This article is about the Pekin duck breed of Europe. For the Pekin breed of the United States, see American Pekin. For other uses, see Pekin duck (disambiguation).
German Pekin drake, illustration from Bruno Dürigen, Die Geflügelzucht, 1923A duck
The German Pekin, German: Deutsche Pekingente, is a European breedofdomestic duck. It is commonly called simply PekinorWhite Pekin.[4][5] It is a different breed from the American Pekin, which is also commonly known by the same names. It was bred in Europe from birds originating in China and Japan and is distributed in many European countries.[2][4]
The mallard was probably domesticated in China before 1000 AD.[6]: 92 Force-feeding of ducks is documented from the tenth century, under the Five Dynasties.[7]: 593 Chinese people were sophisticated breeders of ducks.[6]: 92 Among several breeds they created was one named shi-chin-ya-tze, or roughly "ten-pound duck".[8]
In 1872 some birds of this type were imported to the United Kingdom by Walter Steward;[8] others were taken to the United States by James E. Palmer, where they gave rise to the American Pekin breed.[6]: 92 Some soon reached Germany from the UK, possibly via France.[9][10]
In Germany the Chinese ducks were cross-bred with upright white ducks brought from Japan by Dutch ships, resulting in birds with a steep body angle; those taken to the United States were crossed with Aylesbury birds, which led to birds with a more horizontal stance.[8] In Britain as in Germany, breeders in the early twentieth century tended to select for an upright body position. The modern British breed derives mostly from birds imported from Germany from about 1970.[10]
The Pekin is heavily feathered; the plumage is creamy white with a yellowish tinge.[8][10] The beak is short and orange-coloured.[10] The body is broad and heavy, and is held almost vertical. In the United Kingdom, drakes weigh approximately 4.1 kg and ducks about 3.6 kg,[13]: 438 while in Germany drakes weigh approximately 3.5 kg and ducks about 3 kg.[14]
The Pekin was intended to be a table bird, reared for its meat. In Germany it has not been kept for agricultural production since about the time of the Second World War, and is a show bird.[9] Ducks lay about 80 eggs per year; the eggs weigh approximately 80 g.[14]
^ abTransboundary breed: Pekin. Domestic Animal Diversity Information System of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Accessed February 2017.
^Transboundary breed: White Pekin. Domestic Animal Diversity Information System of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Accessed February 2017.
^Deutsche Pekingenten (in German). Gesellschaft zur Erhaltung alter und gefährdeter Haustierrassen. Accessed February 2017.
^Pekin/United Kingdom. Domestic Animal Diversity Information System of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Accessed February 2017.
