Rouen Duck

Facts about Rouen ducks. They started appearing in England in the 1700s. Rouen ducks were introduced to the United States in the 1870s. The Rouen duck is sometimes called the English Rouen, Rhone, Roan duck, or dark Rouen duck, first arose in the Rouen area in Normandy, France.

The Rouen duck looks a lot like the wild mallard duck when it has matured, and their ducklings are almost indistinguishable except in size. The Rouen duck is larger than the mallard, up to twice as large as its wild cousins. In fact it is too heavy to fly and is thus a free range duck. Rouen ducks can swim.

The Rouen duck has a calm disposition. The Rouen Ducks are raised for show, feathers and, sometimes, their meat. The Rouen Duck were originally raised for their meat, and they were popular farm ducks because they couldn’t fly away. Their large size means they take up to eight months to mature. The Rouen Duck are poor layers and only lay 35 to 75 eggs per year. In contrast, Pomeranian ducks lay 100 to 150 eggs per year.

The Rouen duck was the first duck breed to have its appearance standardized and recognized by British poultry breeders, with the standard set in 1865. The English Rouen duck is somewhat darker than its French cousins, but both are brighter than their wild cousins. The not-standard breed of Rouen duck is on the Livestock Conservancy’s watch list, but is not currently considered in danger of extinction.

The standard Rouen duck is nine to twelve pounds (4 to 5.44 kg) at maturity, with males being larger. It has a block like body with the Rouen Ducks back arches. The chest is brown while the wings are gray or brown, and they may have green, white or blue stripes on the wings. Standard Rouen ducks are challenging to raise because the adults are so heavy that they can crush their own eggs if allowed to sit on them. The standard Rouen Duck has a more square body. Their keels are straight and level. Breeders must be careful about the keel that is considered attractive in show, since taken to an extreme, the male duck then has trouble breeding.

The production Rouen duck, also called the Common Rouen duck, is seven to eight pounds (3.1 to 3.6 kg) in weight. It has a trimmer body and its carriage is more upright. It has a dark yellow bill, the standard Rouen’s bill is more orange.

The Rouen duck is one of the ancestors of the Rouen Clair breed, The Rouen Clair has a paler underbelly and light phase plumage. The Rouen duck is called the Rouen Fonce or dark Rouen to distinguish it from the Rouen Clair. The Rouen Clair breed was derived from the Rouen duck by Rene Garry in the 1910s. He bred them for their plumage and show, instead of their agricultural value. The Rouen Clair has an upright carriage similar to the Rouen but a straighter back.

Ducks of all types are part of the bird family "Anatidae". 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. Scientific name for Rouen 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). Rouen Duck s are birds in the Class of "Aves".

Features about Rouen Duck egg

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

The Rouen duck in all its forms may have a white band around the neck. Many have blue speculum feathers. They have black eyes and they may have a white or black stripe above the eye.

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

Water-proof feathers of Rouen duck

A special feature that the Rouen 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 Rouen duck's tail which covers and spreads the outer coat of the duck's feathers, which makes the duck water-proof.

Features of Rouen ducks feet

Rouen 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 Rouen duck's paddle feet do not feel cold, even when it swims in cold icy water. The webbed feet makes a Rouen duck waddle instead of walk. The Rouen 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 ducks feet warm. Rouen ducks feet are thin because they contain soft tissue and few muscles.

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.
A male adult Rouen duck is called a (drake) and a adult female Rouen 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 ducks (drakes) are the brightly 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.

Features about the Bill of the Rouen Duck

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

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

Male Rouen ducks will guard their nest by chasing away other ducks. Once the female lays 5 to 10 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 ducklings are able to fly within 5 to 8 weeks. Rouen 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.
Rouen ducks see in color with very good vision and can see well underwater. Rouen 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 Rouen 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.