Pekin Duck Breed – Everything You Need to Know

The Pekin duck is one of the most common ducks in the USA. It is bred primarily for its meat and eggs as a prolific layer that is not broody.

They are also a beautiful white duck with a tiny splash of yellow on their underbellies. They love to dabble in shallow water and make excellent pets as they are quite friendly.

As Pekin do not like to sit their eggs it makes it really easy to collect them being that most ducks will try and protect their eggs.

Pekin ducks are also not very noisy birds but do get up to some crazy antics. Most owners of these ducks say how delightfully entertaining they are. Their body shape and positioning of their legs give them the authentic duck waddle associated with ducks.

An excellent breed for the urban homesteader, first-time duck owners and families.

APPEARANCE / IDENTIFICATION

HISTORY

As sophisticated breeders of ducks the Chinese have been raising and breeding them. It is thought that the Mallard had been domesticated by the Chinese over 3000 years ago. It was with this breed that they created a duck that was named shi-chin-ya-tze. Shi-chin-ya-tze basically means ten-pound-duck and is the breed which is the foundation for today’s popular Pekin duck.

The Pekin duck has been cooked in kitchens in China since the Ming Dynasty right through some six hundred years ago. The Forbidden City was a big draw to chefs from all over China wanting to be able to cook in the palace kitchens. This is where the Peking Duck was first cooked and the recipe perfected.

In 1911 with the end of the Qing Dynasty, the palace chefs disbursed taking the recipe with them where it was then cooked in restaurants all over China.

In 1872 15 Pekin ducks that had been hatched in Pekin were loaded onto a boat at Shanghai. They had been loaded by one James E. Palmer. Palmer was from Stonington, Connecticut in the USA. These ducks were bound for a businessman in the United States named McGrath.

The journey from Shanghai to New York took 124 days in which only 9 of the birds survived. The surviving ducks consisted of 6 females and 3 drakes. The ship arrived in New York in March 1873 which is the date documenting the first arrival of Pekin into the USA.

Of these 9 remaining birds, only 5 were shipped off to McGrath but did not make it to him as they were eaten on transit.

James Palmer had kept 4 of the ducks and these are the birds on which today’s American Pekin duck are founded on. By July of 1873 his ducks had laid over 300 eggs and by 1874 the Pekin duck had been accepted into the Standard of Perfection by the American Poultry Association.

The Pekin soon became the favorite as a meat duck as it has a lighter skin and white feathering which makes it hard to spot any left-over feathering on the carcass. Whereas the favorite meat duck at the time the Cayuga had darker feathering on a light carcass. This meant any left-over fluff could be spotted.

And for all those that love Disney, it is speculated that Donald and Daisy duck was modeled from a Pekin Duck.

Health

Their feet need to be watched as the heavier breeds are prone to some foot problems.

• Ducks need water to ensure they do not get “wet feather” disease. This is where the preening gland dries out. Water also stops them from getting pests such as mites, fleas, ticks, lice, etc.
• Well, fed ducks should hardly have any health issues.
• Any birds kept in a flock need to be dewormed. Although ducks are not as prone as other poultry they should still have a de-worming regime. Speak to a local vet or poultry experts for advice. Our article on Healthy Ducks has some great tips and advice on de-worming ducks.

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