muscovy cross. The male Muscovy can become very large (10 to 12 pounds) the female is smaller (5 to 6 pounds). Another difference between the Muscovy and ducks is the length of incubation-35 days for the Muscovy versus 28 days for ducks. Because the Muscovy originates from the warmer areas of the Southern Hemisphere, its meat is leaner than meat from ducks, which tends to be fatty. The meat breed of choice in many areas is the Muscovy, which thrives under free-range conditions. Pekins are considered a general purpose breed because the hens lay fairly large numbers of white-shelled eggs. Pekins should not be raised past 10 weeks because at that age, they become difficult to pluck due to their pin feathers and their feed efficiency declines sharply. The Pekin is popular because of its fast growth rate and yellow skin. Under small farm conditions, a Pekin usually reaches 6 to 7 pounds in seven or eight weeks. Commercial producers are able to obtain a duck weighing 7 to 8 pounds in seven weeks. The main breeds are the Pekin and the Muscovy.Īround 90 percent of the duck meat produced in the United States is from the Pekin. Heavy and medium weight ducks typically are raised for meat production. Duck breeds are categorized by the APA into four classes-heavy, medium, lightweight, and bantam. There are 17 breeds of ducks recognized by the American Poultry Association (APA). The APA publishes the American Standard of Perfection (also known as the APA standard), which describes ideals for various breeds of domestic fowl. The Muscovy also is known as the Cairo duck, Indian duck, musk duck, and turkey duck. The Spanish call it the Pato, as do some handlers in the United States. In the Guineas, it is known as the guinea duck or Turkish duck because of the caruncles on its face. The Muscovy is called the Barbary duck in southern Europe and North Africa and the Brazilian duck in Brazil. They are still found in the wild in the warm regions of that continent and are raised domestically throughout the world. It is believed that Muscovies originated in South America. The male Muscovy has characteristic fleshy growths around the eyes called caruncles. It is hard to categorize Muscovies-they have a body like a duck they nest, attack predators, and hiss like a goose they roost like a chicken, and they have a plump breast like a turkey. Although often referred to as a duck, the Muscovy actually is a different species. No other wild duck has these sex feathers, yet the males of all domesticated duck breeds do.Īnother bird widely kept in domestication is the Muscovy. The male mallard has a couple of curled tail feathers, called sex feathers. Jacquie Jacob, University of KentuckyĪs with many domesticated species, ducks have been genetically selected for different purposes, primarily meat production and egg production. In addition, ducks are raised for exhibition, pest control, herd dog training, and feather and down production. If you plan to raise ducks, it is important to choose a breed that best suits your particular needs.Īll domesticated duck breeds are believed to have originated from the wild Mallard ( Anas platyrhynchos ).
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