Pekin Duck Club!

[DenverDucky]

They are white crested ducks but I have been told that they are a member of the Pekin family the only difference is the poof. I could be wrong cause I don't know anything about them, it's a learning experience that I'm loving. I got them from a hatchery. They are tame and love to snuggle with me. They love to sleep in bed with me but that a special occasion. They love to eat everything from bananas to carrots, peas, super soft potatoes ( I buy cans of mix veggies salt free) dried mealworms, live worms, clovers and dandelions are their favorite. They follow me where ever I go ad after a log day at work they are the only thing I can't wait to get home to. They wag there tail feathers we talk to each other and have dinner together and then go for a after dinner walk. They are going to have a very happy life with there own personal pond in the back yard and lots of land for them to go where try please. At what age can I move them outside? I got a chicken coop built that is now going to be a duck house so it's safe for them.

Pekins that have crests are called Crested Pekins. Both breeds were bred from mallards but they are listed as their own breeds. The American Poultry Association lists Pekins as a Heavy breed while White Crested ducks are a Medium breed as well as there are other traits that are different. Egg size, temp How did you come across them? It is seriously hard to tell the difference between the two breeds besides the weight differences and a few other things like egg size and egg production, temperment, etc. Regardless of what they are, they are gorgeous!

I wonder if the difference is that you have more than one. Like parakeets, if you have only 1 they will bond with YOU but if they have another they will bond with it more. I got Quack-Quack at 2 days old but you wouldn't be able to tell the difference had I been there at the hatching. He's very bonded to my Finacee too but we each have our own time that we spend with him, like my fiancee is at work all day but he comes home and looks for things to eat in the yard with him and then EVERY night he sits by the tub and plays with Quack-Quack while he bathes. This is THEIR time together. Just the other day my finacee was very upset about something and is was like Quack-Quack could sense this because he seemed to be MORE bonded to him than usual, even following him inside when I was still outside, Quack-Quack usually doesn't go in if one of us is out.

I agree, between being only a few days old and being an only duckling the chances of ducklings imprinting is a lot higher I would think.

Are Pekin's pretty talkative? I have a very very very talkative Female Khaki Campbell who is a bit out of the ordinary anyway as she is super friendly as well and loves being with people. But I noticed my Pekin, Peepers doesn't make a noise usually. Going on 3 weeks old... no quacks yet (which my Khaki was by then) and only does a couple peeps a day... Could this be a usual Pekin or am I possibly looking at a male?

I think its still a little early to tell but I do know Soleil was not quiet hah I could hear her when I was outside getting the mail even

Peepers who was aka Clarice is now learning pretty hard to Peepers aka Hannibal (boy).
3 weeks old.



Ducky and Peepers morning swim searching for the banana they dropped in the bottom.

Just got a Peking duckling Saturday sooooo cool so far. I can't wait until it is big enough to go outside.

Welcome and congrats! Have you picked out a name for your little one yet?

I love crested ducks! I wanted them so bad but couldn't find them without having to pay a fortune for them. My friends family had a few of them when we were younger we affectionately call them afro ducks.



Sorry so long for an update on Sally and waddlesworth, this is 5 1/2 weeks almost six. (Sorry for the messy cage photo this was before i cleaned them out.) We had a fire and lost four of our chicken babies. :'( the lucky ducklings and two of our bantams were in a different part of the house so they are ok. Sally I'm pretty sure is actually a hen. I am greeted with a chorus of honk quack quack quack each time i visit them. Still not sure on waddles tho. But I'm thinking drake. His peeps are very raspy even when he tries to quack.

They are such a cute pair I'm so sorry to hear about your loss, thats terrible!

 

[countrygirl74]

Peas are like crack for ducks I think. Mine can't resist them, even though I know they eat just fine.

X2

And... like someone else mentioned, just give it as a treat once in a while. I ferment my poultry mash, so my ducks always get it wet and they like it that way. You might try making a slop out of your chicken crumble or pellets...
Ducks are creatures of habit, so it doesn't take long for them to develop them. I change my schedule constantly with them so that they don't expect something (like a treat) at a certain time of day each day and then cry because it doesn't transpire. Of course, you can also develop good habits if you choose.

 

[Green Liver]

Analysis for fresh Duck Poop: Total N = 28, ammonium =5, Phos = 23, Pot. = 17- taken from greenspun.com.

Poultry manure is an excellent source of nutrients and can be incorporated into most fertilizer programs. Those using manures must practice sound soil fertility management to prevent nutrient imbalances and associated animal health risks, as well as surface-water and groundwater contamination. The key to successful management is to match the nutritional requirements of the crop with nutrients available in the manure. The value of poultry manure varies not only with its nutrient composition and availability, but also with management and handling costs.- Taken from Dept. of Soil Science-Soil Facts

Poultry manure is usually best composted for 6 months, or longer. If you have enough to scoop up with a shovel, I would suggest putting it in a compost pile that you don't plan to use until next spring.
We keep chickens, and their manure is a great addition to the compost, but I never put it directly on the gardens, since it tends to burn plants, -taken from the Helpful Gardner Gardening Forum

.The next excerp was taken from Lawn Care Academy.com

Repeated use of manure, whether composted or raw, can acidify the soil. This can be a benefit if your soil leans slightly toward the alkaline side. If your soil is already acidic, monitor soil conditions regularly. Applications of lime or wood ashes may be needed to correct acidity problems.

Guidelines for Raw Manure as Fertilizer​

One website to visit is the National Organic Program (NOP). The NOP doesn’t discourage manure use, but rather advises certain precautions when using raw manures. The guideline sets a period of time, a 90/120 day period, from when the manure enters the garden soil to when the plants can be eaten. Below are the suggested limits:

Use only livestock manure. Do not use cat or dog feces. Some third world countries have been known to use human waste as fertilizer. This is very dangerous, so if visiting those countries, research how uncooked vegetables were grown before eating them.

• Guano, which includes bat and sea bird waste, is not considered composted, but rather it is considered as raw, aged manure. When used in a vegetable garden, the same time limits apply.
• Your garden weeds may increase with the use of manure as fertilizer. To a certain degree, weed seeds consumed by the animal may germinate and sprout in your garden
• Where edible portion of crops touch the soil: A time delay of 120 days is advised from the time the manure entered the soil to the time the plants are eaten.
• Where edible portion of crops do not touch the soil: A time of 90 days is advised from the time the manure entered the soil to the time the plants are eaten.

Therefore, it is best to add all the manure needed at the end of the year or at least by the beginning of the year before planting. Do not add more after that.

 

[DenverDucky]

Hey everyone, I wanted to give a heads up that I'm going to be posting up a revised and hopefully more organized members list tomorrow. Please send me a PM if you are new and would like to be a member of the Pekin Duck Club (anyone is welcome), would like to be removed from the list, if you haven't already given me your pekin ducks names for the list or if you have any other question, comments or concerns Remember, you don't have to have pekins to join in! Thanks everyone!

 

[Nickeechickee]

Analysis for fresh Duck Poop: Total N = 28, ammonium =5, Phos = 23, Pot. = 17- taken from greenspun.com.

Poultry manure is an excellent source of nutrients and can be incorporated into most fertilizer programs. Those using manures must practice sound soil fertility management to prevent nutrient imbalances and associated animal health risks, as well as surface-water and groundwater contamination. The key to successful management is to match the nutritional requirements of the crop with nutrients available in the manure. The value of poultry manure varies not only with its nutrient composition and availability, but also with management and handling costs.- Taken from Dept. of Soil Science-Soil Facts

Poultry manure is usually best composted for 6 months, or longer. If you have enough to scoop up with a shovel, I would suggest putting it in a compost pile that you don't plan to use until next spring.
We keep chickens, and their manure is a great addition to the compost, but I never put it directly on the gardens, since it tends to burn plants, -taken from the Helpful Gardner Gardening Forum

.The next excerp was taken from Lawn Care Academy.com

Repeated use of manure, whether composted or raw, can acidify the soil. This can be a benefit if your soil leans slightly toward the alkaline side. If your soil is already acidic, monitor soil conditions regularly. Applications of lime or wood ashes may be needed to correct acidity problems.

Guidelines for Raw Manure as Fertilizer​

One website to visit is the National Organic Program (NOP). The NOP doesn’t discourage manure use, but rather advises certain precautions when using raw manures. The guideline sets a period of time, a 90/120 day period, from when the manure enters the garden soil to when the plants can be eaten. Below are the suggested limits:

Use only livestock manure. Do not use cat or dog feces. Some third world countries have been known to use human waste as fertilizer. This is very dangerous, so if visiting those countries, research how uncooked vegetables were grown before eating them.

• Guano, which includes bat and sea bird waste, is not considered composted, but rather it is considered as raw, aged manure. When used in a vegetable garden, the same time limits apply.
• Your garden weeds may increase with the use of manure as fertilizer. To a certain degree, weed seeds consumed by the animal may germinate and sprout in your garden
• Where edible portion of crops touch the soil: A time delay of 120 days is advised from the time the manure entered the soil to the time the plants are eaten.
• Where edible portion of crops do not touch the soil: A time of 90 days is advised from the time the manure entered the soil to the time the plants are eaten.

Therefore, it is best to add all the manure needed at the end of the year or at least by the beginning of the year before planting. Do not add more after that.

This is interesting, because in Mother Earth News magazine it was suggesting building your chicken run over your garden, and just alternating which parts of the run you opened to the birds.

http://www.motherearthnews.com/home...re-fertilizer-zm0z13amzkon.aspx#axzz2SbQvv6ky

 

[chickery-do]

This is interesting, because in Mother Earth News magazine it was suggesting building your chicken run over your garden, and just alternating which parts of the run you opened to the birds.

http://www.motherearthnews.com/home...re-fertilizer-zm0z13amzkon.aspx#axzz2SbQvv6ky

So it runs true to what I've been saying-That Duck Poop is Acidic! It will be good for my Clematis come fall.
My next question would be if I should try to keep the waste separate when feasible. Or just save my fine hair

, and just put them in one pile!

 

[Nickeechickee]

Quote:
I was meaning more the delays that were mentioned about not applying it directly to your garden except at the very start of the season, whereas Mother Earth News was suggesting adding it throughout the season. Obviously you don't want to overdose on any kind of fertilizer, but I don't see why you wouldn't be able to use it period.

FWIW, we are just adding the cage litter to our compost pile along with veggie peels, yard waste, and the like. We would love to do the tunnel system in the future, but right now our birds aren't exactly legal so we have them indoors.

 

[chickery-do]

Well I did it. I just purchased "The Story of Ping" I can't wait to read it to my grandamils!

Seeing as both of my boys have told me they'll be no grand kids from them. Girls are to pricey! I should know, my 6 Americana's have turned into 13 chickens (and counting!) and my 2 pekin ducks! I wonder why they decided to name them that! Guess I'll have to do some research.

 

[Chickiemommie87]

Thanks everyone for all the concern. The human and fur family is ok. Thankfully we did not loose the house only the one wall was damaged and the only side effect for the humans was raw lungs for a few days from the smoke and I burnt my hands a little putting out the fire. It was outside of my bedroom where we had the temporary coop. We are not sure but we think someone set it on fire, our neighbors are unfortunately unsavory people we think they messed with the coop and knocked the heatlamp down and since it was a highly flamable item (coated in flamable sealant, which we did not realize at the time) it burnt to the ground in about an hour.

 

[Chickiemommie87]

They are white crested ducks but I have been told that they are a member of the Pekin family the only difference is the poof. I could be wrong cause I don't know anything about them, it's a learning experience that I'm loving. I got them from a hatchery. They are tame and love to snuggle with me. They love to sleep in bed with me but that a special occasion. They love to eat everything from bananas to carrots, peas, super soft potatoes ( I buy cans of mix veggies salt free) dried mealworms, live worms, clovers and dandelions are their favorite. They follow me where ever I go ad after a log day at work they are the only thing I can't wait to get home to. They wag there tail feathers we talk to each other and have dinner together and then go for a after dinner walk. They are going to have a very happy life with there own personal pond in the back yard and lots of land for them to go where try please. At what age can I move them outside? I got a chicken coop built that is now going to be a duck house so it's safe for them.

This is the info I have on them, you are correct that they were originally a Pekin family member. They started out as the same species but over time developed into a separate breed. Here is some stuff I have from researching them ( I love them they are too stinkin cute. )


The domestic Crested Duck is a duck breed descended from the Mallard. As is the Pekin. It has its appearance because it is heterozygous for a genetic mutation causing a deformity of the skull. As a result, when a pair of crested ducks breed, the young sort out in the usual 1-2-1 ratio:-

• 25% are homozygous for the normal allele of this gene and so have no crest and if bred together their offspring will never have a crest.
• 50% are heterozygous for this gene and hatch with a crest of varying sizes.
• 25% are homozygous for the crested allele of this gene and die from exposed brain without hatching, as it is lethal in homozygous form.

If a crested duck and a non-crested duck breed together, the resulting ducklings would be expected to be 50% crested and 50% non-crested.

The crested gene in these ducks is linked to a lethal condition during incubation. Ducklings carrying both genes (homozygous) for the crest do not survive to hatch. Of those that do hatch, typically 1/3 of them will not have crests. It is easy for breeders to see how the crests will develop on the newly hatched duckling, so that they can select stock to raise and sell off the rest as day-olds, rather than having to feed them until they grow up.

From what I am reading and finding all ducks that have ever had this gene bred into them wether on purpose or accidentally can have a crest so its more of a trait then a breed standard. There are specific colors that breed true, white and black. The whites started originally as decendants of pekins and over time have become their own breed through selectve breeding.
An adult drake weighs about 7 pounds, and his mate about 6. The Standard of Perfection (USA) recognizes two forms: Black and White. Other varieties, such as Grey (Mallard coloration), Buff and Blue have been developed by breeders, and crests may appear on others, such as the female shown on this page. Crests should be large and sit symmetrically on the center of the head. The body should be carried nearly horizontally.

As for moving the little ones outside, Mine are six weeks and almost completely feathered usually it is about 7-9 weeks. I have mine outside in a heavily sheltered shed. (it is usually pretty warm here at night.)​