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Breeds of DucksBreeds of Ducks by: Usam Stephen, Agricultural Officer 1
DUCK SPECIES
Two different species of ducks are reared
locally. These are:
The Barbary or Muscovy Duck
The True Duck
BREEDS OF THE TRUE DUCKS
There are many breeds of the true duck.
These include:
Rouen Khaki Campbell
Pekin Indian runner
CHARACTERISTICS OF THE MUSCOVY DUCK
Figure 1. Muscovy duck
It grows very rapidly. The male bird weighs
about 4 - 5 kg and the female about 3 kg at 12
weeks of age. The female lays about 45 - 60
eggs per year.
CHARACTERISTICS OF THE PEKIN DUCK
The Pekin Duck – This breed was imported
from China. It is completely white in colour
(figure 2). It is a meat bird which grows very
rapidly. The mature male bird weighs 4 kg
while the female weighs 3.5 kg at 12 weeks of
age.
Fattening is rapid, with the duckling weighing
2.5 kg at 8 weeks. This is the second most
popular breed reared locally for meat. The
female can lay up to 130 eggs per year.
The Muscovy Duck can have white, black and
grey feathers or a mixture of all 3 colours
(figure 1). This duck may be recognized by
fleshy red swellings around the eyes and beak.
This swelling is more prominent in the males
than the females. It is a hardy bird but has
limited breeding capacity. This is the most
popular breed of duck reared locally for meat.
TT:Ag Ext 99:04
Figure 2. Pekin duck
CHARACTERISTICS OF THE ROUEN DUCK
The male Rouen Duck is light grey in colour
with a green neck, while the female is
grey-brown (figure 3). The duckling weighs
2.5 kg at 12 weeks of age. The female lays
about 90 eggs per year. This duck is slower
growing and is a less popular meat duck.
Figure 3. Rouen duck
CHARACTERISTICS OF THE KHAKI
CAMPBELL DUCK
The Khaki Campbell Duck is beige (khaki)
in colour (figure 4). It is noted for its
exceptional laying capacity of approximately
200 eggs per year and up to 300 for certain
selected strains. The duckling weighs 1.7 kg
at 10 weeks.
Figure 4. Khaki Campbell ducks
CHARACTERISTICS OF CROSS BREEDS
Cross Breeds - The first generation crosses
of the male Pekin (meat) x female Khaki
Campbell (layer) are generally used for
breeding. The offspring of this cross can be
crossed with either the Pekin or the Khaki
Campbell.
CHARACTERISTICS OF THE MULE DUCK
Mule Duck – This breed is a cross between
the Muscovy and any other breed of duck.
This cross is sterile and is only intended for
meat production.
The Muscovy, and to a lesser extent the Pekin
are the two most popular breeds of duck
which are reared locally for their meat.
Another popular meat duck is the mule duck.
“All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, transmitted in any
form, or by any means reproduced without permission in writing, of the Ministry of Food Production.”
COMPARISON OF SOME TRAITS OF MUSCOVY AND PEKIN
CHARACTERISTICS
MUSCOVY
PEKIN
Origin South America
China
Colour Colour varies from pure white, to black, to black and white White feathers and light yellow bill.
Sound Soft hiss
Loud quack
Tail Feathers in Male Straight
Curled
Grazing Good grazers
Moderate grazers
Water Tolerance Poor
Good
Ability to Fly Can fly
Cannot fly
Feathering Easy to pluck
Relatively hard to pluck
Size of Males and Females Males are much larger (4.5 kg) and grow faster than female (3 kg) in
12 weeks
Males and female are approximately same size (4 kg) in 12 weeks
Cross Breeding Crossing with other ducks leads to sterile off-spring
Crossing with other ducks except
Muscovy produces fertile off-spring
Egg Production Moderate 45 - 60 per year
Good, up to 130 per year
Setting Good
Poor
Incubation Period 33 - 35 days
28 days
For further information and advice contact your Extension Officer
Published and Printed by The Extension Training and Information Services Division
Technical Content reviewed by the Animal Production and Health Division
Ministry of Food Production Trinidad and Tobago
First Published, January 2000
Revised April 2014
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