Pekin Owners

[Keene's coop]

i have read up on a lot of different breeds of ducks. and pekins seem to fit our family the best. i was wondering if you could just give me your experiences you've had with them. things you love about them, things you dislike about them. things i should know about them. books and internet can only say so much and a lot is repeated. so now i want peoples experiences with them to make sure whether i am making the right choice, if you know what i mean. and thanks in advance

 

[chickenluv]

I have Pekins, and I have to say, they're pretty amazing

I have 5 ducklings, a hen, and a drake. My drake is very protective of 'his' hen; if we walk nearby he'll put his head down and chase us away, not threateningly; just
protectively. He'll also follow me around and take an occasional curious nibble at my toes if I'm wearing sandals. He doesnt' mind being petted or picked up, and really is a sweet duck. He's such a silly character, very entertaining

As for the hen, she isn't quite as friendly, but she has similar characteristics of the drake. And she absolutely loves bugs

Both get along well with my chickens, (my flock and the ducks both free range together) Occasionally the drake will boss the chickens around, but they really don't pay attention to each other.
But, from my experience, Pekins definitely need buddies, I used to have 2 drakes, and when I lost one to a fox, the other would sit in our window wells and next to our cars just quaking and staring
at his reflection until I found some hens for sale.

I've also bought the pair a little kiddie pool to swim in, which they love

So there you go! Good luck!

 

[NYRIR]

Hi,
I own 1 Pekin drake and 4 pekin hens....they are beautiful ducks.They are so cute when you spray them with the hose.They stand right in it(on mist or shower) and "grab"at the water with their bills!None of my ducks "like" to be picked up...but most will eat out of my hand and 2 of my mallards will jump up to grab tomato! The Pekins I really didn't think I'd like as I am not partial to white...but they are here to stay...they have cute personalities! I say Pekins are great ducks

This is them about a week ago...they are only a couple months old.Pekins I think grow EXTREMELY fast!!

 

[PlumTuckered]

I've had both genders in Jumbo Pekin and regular Pekin and love them. They do have a lot of character and can be quite comical. Keep in mind that they can not fly so you need to provide a safe home, especially at night. They can be very vocal but I don't mind that at all. They only thing I've noticed about my Pekins compared to all of my other ducks is they poop so much more than the others LOL My favorite breed are Muscovy followed by Pekins.


Michelle

 

[keyt1969]

I have 3 females, all rescues. One came with a twisted beak, but she eats more than anyone! My youngest is about 4 months old. She came from a guy who lost 6 others to a fox and she was the survivor. Another came from a lady who got too sick to take care of 5 ducks so I have them all.

They have great personalities. Sunny, the one with the twisted beak is hilarious! She will eat out of my hand, jump for treats and won't take it when the boys chase her down!

The only drawback is the noise. They are VERY noisy. That's the only thing I don't like about mine. Other than that, I love them to death!!

The baby, Polly who came from a farm that lost 6 other babies

Sunny. She was born this way, but it doesn't stop her. She eats more than any other duck I have!!

Bindi and Sunny are very close. They came from the sick lady who couldn't care for them anymore

 

[jenny_kap]

i have 30 that are one month old and 40 one week old. they are fantastic!!! they grow so fast, it is amazing. i grow them for meat and they are the best for this purpose. i love mine and i will raise at least 100 every year.

 

[bwmichaud]

I love my pekins. If you don't already own ducks and you've only had chickens, get ready for the mess. Their poop is much messier than chickens. When you dump their water, they will come over and drill holes in the ground with their bills and then muddy up the new water in about 10 seconds. Anytime there is a little water on the ground, they will drill holes. At first it will bother you but you'll get over that when you see just how cute they can be. Watching them wag their tails and sit out in the rain while the chickens are all hiding under a tree is priceless. I've heard from many people that they are noisy but that hasn't been my experience. My Cayuga ducks were much noisier. My Pekins will come around you and nibble at your shoes and eat treats but they really don't want to be picked up. You can always chase them around and catch them if need be. (They are sooo soft) They are a lot easier to catch than my Muscovies since the Pekins can't fly. If you're raising them for meat, the white feathers make for a great looking dressed bird. I also think the feathers come out easier than other breeds of duck. I prefer the taste of Muscovy but Pekins are a close 2nd.

 

[MissusDee]

This has been my first year with Pekins, and they are very nice for pet ducks for a family. They are very tame, and as others have said, quite noisy. They do seem to eat more than other ducks I have, and they also seem to grow pretty fast. They are harder for me to handle, as far as the size (a mallard I can hold in one hand and check out, but a pekin, I have to lay on a table to check them out for anything they need checking), it may help if you have two people for things like that. I got help from a couple of people here as they were growing, one with bowed legs, as joint problems seem common. They do have a need for vitamins while growing, plenty of niacin. If I were to, or knew of anyone else trying them, I would stress this. Supplement them with plenty of vitamins esp niacin.

 

[mangled]

We love our Pekins. They've got the best personality of all our ducks. They will eat treats from your hand and nibble your toes, they're pretty friendly.

Mine are pretty loud, too. The drakes are quiet, but the girls? My goodness. LOL...

Either way, do be prepared for the mess. Ducks are a bit messier than chickens, and yes, they'll drill holes in the ground and they're generally water hogs, but they're sweet and fun and I think they add a lot of personality to our flock.

Good luck-
Blessings-
Em

 

[nwfl]

I love my pekins. We think they are the most beautiful silly birds. Mine hatched 2/16/11. I had 5 males and 2 females. We separated the girls into our fruit tree garden and all was peaceful. Asian customers are taking drakes. We don't have a comparison for noise as these are my first ducks and we find the remaining four just fine, not noisy at all, but there are only 4. The drakes got their tail feathers last month. We do notice the hens are tidy and well behaved while the boys were just a plain mess in everyway. I bonded with the girls more and they still come to me, follow me and go into their Aframe with no trouble. They dont mind being held are soft and do smell fresh. We moved two remaining boys in and all went well except for occasional rebellion to do the nightly Aframe lockup. They know they are boys, the girls are not laying yet. They are amusing and easy to care for with the routine we have. We have funny stories and emails shared with family and friends about our ducks. We have had many good laughs while driving them to new pens and in for the night. All of the lower loquat leaves are gone and eggplants were loved to nubbins. We will keep the hens and look forward to a more peaceful and plentiful cherry plum harvest next year. Good luck.