American Pekin Duck: Characteristics And Behaviors
With calm and friendly behavior, the American Pekin ducks have an amazing ability to bond with people. But in their foraging acts, you’ll also find the mark of their smartness.
Along with these features, its low cost-maintenance makes it an ideal choice for both pet and production in small farms for meat.
If you’ve already got an American Pekin or thinking of getting one, learning about their history, diet, habits, and health issues will help you raise them better.
History Of American Pekin
The origin of American Pekin can be traced back to China. The Chinese were excellent breeders in the past and created a great number of breeds. One of them is the shi-chin-ya-tze or “ten-pound duck”. And this breed contributed to the American Pekin breed.
In 1872, James E. Palmer brought 15 ducks of this type from China to the USA. But only 9 survived the long and arduous journey.
Those ducks were the foundation pack for the American Pekin. It got acceptance by the market quickly enough for its high meat quality and soon surpassed Cayuga duck in popularity.
Other ten-pound ducks were imported to the UK, from where they went to Germany. And there German Pekin breed was born by cross-breeding these ducks with ducks from Japan and Britain.
American Pekin is called Americal Pekin to distinguish them from the German ones.
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General Characteristics of American Pekin
American Pekins are comparatively larger in size and weigh around 8-9.5 pounds. Their lifespan is 8-12 years.
These ducks have a very calm and chill nature. And you can notice from their gestures that they love being around people and that make it easy to create a bond with them.
Their calm demeanor might push their intelligence into the shadow, but they are extremely smart. Because they are excellent at finding food while protecting themselves against the predator.
They can sense trouble quickly and get back to safety immediately. It would be useful to know that female ducks aren’t exactly great at sitting on ducks.
So, you should invest in an incubator if you want the eggs to be safe. Nevertheless, once the ducklings are out of the egg, the mother duck can take care of them.
American Pekin Duck Breed Appearance
When the ducklings are born, they are born with a bright yellow color. But soon, all of them turn into creamy white feathers.
After 8 weeks, you’re unlikely to find any yellow feathers on them. However, the yellow/orange legs will retain the color throughout their lifespan.
The plumage of ducks is quite fluffy, making them look bigger than their actual size. Also, they are well known for their yellow bill. The bill might grow speckled over the years.
Drakes
There are more similarities than differences between male and female American Pekins. Both are white in color.
However, Drakes quack a bit more quietly than their female counterparts. And their quacks have a rasp-like feature. Also, they have a curly feather at the end of their tale called a drake feather.
Ducks
The quacks of ducks are louder, of course. Also, they don’t have any curl feather at the end of their tales.
American Pekin Duck Temperament and Behavior
Is their behavior good enough? Let’s discuss.
Friendly
These are extremely friendly birds and can get along with anyone. You can even cuddle with them, and they won’t mind.
However, it’s better to handle them from the moment they are hatched to let them get used to being held and touched. Belly rubs are one of their favorite acts.
You have to place the duck on your lap and then gently rub its belly.
Amazing Moms
Pekins are super moms as they take care of their ducklings extremely well. They even teach them how to forage for food and how to swim in water. With them handling these tasks naturally, your workload gets reduced.
Superb Foragers
They love foraging and are very good at this. So, they will find worms and insects they love and want them without needing any help from you.
Noisy
They can quack a lot and loudly as well. But over time, you’ll get used to that.
They Don’t Fly
There’s no risk of them flying away from your garden. They don’t have large wings, and their body is quite heavy too. That’s why they can’t fly and spend most of their time waddling and swimming.
What Does an American Pekin Duck Eat?
Many people make the mistake of thinking that ducks’ preferences for food are the same as chickens, but that’s not true. So, let’s learn what food to give them for proper growth.
Natural Food
During their foraging expeditions, they often look out for frogs, fish, tadpoles, worms, and berries.
Give Them Bird Feed
If they’re not foraging, you should give them bird feed to keep them well-fed. I’d suggest you give them game bird feed as they have more protein in them, which will help Pekins to build muscles.
Layer Feed
Sometimes they may struggle to produce as many eggs as you want. In that case, some layer feed might help to increase egg production as they have a good amount of calcium and other essential nutrients in them.
Protein-Rich Food in Winter
In the winter, make sure their diet is rich in protein. You can give them corn as a snack, as it can be good for keeping the ducks warm.
Meat Quality of American Pekin
Let’s talk about the taste first. Simply put, it tastes delicious. The biggest beef I have with duck meat is they are greasy a lot of times.
And like me, a lot of people don’t like greasy meat. But this one isn’t greasy at all. So, that can be a perfect dinner dish for people who prefer grease-free duck meat.
In the nutrients section, it performs great as well, as it’s a powerhouse of protein and can be helpful for building muscles.
But these are not the only reasons why it’s so popular as the meat-producing duck breed. It takes only 6 weeks for the American Pekin to weigh 6 pounds and become ready to be slaughtered for meat.
And the quicker a duck can reach the butcher’s weight, the more profitable it will be to raise the duck as you won’t have to bear food expenses for long.
How Popular Is American Pekin?
It’s the most popular duck in the USA market. And why wouldn’t it be? As a pet, it’s a beautiful, peaceful duck that you can spend hours with.
And for commercial meat production housed, this breed is also very desirable as its meat is juicy, grease-free, and incredibly delicious.
Can I Do Farming with American Pekins?
They are the ideal ducks for farming on a small scale. They’re easy to maintain and don’t require you to spend much on them. Also, since they’re good foragers, they can find their own food if you let them roam free on the farmland.
But you have some duties as a farm owner too. You need to see that they’re getting the nutrition they need for growing up at the right pace.
And you might need to buy food supplements for them, especially in winter to make sure they don’t suffer from malnutrition.
American Pekin Duck Eggs
These ducks can produce 200-300 eggs every year. And the eggs are extremely large in size, so naturally, they will be in high demand among consumers.
The ducks start to lay eggs from an early age, like 5-6 months. If you live in a cold region, you need to lend them a bit of help as they find it challenging to lay eggs during cold times.
You don’t need to do much, as you only have to install some solar coop lights to ensure that she gets 8-10 hours of light every day. Their eggs weigh around 85 grams.
The weather might have an impact on her desire to sit on the eggs. But even if she seems reluctant to sit on the egg, it’s alright as you can incubate the eggs up until 10 days after the egg is laid.
Which Type of Habitat Is the Best for American Pekin Ducks?
Pekins love roaming outside, even if it’s extremely cold outside. So, you might see them walking around outside, even in the freezing winter. However, they prefer a warm coop to spend their nights in during winter.
So, it would be nice if you installed heaters in their coop. Also, they require regular access to water for cleaning and swimming. If you can provide all that, the ducks should find your place perfectly comfortable to live in.
Challenges of Raising American Pekin Ducks
Pekin ducks need sufficient space to walk around. If they are not given that space and instead kept in a crowded space, they will get lazy and upset.
This also may cause them to gain too much weight for their age, which can lead to health issues.
So, make sure you’ve allocated enough space for each duck.
Conclusion
Many love them as pets for their friendly demeanor and low-maintenance needs.
Small-scale duck meat farmers love them because they’re so profitable. And consumers love them for their delicious taste.
So, no matter which category you fall in, there’s no reason for you not to want an American Pekin for yourself.
References:
- Https://breeds.okstate.edu/poultry/ducks/pekin-ducks.html
- https://www.wattagnet.com/poultry-future/new-technologies/blog/15537993/commercial-duck-research-shows-theres-still-a-lot-to-learn
