American Pekin Duck

Fact about American Pekin Ducks. The American Pekin Ducks are developed from the Mallard ducks in China, and they are also called by other names, such as the Pekin duck, Long Island duckand and Anas Peking duck. American Pekin Ducks are a variety of domestic duck, which is chiefly bred for meat and egg production. The American Pekin Duck is the most admired commercial duck variety in the United States. The American Pekin Ducks and their meat are occasionally called as a Long Island duckling. Approximately 95% of the duck meats used in the United States are the meat of the American Pekin Ducks.

American Pekin Ducks are excessively to heavy to get airborne. As a few individual ducks may be frivolous and competent to short bursts of perpendicular flight, trimming their flight feathers is usually unnecessary. The American Pekin Duck are sociable and will generally group, accompanied by other ducks.

Features about American Pekin Ducks

Like with nearly all waterfowls, the American Pekin Ducks have the perfect feet, adapted for paddling in the course of water, but they are also able to walk while exploring and foraging. Usually, the American Pekin Duck breeds prefer a clean environment, and need them to be housed on natural surfaces, such as hard pack, grass, sand, or straw. The American Pekin Ducks are happiest while they have liberated access to sanitary, safe water in which they can swim and mate. American Pekin Ducks have webbed feet, that makes them act like paddles, designed for swimming. They push their webbed paddle feet back in a kicking motion, this allows them to move swift through the water and when the feet come back, they will close for less water resistance. The American Pekin Ducks paddle feet do not feel cold, even when it swims in cold icy water. The webbed feet makes a duck waddle instead of walk.

Scientific name for American Pekin Duck "Anas Platyrhynchos" meaning - Wild dabbling duck from which domestic ducks are descended; widely distributed. From New Latin "anas" meaning (Duck) and the word Platyrhynchos comes from "platyrrhine", Ancient Greek meaning (broad snouted, flat-bridged nose).
American Pekin Ducks are birds in the Class of "Aves". Ducks of all types are part of the bird family "Anatidae". American Pekin Ducks are also called "waterfowls" they are generally found in places were there is water, such as ponds, rivers, streams, lakes and occasionally your back yard pool. The definition of Anatidaephobia is irrational fear that you are being watched by a duck.

American Pekin Ducks Features

A fully grown adult American Pekin Ducks weigh between 8 pounds and 11 pounds (3.6 to 5 kg) in captivity. The American Pekin Duck breeds have white color external feathers, occasionally with a yellowish hint. This is clearer with ducks that have been nurtured indoors and not exposed to daylight. The American Pekin Duck breeds have a more vertical posture than dabbling ducks, and have an overturned rump. The eyes of the American Pekin Ducks seem to be black in color when observed far away, but when observed closely, they boast grayish-blue colored iris. The American Pekin Duck breeds have orange color bills and legs.

Breeding of the American Pekin Ducks

An adult female American Pekin Duck is capable of laying a maximum of 200 eggs for each year if it does not attempt to, or is prohibited from, hatching them. The American Pekin Duck will usually only lay one egg on any specified day.

Features about American Pekin Duck egg

An American Pekin Duck egg has twice the nutritional value than a chicken egg and will stay fresh longer because of their thicker shell.
American Pekin Duck eggs are richer with more Albumen "the white of an egg" making pastries and cakes richer and fluffier. An American Pekin Duck Egg has more Omega 3 fatty acids than a chicken egg. Omega 3 is thought to improve skin health, memory and Brain health. American Pekin Duck Eggs are an Alkaline producing food and a Chicken egg is an acid food and leaves your body more acid. American Pekin Duck eggs are high in Cholesterol. American Pekin Duck eggs have 6 times the Vitamin D and 2 times the Vitamin A than a chicken egg. Duck eggs have 2 times the cholesterol than a chicken egg.

Features of the Bill of the American Pekin Duck

A "bill" is what is call a American Pekin Ducks mouth. There are no teeth in the American Pekin Ducks bill, they have rows of thin bristles, which helps them to filter pieces of nutrition out of the water. American Pekin Ducks swallow there food whole and it goes to an organ called a gizzard, were the food is first ground up and than moves on to the stomach. The different bill shapes and sizes for finding food, has over time mutated to fit each environment. The American Pekin Ducks bill is flat and broad and has rows of fine incision along the outer edge called "lamellae". meaning a thin membrane, plate, scale or layer, as of cell wall or bone tissue. The larnellae helps the duck to clutch food for feeding.

In the wild the male American Pekin Duck will guard their nest by chasing away other ducks. The American Pekin Ducks will lay their eggs in what they believe to be a protected place and will habitually lay where another duck has previously laid. Once the female American Pekin Duck lays 5 to 8 eggs, she will start to sit on her eggs to keep them warm so that they can hatch into baby ducklings. The eggs will hatch on average within 26 to 28 days. Baby American Pekin ducklings are able to fly within 5 to 8 weeks.

On farms the American Pekin Ducks can be hoaxed into laying eggs wherever preferred by keeping a golf ball or an identical object in a place where they may normally lay their eggs.

American Pekin Ducks are less broody than other varieties of ducks, which denotes that they will protect eggs less often and they are more probable to discard their nest earlier than their eggs hatch. Female American Pekin Ducks can be employed to sit on the duck eggs, or they can be incubated synthetically.

A male adult American Pekin Duck is called a (drake) and a adult female American Pekin Duck is called a (hen). A young baby duck is called a (duckling). A group of ducks is called a brace, raft, team, flock, or paddling. The male American Pekin Ducks (drakes) are the brighter colored ducks while the female (hen) are usually a plain colored for hiding purposes to be camouflaged from their enemies when they are sitting in their nests.

Temperament of the American Pekin Ducks

As precocial ducks, American Pekin Ducks make perfect companion animals for an assortment of reasons. These ducks are extremely clever, and are able to construct lifelong strong and faithful relationships with humans, and then, they habitually prefer human friendship over the group of other ducks.

An American Pekin Duck can be both an indoor and outdoor companion bird, and there are several products available that assist to keep them comfortable and the home clean. The American Pekin Duck are thriving indoor pets, as they are flexible to home life, and they need to provide them with playthings and social inspiration.

When the American Pekin Ducks taken on controlled trips outdoors, if appropriately imprinted, they stay with the humanitarian group members and not get lost. If a predator or hazard approaches, the American Pekin Ducks will look for safety, and stay with, their human group rather than escaping and become separated or lost. Similar to geese, they are outstanding guard animals, and will offer warning about the approaching strangers or other hazards.

Water-proof feathers of American Pekin Duck

A special feature that the American Pekin Duck has is its water-proof feathers, even when the duck dives underwater, its downy under-layer of feathers will stay totally 100% dry. There is a special gland called the "Preen Gland" also called Oil Gland or Uropygial, that produces oil that is near the duck's tail which covers and spreads the outer coat of the American Pekin Ducks feathers, which makes the duck water-proof.

Underneath the water-proof coat are downy soft fluffy feathers which keep the American Pekin Ducks body warm. American Pekin Ducks keep clean by being able to turn their heads completely backwards, and put their beaks into their feathers by preening themselves.

American Pekin Ducks are related to swans and geese and the duck is the smallest of these birds with shorter wings and neck and a stocky body. American Pekin Ducks on average, live 4 to 8 years and can live up to 12 years, depending on the breed. American Pekin Ducks are omnivores; meaning - an animal that eats food of both animal and plant and origin.

An American Pekin Duck is a Precocial (meaning) Born or hatched with the eyes open, a covering of hair or down, capable of a high degree of independent activity from birth and able to leave the nest just a few hours after hatching.

American Pekin Ducks see in color with very good vision and can see well underwater. American Pekin Ducks have three eyelids the third eyelid called nictitating membrane. They have a top and bottom as well as a third eyelid that is found on the side of the eye. The American Pekin Ducks eyelid blinking acts as a windshield wiper to clear the eye. This helps to see when diving under water can also help the eye from drying out while flying. This is an act of constantly cleaning and keeping the eye moist.
In captivity American Pekin Ducks will lay more eggs, when there is more daylight, that's why farmers will keep the lights on in the ducks house for longer periods of time.

The American Pekin Ducks feet have capillaries which help blood flow to their feet. The warm blood flow down the leg and creates a heat exchange system. When the blood flows down the leg, it meets the cold blood and is warmed up to keep the ducks feet warm. American Pekin Ducks feet are thin because they contain soft tissue and few muscles.