Duclair Ducks

A very good multipurpose duck would have to be the Duclair. It was first developed in France and was named after the city Duclair in Normandy. It became a part of the American standard in 1923. In 2012, Metzer Farms in conjunction with Stone Church Farm in New York developed a strain of Duclair which Metzer Farms has continued to breed.

What a usual Duclair looks like.

A search for Duclair ducks will usually produce a duck that looks like a cross between a Rouen and a Black Swedish duck. The strain that Metzer Farms and Stone Church Farm developed, however, is completely white. It is a great egg layer at 130 – 200 eggs a year. At full growth it averages at 4.5 – 6 pounds. It has a calm personality making it a great starter duck for kids.

Today, the Duclair is prized for its meat and can be found in many high-end restaurants. We ship Duclair on a weekly basis for raising and processing to New York and several other growers across the states.

What our Duclair look like.

Whether you are looking for a pet, an egg layer, or a meat bird, the Duclair is an excellent choice all around and would make for a beautiful addition to any flock.

Breed	Temperament	Weight	Egg Production	Foraging Ability	Conservation Status
Duclair	Calm	4.5 - 6 pounds	130-200/year	Good	No Rank

Pekin Ducks

Pekin Ducklings

The Pekin duck has a long history with records in China going as far back as the 1300s. It was introduced to Great Britain in 1872 and then the United State in 1873. It has since taken over the US market as the go-to commercial meat duck.

The Pekin was bred for its meat, but can be considered a very good egg layer, too. Averaging 8 to 12 pounds in weight, it can lay 150 to 200 eggs per year, making it a great multi-purpose duck.

They are typically processed at six to seven weeks of age with its breast filet being about 21% of the carcass. As such, it has become a very popular commercial duck with a fast growth time and excellent feed conversion (only 2.4 pounds of feed per pound of live body weight gain). In culinary circles, it is the main ingredient for roasted Peking duck.

Female and male Pekin

The dinner table is not the only place the Pekin has become famous. The Aflac duck is a Pekin which originally came from our farm and the
was also the inspiration behind Donald Duck.

We have two names for our Pekin: the Pekin and Grimaud Hybrid Pekin. The Pekin and the Grimaud Hybrid Pekin are the exact same bird, exact same price, just under different names. We did this because some people know what a Pekin is, but not a Grimaud Hybrid, while others may want the Grimaud Hybrid specifically.

The Grimaud Hybrid is named as such because we purchase day-old breeders from Frimaud Freres in France every four months. It is called a hybrid since the Grimaud Hybrid is produced by crossing two strains of Pekin, one strain bred for high meat production and one strain bred for high egg production. By crossing females from the egg laying strain with the males from the meat production strain, you hatch a lot of ducklings that can be grown for meat.

Outside of the commercial market, advertisement, and entertainment industries, the Pekin is a very popular duck among kids and 4-H groups. It does well as a meat class bird at the county fair and is an amazing addition for any backyard hobbyist.

Breed	Temperament	Weight	Egg Production	Mothering	Bluish Eggs	Egg Size
Pekin	Calm	8-12.25 pounds	150-200/year	Poor	<2%	90-100 grams
Fertility	APA Class	Foraging Ability	Conservation Status	Our Show Quality	Flying Ability	Origin
89%	Heavy	Fair	Abundant	Meat Class Only	None	China

Information from our Duck Comparison Table

Buff Ducks! What are they and Where are they from?

William Cook is the father of the Buff duck. Born in 1849, he specialized in Orpington chickens and ducks, named after the town his farm was in, Orpington, Kent in England. At the time the buff color was popular as it was the same color as the waistcoat of the Royal East Kent Regiment. Wanting to capitalize on this, William started breeding Cayuga, Runner, Aylesbury, and Rouen ducks together in order to produce a buff color.

In 1897 William introduced the Buff Orpington duck. It was a medium sized duck, ranging from 6 to 7 pounds. It was considered a great all-purpose duck as it’s meat offered a decent sized breast in 8 to 10 weeks and could lay about 200 eggs a year, making it a good year-round layer.

William brought the Orpington buff duck to America in 1908 and showed it in the Madison Square Garden Show in New York City. In 1914 it was admitted into the American Standard of Perfection as simply Buff, making it the first breed to be named by only its color.

Today the Buff is a threatened breed. The Livestock Conservancy’s 2000 census has identified 793 breeding Buff ducks with only 11 people currently breeding them. It is still prized for its coloring and dual-purpose flexibility. In fact, many believe the buff feathers are easier to pluck than the white feathers of more popular meat birds.

We offer the Buff ducklings typically from mid-February through November each year. They are a calm, beautiful duck that is very popular.

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Want to know how to take care of your ducklings? Read our series of posts about what you need to know!

Brooder and Bedding

Water and Waterer

Feed and Feeder

Heating

Other Items to Consider

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Breed	Temperament	Weight	Egg Production	Mothering	Bluish Eggs	Egg Size
Buff	Calm	5-6.25 pounds	130-180/year	Fair	20%	80-90 grams
Fertility	APA Class	Foraging Ability	Conservation Status	Our Show Quality	Flying Ability	Origin
85%	Medium	Good	Threatened	Average	None	England

Information from our Duck Comparison Table