Duck · breed notes
Aylesbury Duck
The Aylesbury is the white English duck with the pink bill. Both early books on ducks put it beside the Pekin and note where it differs. Below is what they say about it, quoted line by line, including a disagreement over how long its body should be.
Where it comes from
The name is an English place. Howard says the ducks take their name from Aylesbury, the county town of Buckinghamshire, and that they are bred in large numbers in England and Europe. In this country he calls it a less common breed than the Pekin, and says it had not been found so good as the Pekin. Howard then prints a long account by an English writer of how people in and around the town of Aylesbury kept the ducks.
These ducks receive their name from Aylesbury, the county town of Buckinghamshire, England.
Howard, 1897, Ducks and Geese: Standard Breeds and ManagementIn this country they are not so extensively bred as the Pekin, neither have they been found so good as the latter.
Howard, 1897, Ducks and Geese: Standard Breeds and Management
More from the books (1)
and are bred in large numbers in England and Europe.
Howard, 1897, Ducks and Geese: Standard Breeds and Management
Lamon and Slocum agree that it never caught on here. They say the Aylesbury has never proved very popular in the United States and offer a guess about why: its white bill and skin. They do not mention Buckinghamshire.
The Aylesbury duck has never proved to be very popular in the United States perhaps due to its white bill and skin
Lamon & Slocum, 1922, Ducks and Geese
How to recognise one
The bill is the first thing to look at. Howard describes it as long and wide and pinkish in hue, free from dark spots, and says a bill marked with black is a disqualification. He sets it against the Pekin, whose bill should be yellow where the Aylesbury's should be a delicate pink. Lamon and Slocum make the same contrast, saying the Aylesbury's bill is not yellow as in the Pekin. They repeat the black rule from the Pekin, so black on the bean disqualifies a drake and is a serious defect in a duck, and breeders should avoid green or olive colored bills.
or pinkish hue, and should be free from dark spots, bills marked with black being a disqualification
Howard, 1897, Ducks and Geese: Standard Breeds and ManagementThe bill of the Pekin should be yellow, but the bill of the Aylesbury should be a delicate pink
Howard, 1897, Ducks and Geese: Standard Breeds and Managementinstead of yellow as in the Pekin
Lamon & Slocum, 1922, Ducks and Geese
More from the books (2)
As in the Pekin black on the bill or bean of the drake will disqualify and in the duck is a serious defect.
Lamon & Slocum, 1922, Ducks and GeeseAs in the case of the Pekins avoid any birds which have green or olive colored bills.
Lamon & Slocum, 1922, Ducks and Geese
The shape is where the 1922 book spends its words. Lamon and Slocum say the breed is noted for its deep keel and that it is more nearly level in body than the Pekin, with a straight back where the Pekin's dips slightly. They want a deep, full breast and tell breeders to avoid any tendency toward a flat one. Howard's description is plainer: a long, oval body, a full and round breast and a back both long and broad. Howard does not use the word keel anywhere in his bulletin.
It differs from the Pekin in type in that it is more nearly level in body.
Lamon & Slocum, 1922, Ducks and Geesethe deep full breast and keel is characteristic of this breed
Lamon & Slocum, 1922, Ducks and Geese
More from the books (2)
the body is long and oval; the breast is full and round
Howard, 1897, Ducks and Geese: Standard Breeds and Managementthe back is both long and broad
Howard, 1897, Ducks and Geese: Standard Breeds and Management
White plumage is the standard, and both books are strict about it. Howard calls it a pure, spotless white, adds that feathers of any other color disqualify, and gives the male a handsome curled tail feather. He also warns that the white tends to take on a yellow hue in the sun, and that the delicate pink of the bill can go yellow with too much summer sunlight, which matters for birds meant for exhibition. Lamon and Slocum ask for white throughout, with no tendency toward creaminess; their Aylesbury paragraph does not mention sunlight.
feathers of any other color will disqualify them
Howard, 1897, Ducks and Geese: Standard Breeds and ManagementThe beak will also lose its delicate pink hue and become yellow if exposed to too much sunlight in summer.
Howard, 1897, Ducks and Geese: Standard Breeds and ManagementThe color of plumage should be white throughout and should show no tendency toward creaminess.
Lamon & Slocum, 1922, Ducks and Geese
More from the books (1)
showing a very handsome curled feather in the tail
Howard, 1897, Ducks and Geese: Standard Breeds and Management
Temperament and habits
Howard lists what raisers claimed for the Aylesbury: that it settles in easily, thriving in every country and climate, that it matures early, and that it is hardy and large. Lamon and Slocum add one comparison on temperament, in their Aylesbury paragraph, saying it is not quite as nervous as the Pekin. Neither book says more about its manner.
the ease with which it is acclimated, thriving in every country and climate; its early maturity; its great hardiness; its large size
Howard, 1897, Ducks and Geese: Standard Breeds and ManagementThe Aylesbury is not quite as nervous a breed as the Pekin.
Lamon & Slocum, 1922, Ducks and Geese
On sitting, the 1922 book lists only three broody breeds, the Muscovy, the Call and the Black East India, so the Aylesbury falls under its class of non-broody breeds, though some ducks of those breeds will still go broody. Howard prints the English writer's account of Aylesbury practice, which says the ducks are never allowed to sit, though they may desire to. Howard does not give a view of his own on this.
All the other breeds are classed as non-broody breeds.
Lamon & Slocum, 1922, Ducks and GeeseThe ducks themselves are never allowed to sit, though they may desire to do so
Howard, 1897, Ducks and Geese: Standard Breeds and Management
More from the books (1)
Of course, a certain percentage of them will go broody and show a desire to sit
Lamon & Slocum, 1922, Ducks and Geese
The two books side by side
| Point | Howard, 1897 | Lamon & Slocum, 1922 |
|---|---|---|
| Bill | Pinkish hue; a delicate pink“the bill of the Aylesbury should be a delicate pink” (Howard, 1897) | Not yellow, as it is in the Pekin“instead of yellow as in the Pekin” (Lamon & Slocum, 1922) |
| Black on the bill | A bill marked with black disqualifies“bills marked with black being a disqualification” (Howard, 1897) | Disqualifies a drake; serious defect in a duck“black on the bill or bean of the drake will disqualify and in the duck is a serious defect” (Lamon & Slocum, 1922) |
| Plumage | Pure, spotless white“In plumage the Aylesburys are a pure, spotless white” (Howard, 1897) | White throughout, no creaminess“should show no tendency toward creaminess” (Lamon & Slocum, 1922) |
| Body | Long and oval“the body is long and oval” (Howard, 1897) | More nearly level than the Pekin; tends to run short“There is a decided tendency for the Aylesbury to run too short in body” (Lamon & Slocum, 1922) |
| Back | Long and broad“the back is both long and broad” (Howard, 1897) | Straight“The back line of the Aylesbury should be straight” (Lamon & Slocum, 1922) |
| Breast | Full and round“the breast is full and round” (Howard, 1897) | Deep and full, with a deep keel“the deep full breast and keel is characteristic of this breed” (Lamon & Slocum, 1922) |
| Eyes | Deep leaden blue“the eyes of a deep leaden-blue color” (Howard, 1897) | Not described in this book |
| Shanks | Brilliant light orange“the strong shanks are of brilliant light-orange color” (Howard, 1897) | Not described in this book |
Old standard weights
| Book | Adult drake | Adult duck | Young drake | Young duck |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Howard, 1897 | 9 lb | 8 lb | 8 lb | 7 lb |
| Lamon & Slocum, 1922 | 9 lb | 8 lb | 8 lb | 7 lb |
The two books give the same figure in every column. Both are historical show standards from their own year, not the current American Poultry Association standard.
As printed in Howard, 1897: The standard weight of the adult drake is 9 pounds; adult duck, 8 pounds; young drake, 8 pounds, and young duck, 7 pounds.
As printed in Lamon & Slocum, 1922: Aylesbury 9 8 8 7
Where the two books disagree
The two books do not describe the Aylesbury's body length alike. Howard lists a long, oval body. Lamon and Slocum say there is a decided tendency to run too short in body, which they think probably came from extreme selection for deep keel, and they tell breeders to choose birds with good length. Neither book comments on the other.
the body is long and ovalHoward, 1897, Ducks and Geese: Standard Breeds and Management
There is a decided tendency for the Aylesbury to run too short in bodyLamon & Slocum, 1922, Ducks and Geese
Questions readers ask
Why is it called the Aylesbury duck?
Howard says the ducks receive their name from Aylesbury, the county town of Buckinghamshire, England. Lamon and Slocum do not mention Buckinghamshire.
What colour is an Aylesbury's bill?
Pink, not yellow. Howard describes a long, wide bill of pinkish hue, free from dark spots, and says the Pekin's should be yellow where the Aylesbury's should be a delicate pink. Lamon and Slocum say the bill is not yellow as in the Pekin, and tell breeders to avoid green or olive colored bills.
Can sunlight spoil an Aylesbury?
Howard says so for show birds. White plumage tends to assume a yellow hue in the sun, and the bill can lose its delicate pink and become yellow with too much summer sunlight, which a judge will mark down. Lamon and Slocum's Aylesbury paragraph does not mention sunlight.
How does the Aylesbury differ in shape from the Pekin?
Lamon and Slocum say it is more nearly level in body, particularly noted for its deep keel, with a straight back where the Pekin shows a slight concavity. They also say it tends to run too short in body, which has probably come about by extreme selection for deep keel. Howard describes a long, oval body and does not use the word keel.
Will an Aylesbury duck sit on her eggs?
Not as a rule. Lamon and Slocum name only the Muscovy, the Call and the Black East India as broody breeds and class all the others as non-broody, though a certain percentage will go broody. The English writer Howard prints says the ducks are never allowed to sit, though they may desire to.
The books quoted here
- Ducks and Geese: Standard Breeds and Management, George E. Howard (1897; USDA Farmers' Bulletin No. 64). Full text and catalogue entry.
- Ducks and Geese, Harry M. Lamon and Rob R. Slocum (1922; Orange Judd Publishing Company, New York). Full text and catalogue entry.