Pekin Duck

Howard, writing in 1897, says the Pekin was brought to this country from China in the early seventies and had grown steadily in popularity since. He ranks it above every other duck for farm and practical purposes, and calls it the easiest of all to raise. Twenty-five years later Lamon and Slocum describe it as the breed used exclusively on the large commercial duck farms, so the rise Howard saw had carried on.

• It was imported from China in the early seventies, and has steadily grown in popularity since its introduction into this country.Howard, 1897, Ducks and Geese: Standard Breeds and Management
• It is the breed which is used exclusively on the large commercial duck farms.Lamon & Slocum, 1922, Ducks and Geese

Both books use the Pekin as the reference point for the rest. Howard bases his whole bulletin on how the largest Pekin raisers worked, and says other ducks are judged against it. Lamon and Slocum describe several breeds by how they differ from the Pekin: the Aylesbury is more level in the body, and the little Call is, in type, practically a miniature Pekin. If you know the Pekin, the other white and coloured breeds are easier to place.

• Other ducks are judged for practical qualities by the Pekin.Howard, 1897, Ducks and Geese: Standard Breeds and Management
• It differs from the Pekin in type in that it is more nearly level in body.Lamon & Slocum, 1922, Ducks and Geese

The shape is the first thing both books describe. Howard says some people compared it to an Indian canoe, because of the full feathering under the rump and the tail turned sharply up, and that the legs sit so far back that the bird walks upright. Lamon and Slocum describe the same thing as a definite slope of the body from shoulders down to tail, with a slightly dished line along the back. They also admit that the birds winning at shows in their day were less upright than the standard drawing asked for.

• By some it is credited with having a shape much like an Indian canoe, owing to the full growth of feathers under the rump and the singular turned-up carriage of the tail.Howard, 1897, Ducks and Geese: Standard Breeds and Management
• showing a definite slope of body downward from shoulders to tailLamon & Slocum, 1922, Ducks and Geese

The bill matters more than its size suggests. Both books want it plain yellow. Howard warns that even a faint trace of black can get one of the best ducks in a show disqualified. Lamon and Slocum are more exact: black in the bean, the hard tip of the upper bill, disqualifies a drake, but in a duck it counts only as a serious defect. They also tell breeders to avoid birds with a green or greenish spotted bill.

• it is not infrequent that one of the best ducks in a showroom is disqualified for having a faint tracing of black in the bill.Howard, 1897, Ducks and Geese: Standard Breeds and Management
• In the drake black in the bean disqualifies but while it is undesirable and a serious defect in the duck it does not disqualify.Lamon & Slocum, 1922, Ducks and Geese

The plumage is white with a cream tint, and the books differ in how much the cream matters (see below). The legs and feet are orange: reddish orange in Howard, a clear deep orange in Lamon and Slocum. The wings are short and held close to the body. Lamon and Slocum add one thing to watch in drakes: feathers on the back of the neck that cross or fold over, which they say tends to turn up as a crest in the offspring.

• The plumage is downy, and of a faint creamy white throughout.Howard, 1897, Ducks and Geese: Standard Breeds and Management
• The color of the plumage is white or creamy white throughout.Lamon & Slocum, 1922, Ducks and Geese

This is a nervous bird. Howard calls it very timid and says it must be handled with care. Lamon and Slocum make the same point by comparison, in their description of another breed: the Aylesbury, they write, is not quite as nervous as the Pekin. Neither book says more about why, so we leave it there.

• It is a very timid bird and must be handled quite carefully.Howard, 1897, Ducks and Geese: Standard Breeds and Management
• The Aylesbury is not quite as nervous a breed as the Pekin.Lamon & Slocum, 1922, Ducks and Geese

Pekin ducks do not usually sit on their eggs. Howard lists the breed as nonsetters, along with being hardy and quick to mature. Lamon and Slocum call it essentially non-broody, which is why they say incubators are needed, and add that the odd duck will sit if she is allowed to. The Muscovy, by contrast, is described in the same book as a broody breed and an excellent mother.

• They are nonsetters, hardy, easily raised, and the earliest in maturing of any ducks.Howard, 1897, Ducks and Geese: Standard Breeds and Management
• The Pekin duck is essentially a non-broody breed.Lamon & Slocum, 1922, Ducks and Geese

They stay on the ground. Howard says Pekins cannot keep themselves in the air for long, and that a fence two feet high is enough to hold them in. That fits the short wings and the heavy, upright body described above. Lamon and Slocum do not discuss flight for this breed.

• The birds can not sustain flight, a 2-foot fencing being ample to restrain them in an inclosure.Howard, 1897, Ducks and Geese: Standard Breeds and Management