Pekin Behavior? Tell me about your pekins!

[nettie]

As i've posted previously, my fiance David roped me into keeping this little pekin duckling. In all of my duckie reseach over the past years, I'll admit, i've never researched this breed. I always thought it was too big for my liking. So, i don't know that much about this breed. Could you guys answer a few questions?

What are your pekins' personalities like? are they skittish, docile, funny, aggressive, nice, etc... tell me what your pekins are like?

Do they have any strange behaviors?

Are they less loud, more loud, or the same as female runners? (I'm not sure if mines a girl or a boy yet, but just in case...)

How big do they actually get? I googled some pictures and some don't seem that huge, while other look GIGANTIC. lol... should i be worried? lol.

Do they have any special requirements, needs, wants than other ducks?

How fast are they? I'm used to my super agile fast runners. Can a pekin run or fly a little? Could a pekin get up on something 6 inches to 9 inches about the ground?

Can you tell me any funny or interesting stories about your pekins? I won't lie, i wasn't in to the idea of getting a pekin, but David really really wanted him. He small and cute now, but i know he's gonna get huge. I just want to make sure i'm not surprised by anything when he gets older. lol

 

[unionwirewoman]

Well.........Mine are in the freezer now...smoked duck is delicious ! When they were alive , they were noisy when we came out of the house , weighed about 6 lbs , and very skittish even though I handled them alot as babies . My first batch used to follow me around , and were really great ! I think it all comes down to genetics , and what kind of arrangements you have for them .

 

[nettie]

my new pekin will probably end up being even more spoiled than the other two knuckleheads i got now... Mainly because the pekin is my finance's precious little guy. So not only will he get all th same treatment from me (and i'ma amajor spoiler) but he's gonna get an endless supply of love from David, lol...

 

[Dances with Ducks]

Ok, since you're not getting a lot of replys yet I'll quote from Holderreads.. "They make good pets and are often kept on ponds "just for pretty." Females are talkative and lay white or tinted eggs." They might lay between 125-225 eggs a year.

Males average 10lbs, females 9lb!

They grow up to eight pounds in seven weeks. (If this turns out to be a male you might have some more concerns, I don't know.)

"Pekins that have been bread for exhibition arre larger and more massive than commercial strains." You hopefully don't have an exhibition bird at least, right?

The slighty yellow cast to the plumage in adult ducks can be enhanced with ". . . diets rich in green feeds, yellow corn, marigold petals, and other yellow pigmented foodstuffs. . . "

Nettie, someday you are going to have to write a book!

 

[nettie]

tell me about it. I felt strange when i brought my duckies in diapers to the vet and the vet was surprised. lol...

We're slowly being known as the duck people around these parts, lol. Since i have a small back yard in my town house associaton, i'll take the runners for walks around the complex. I made them special harnesses so they can wear a long leash and not get hurt. You can imagine the looks/questions/ etc i get...

I've read that pekins are one of the most popular pet breeds... So i'm hoping it's like having the runners, or maybe we'll get lucky and it'll be easier. lol. I also have a mallard now too. lol... it never ends

 

[vfem]

My pekins are strange

I had raised them, yet they were always skittish and untrusting of me. So I moved them outside... they decided to forage and not come back to their house. Whatever...

Then suddenly they realized I was the feeder!!!!

So whenever they seem me, even if they are on the other side of a 2+ acre pond... they come a running, swimming, waddling...as fast as they can for me.


Now they eat right out of my hands and come wait for me at the deck in the morning for food. Now if I try to pick them up they take off.

Other then that, no aggression what so ever, and pretty quite (which makes me think they are both male.

)

 

[crazy cat lady]

My first 7 pekins I had, the female was quite the noisy one and every night when I went to put them in at night, we had to play ring around the kiddie pool. We did this twice around before they would go in their house. Needless to say I slowly lost all 7 to raccoons in the Spring when our river came out of their banks and flood the fields.

Now I have 3 Pekins and a cayuga. Once again the female is quite vocal, but since they are inside there is no ring around the kiddie pool. I just have a small bowl for them to clean their bills with so they don't get clogged up.

 

[BantyHugger]

I have 5 full-blood pekins and 3 half pekin mixs (1 half buff, the other half rouen). They are loud and skiddish. Mine hate to be touched and i literally have to tackle them to check their feet for thorns when they appear to be limping. I'm not sure if the females are really louder always but our one crested pekin will eat and talk at the same time.

Mine REFUSE to go into the house at night unless we herd them in.

They are very funny. I love to watch the boys puff up when they fight over "their" girls. They make incredible parents and mates. They have never been aggressive unless protecting babies. Our pekins will group up and charge at us when we collect the spring ducklings for selling. They just charge, no biting. The mothers (like all good mothers) will bite and twist. Our Rouen/Pekin female has actually broken my skin while i held her and checked on her eggs because she was so protective.

Give them a extremely well protected yard. Because they are heavy they are notably slower than other birds and easy targets for predators. They trip and panic when chased. Although he doesn't seem large now, you will be able to tell in a few months. They were bred to be meat birds. I found this pic of a pekin in front of a runner:
http://k53.pbase.com/u18/chickiepoh/large/11956350.Closeups_0465.jpg

 

[shelleyd2008]

I have 2 pair of pekins that live on the pond, and one pair of pekins that are inside in the brooder still. They are about 4 weeks old. My outside males were gotten when they were about 3 weeks old. I never did mess with them much, and you can surely tell. They aren't too scared of me, but anyone else and they will surely go running to the water. But that's good, they are safer outside if they aren't tame. My babies in the house are also not very tame, but they have figured out that they have to stand still so I can pick them up if they want to take a bath. Now getting out of the bath is a challenge. They would live there if they could.

My females outside are the loudest of all the ducks. I have a rouen and a cayuga duck also, and drakes to match. The pekins big mouths put the other girls to shame!

They should be at least 8 pounds I would say. They are supposed to be about 10-11 for drakes and 8-9 for ducks.

Mine are not super fast unless they are scared. They also can not fly very well. They can fly, but it is mainly to make an ungraceful plop from the banks of the pond to about 5 feet out.

How fast are they? I'm used to my super agile fast runners. Can a pekin run or fly a little? Could a pekin get up on something 6 inches to 9 inches about the ground?

Oh, and you shouldn't have long to wait to figure out the sex of 'Peter'. My baby pekin in the house has been quacking since she was 2 weeks old!

 

[Webbigail]

Mine seemed extra loud. Iono. Webbigail (the girl) would play a game and quack as loud as she could until I went outside, then run around the corner and peek out to see if I was still there.

When I would turn around to walk back in she would start quacking again. Only after I would pull up a chair to sit out there with them would she stop.

She held me hostage like that for 2 hours once. Every time I got up to leave she would quack at the top of her lungs. So... I just sat there.