The Best Domestic Duck Breeds for Meat Production

Not a lot of people think about cooking duck when it comes to poultry. It is mainly that of chicken and turkey.

Unlike chicken and turkey meat duck meat is a lot darker than chicken meat.

There are also pros and cons to eating more duck meat as opposed to eating that of chicken.

There is a lot of great meat duck on the market today, in this article, we take a look at the top ten meat ducks.

TOP 10 DOMESTIC MEAT DUCKS FOR BOTH THE ADVANCED AND NOVICE DUCK OWNER

Pekin

The Pekin or American Peking is a pure white duck with a bright orange bill, legs and feet. This duck goes back generations and Chinese Dynasties where the famed Peking Duck dish is derived.

Most Chinese restaurants server this duck with various versions of the ancient recipe.

It is one of the most common meat ducks and is found in most stores and restaurants that sell duck meat. Cooked right it makes a very flavorful dish.Read More

Ancona

The Ancona is quite a rare breed of duck and thus not a lot are used for meat purposes these days.

But they were originally bred as a dual-purpose breed in the early 20th century. They are also a very unique looking duck with the white plumage and black splashes on their feathers.

They are superior egg layers along with having meat that is more flavorful and less fatty than other production breeds such as the hybrid and Peking breeds.Read More

Saxony

These beautiful ducks taste as good as they look. They specifically developed to mature within 10 weeks. They were specifically developed to have tasty lean meat that was all about the flavor and less fat. They are one of the best meat ducks and a good meat to try for those who have not yet tried duck meat.Read More

Rouen

There are two types of Rouen ducks the production Rouen’s and the exhibition Rouen’s.
The production Rouen’s are used by commercial and larger farmers for egg production and meat. They are smaller than the exhibition Rouen’s, but they are still a decent sized meat bird.

The production Rouen also lays a lot more eggs than the exhibition Rouen and mature a lot faster. The production type matures at around 4 months with a weight of around 5.5 pounds.

The exhibition Rouen is a lot bigger and quite clumsy when it comes to eggs. They tend to squash them, as a result, they do not have a high egg yield. But their meat is a lot better than the production variety of this breed. They can take up to 10 months to reach maturity, but their meat quality is well worth the weight. They are said to make a heavy flavored roast duck that’s meat is tender and juicy.Read More

Appleyard

They are a bit rare, but their numbers are on the increase. This duck has gourmet quality meat that roasts up deliciously. Their meat is not only flavorful but is lean and quite nutritious. The Appleyard will reach maturity around 9 to 10 months making it a relatively quick growing breed.Read More

Buff

The Buff Orpington duck or just Buff duck was once quite sought after for its meat. It has been said that its meat dresses out well. This is mainly due to its light pin feather on the skin. Its meat is tender and tasty some say it is like eating veal.

The ducklings do mature rather rapidly and are market ready by the age of 9 to 10 weeks. This is a great duck for back garden, exhibition, eggs and meat.Read More

Cayuga

These ducks have beautiful black feathers that shine with beetle green in the sun. They are quite prized for their meat but are not used in commercial duck farming. This is due to the fact that they are rather slow to mature taking up to 2 years to reach a decent weight.

They also do no pluck very well as black pin feathers are usually left on the skin. It is recommended that they be completely skinned for cooking.Read More

Crested

The crested ducks look like little sailors with their pretty white feather and crest which resembles a cap. They are used for both their great egg laying and super tasty tender meat. The ducklings grow at quite a rapid rate which makes them excellent for meat production.Read More

Swedish Blue

The Swedish Blue is a very calm and collected type duck. They were primarily bred as a dual-purpose breed and have around since the early 1800’s.

They have a good quality of meat that is very tender, juicy and tasty. They do, however, tend to take a long time to mature.Read More

Khaki Campbell

These beautiful ducks were specifically developed as a dual-purpose duck. They have a very good egg and meat yield.
Their meat is said to be really tasty and tender, there is a huge market demand for this breeds meat throughout the world.

As the duck grows relatively fast it makes is great for both commercial production farming and local farms.
They are also very easy to raise with a nice temperament and are great foragers that are excellent at pest control.Read More