Orpington Duck

Facts about Orpington Ducks. The Orpington Duck breeds are native of the village of Orpington in Kent in the United Kingdom. Scientific name for Orpington 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). The definition of Anatidaephobia is irrational fear that you are being watched by a duck.
Orpington Ducks are birds in the Class of "Aves". Ducks of all types are part of the bird family "Anatidae". Orpington 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 Orpington Duck varieties were intended as a double purpose breeds and they are a prolific layer and a superior table ducks. The Orpington Duck are particularly bred for their eggs and meat. The female Orpington Ducks are capable of laying a maximum of 220 eggs in a year.

Features

Orpington Ducks are the average-sized domestic, highly capable egg-laying and meat producing ducks, with the male Orpington Duck having a body mass, ranging from 4.8 to 7.5 pounds (2.2 kg to 3.4 Kg), whereas the female ones have a body mass between 4.8 to 7 pounds (2.2 kg to 3.2 Kg). The Orpington Ducks come in beige color, and occasionally, some ducks come in blue and brown colors. The Orpington Duck breed has small wings, with the body carriage of twenty degrees above horizontal. The Orpington Duck have a tiny, well-coiled tail. The Orpington Duck have buff plumage, with orange to yellow feet and shank, and brown colored eyes. Though both male and female Orpington ducks are similar in appearance, male ducks are slightly bigger than the females. The color of the bill of the male duck is yellow, whereas in female ducks, its color is brown-orange.

The Orpington Duck breed belongs to the average class, and the Buff duck is an uneven color duck, owing to a blue intensity gene that means that from the young, all three color differences will emerge. However, the color of the feathers of the female Orpington Ducks will become lighter as they age. Even though nowadays, the Orpington Duck breed is well esteemed for its coloring and plumage, the Orpington Ducks are currently habitually raised for decorative purposes, or maintained as pets by duck hobbyists.

The blue color Orpington Duck is much less universal than the beige color Orpington Duck. The beige color Orpington Duck is a successor of the blue color Orpington duck variety. Among the three varieties of Orpington Ducks, the buff variety duck is considered to be the most beautiful by means of its rich red- or golden-buff tinted plumage.

Usually, Orpington Ducks prefer to be offered a shelter that will defend them from rain and wind. The Orpington Ducks need only a low fence because of their inadequate flight skill. The Orpington Duck prefer to have access to customary duck feed and dirt free water at all times.

Diet of Orpington Duck

Orpington Ducks mostly feed on aquatic invertebrates, insects and larvae, seeds, aquatic vegetation, acorns and grain.

Behavior of Orpington Duck

Orpington Ducks are immense fun to breed as a pastime, even though getting the perfect color is not easy. Usually, the Orpington Ducks appear fairly smart because they do not show grime as much as white-feathered ducks.

A "bill" is what is call a Orpington Ducks mouth. There are no teeth in the Orpington Ducks bill, they have rows of thin bristles, which helps them to filter pieces of nutrition out of the water. Orpington 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 Orpington 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.

Reproduction of Orpington Duck

Female Orpington duck breeds lay eggs with light gray or white color shells. However, the buff Orpington Ducks used to lay colored eggs. A Orpington 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.

The male Orpington Duck will guard their nest by chasing away other ducks. Once the female Orpington 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 Orpington ducklings are able to fly within 5 to 8 weeks. Orpington 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.

Water-proof feathers of Orpington Duck

A special feature that the Orpington Duck has is its water-proof feathers, even when the Orpington 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 Orpington Ducks tail which covers and spreads the outer coat of the Orpington Ducks feathers, which makes the duck water-proof.

Orpington Ducks have webbed feet, that makes them act like paddles, designed for swimming. The Orpington Duck 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, the Orpington Duck will close for less water resistance. The Orpington Ducks paddle feet do not feel cold, even when it swims in cold icy water. The webbed feet makes a Orpington Duck waddle instead of walk. The duck’s 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 Orpington Ducks feet warm. Orpington Ducks feet are thin because they contain soft tissue and few muscles.

Underneath the water-proof coat are downy soft fluffy feathers which keep the ducks body warm. Orpington Ducks keep clean by being able to turn their heads completely backwards, and put their beaks into their feathers by preening themselves.
Orpington Ducks see in color with very good vision and can see well underwater. Ducks fly in a “V” shape to makes flying easier.

Orpington Orpington 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. Orpington Ducks on average, live 4 to 8 years and can live up to 12 years, depending on the breed. Orpington Ducks are omnivores; meaning - an animal that eats food of both animal and plant and origin.

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