How long do ducks live?

[BantyHugger]

I have 7 Pekins. 6 are 4 years old now and one that we got from a friend is 8. We had our female Rouen, also 4, die a month or so ago. She passed in her sleep while sitting on a nest. I was wondering if I should expect more of my ducks to die soon. 4 years seems a little young to me. How long do Pekins and pekin crosses live? Do Swedes and buffs live longer?

 

[calmlake]

ducks can live from 6 years to as much as 20 with geese known to reach 40 to 50 if well cared for. as a rule smaller breeds like mallards can live longer than larger breeds like pekins but I know of at least one pekin that is 19 and still going so they should have some time left coming to them.

Bill

 

[Wifezilla]

19?!?!?!

I thought ducks only lived 7-10 years.

 

[PlumTuckered]

I was always told that Pekins live 20 years.

Michelle

 

[Sweetfolly]

I had heard that, when properly cared for, they have about the same life span as dogs and cats and live can live 10 - 15 years, with ducks having shorter lifespans than drakes because of the stress egg-laying puts on their bodies.

Meat breeds like Pekins and Rouens are sort of the big, "Great Danes" of the duck world though, so I'd expect they wouldn't live as long as a Mallard or Runner. My 4-year-old Jumbo Pekin has terrible arthritis already because her weight is so burdensome to carry around, and she does terrible in hot weather when the other ducks don't seem bothered - I don't expect her to live as long as the Khaki Campbell "sisters" she lives with.

 

[CityChicker]

I am not sure about Pekins since we don't raise them, but we have had other breeds live up to 10-12 years old.

 

[cawooduck]

Ducks can live a long time!! Banding studies on wild waterfowl have revealed amazing ages, especially for ducks that have to put up with disease, hunters, predators and even sometimes manmade obstacles and influences on the land. One mallard was confirmed at 22 years old when a hunter shot it and turned in the band info!! Imagine how many miles that duck has flown in its lifetime!!

But like humans, they could be the healthiest duck on the planet and succomd to something, at any age.

 

[DuckLady]

Quote:

Hi, Bill!

I have heard this as well.
I know of a muscovy who was 20 when he passed away.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/85081070@N00/328789783/

 

[streemers]

when i first got ducks i read something saying that wild ducks have been recorded at 32 yrs old. domestics living until almost 30yrs.
thats a really long time but lots of other birds live into their 100's so i guess it could be possible. then again most ducks are done laying by 8yrs so that is a very long life for a bird that only breeds for such a short amount of time.

 

[BantyHugger]

Well thats wonderful to hear. I'd hate to seem my girls go so soon. The rouen in question has had a bit more stress than the rest of the ducks. First her mate was killed by the neighbors dog. Then the next year when, she hatched out a single duckling. That duckling turned into a drake and over mated my females - we had to get rid of him. This immediately made her broody again. This was her final nest - she died one morning to unknown causes. Quite possibly heat seeing as she effectively made a nest as far from the pond as possible.

All my other hens appear perfectly healthy although I would be shocked to have them all for another 20 years.