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.

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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