Duck Breed Focus - Pekin

Tevyes Dad said:

Sorry I took so long, I was on the road the last two days. In the book, there are three black ducks:

Big black duck: Cayuga
Small black duck: Runner
and Big black duck with white chest: Swedish

I want to reinforce what Miss Lydia said about herding. While they are still hard to get remember, they have a great built in handle, their neck

While you shouldn't squeeze their necks or pick them up by their necks, it is a part that is easy to quickly but lightly grab with one hand and just hold them them long enough to get your other hand near them. I had to do this in the beginning with my ducks. Now I can herd them to a corner some place and they will usually let me catch them with very little protest. Also to get them used to you, if you sit on the ground and feed them peas or meal worms or whatever drives them crazy. Get to where they hang close and you throw treats at them, then get them to take a treat from your outstretched palm, then bring your palm in closer eventually you will get them to feed from your palm against your body (which means they are stretching over your legs. Then occasionally grab one and hold it in your lap and let it feed (gorge) out of the cup the treats are in, for a few seconds, then let it go and let it walk out of your lap and repeat. Slowly increase the time to a minute or two. After that, it depends on the duck... some will take a lot more and some won't. I still have a few ducks that won't eat treats while being held, but most of mine I can cradle on their backs and they will still eat treats. (But none of them EVER volunteers to be picked up.)

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MandyJ said:

Great advice! I'll try it. I am thinking seriously of getting a few Cayuga to go with my girls. I have a hatchery close that has both Pekin and Cayuga ducks.
Can you tell me, is the Cayuga hen's feathers as colorful as the drake? The blue, purple are gorgeous! But...I don't want drakes, only hens, I like my harmony!
Also, do you know anything about the blue Swedish duck. My husband is interested in them as well. Our ducks are for pets only. We collect the eggs, keep some, but give the others away.
Thanks again,
M

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sumi said:

The Pekin is a dual purpose breed from China that was brought to the United States by James Palmer in 1873. It soon became a very popular, dual purpose breed of duck because of its great size, egg production and friendly nature. The Pekin breed today is the most popular commercial duck breed in the United states, with around 95% of duck meat consumed in the US being Pekin.

The Pekin is a very popular choice for meat production as it reaches 8-11 pounds in just 15-18 weeks. And is also a good layer and will rarely ever try brooding, which is good for someone who wants eggs and not ducklings. Pekin ducks are less prone to broodiness than other duck breeds and they are more likely to abandon their nest before their eggs hatch. Hens can be used to sit on the duck eggs, or they can be incubated artificially. On average a Pekin will lay 200-250 eggs per year.

Pekins make great pets as they are a very friendly and docile breed. They are very intelligent and are capable of forming lifelong strong and loyal bonds with humans, and often then prefer human company over the company of other ducks. Pekin ducklings start off a bright yellow color and get lighter as they start developing feathers at around 2-3 weeks of age.

Pekin’s usually mature and will start laying large white eggs around 25 weeks.

Details:
Origin: China
Purpose: Dual
Broodiness: Seldom
Average weight: Male - 8-9 lb, Female - 10-12 lb


















All pics by @holm25


BYC Reviews:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/products/pekin

Breed Discussions:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/742668/pekin-duck-club/0_30
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/726109/post-your-pekin-duck-pics-here/0_30

Do you own Pekins? Are you a Pekin breeder? If so, please reply to this thread with the your thoughts and experiences, including:

· What made you decide to get this breed?
· Do you own them for fun? Breeding? Some other purpose?
· What are your favorite characteristics about this breed?
· Post some pics of your birds; male/female, chicks, eggs, etc!

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N F C said:

I agonized over breeds so long...made lists, crossed & added breeds, juggled number to get, made a chart by breeds interested in (size, temperament, egg laying, broodiness, etc.). I was driving myself nuts. Finally, I kind of said "the heck with it" and got 8 different breeds (a total of 10 ducks).

Come April 11, 2016 I'll get:
1 Buff
2 Khaki Campbells
1 Cayuga
1 Welsh Harlequin
2 Blue Runners
1 Blue Swedish
1 White Laying Hybrid
1 Pekin

It's quite the sampler packet, lol. I ordered all females with the exception of the WH, they don't sex those. I had a credit with Murray McMurray and that's the primary reason I went with them (and I did have good luck with their chicks).

Hope it all works out.

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