White Pekin is a fast-growing white meat duck. The breed comes from China and is also called the Pekin, American Pekin or Long Island duck (ICAR-DPR review). In India, government farms such as KVASU's at Mannuthy keep and supply it (KVASU). It is a foreign breed, not on India's breed register (ICAR-NBAGR).
How to recognise it
- Colour. Creamy white feathers, an orange-yellow bill, reddish-yellow to bright orange legs and feet, and yellow skin. The eyes are dark blue and the cheeks full (ICAR-DPR review).
- Build. A big, heavy duck that stands fairly upright and can be a little nervous (ICAR-DPR review).
- Size. Adult drakes reach about 4 kg and ducks about 3.5 kg (ICAR-DPR review).
What it is good for
- Fast meat. It is kept mainly for meat (ICAR-DPR review). With good feed it can reach about 2.2–2.5 kg at 42 days, or 6 weeks (TNAU).
- What Indian trials found. In ICAR-DPR trials in Odisha, White Pekins weighed about 2.2 kg at 8 weeks, and about 2.5 kg in another study (ICAR-DPR review). ICAR-DPR scientists note that no Indian study has shown more than 2.5 kg at 6 weeks, while Pekins in China reach about 3.3 kg by then (ICAR-DPR).
- Eggs. About 160–200 large, tinted white eggs in the first year of laying (ICAR-DPR review).
- Crosses. At KVASU, ducklings from Pekin and Kuttanad parents, either way round, gained weight faster than Kuttanad ducks, with no change in feed efficiency (KVASU).
Where it is mainly found
The breed began in China and is now the most popular duck in the United States (ICAR-DPR review). TNAU notes that India's White Pekins were imported from Vietnam (TNAU). ICAR-DPR scientists think most White Pekin stock in India traces back to the Central Duck Breeding Farm at Hessarghatta, Bengaluru, and note that little systematic breeding of the breed has been reported in India (ICAR-DPR). In Kerala, KVASU's poultry and duck farm at Mannuthy keeps and supplies White Pekins (KVASU).
Looking for White Pekin ducks?
Kattutharai works across India. Search “White Pekin” in the app to look for White Pekin ducks, or browse ducks for sale near you. The seller names the breed and Kattutharai does not check it, so look at the birds yourself before you pay.
Rearing tips
- Housed meat farms. ICAR-DPR scientists suggest White Pekin for intensive meat farming (ICAR-DPR). In a closed house the ducks live on deep litter of paddy husk or chopped straw, with feed and water inside (ICAR-DPR review).
- Cheaper feed. In ICAR-DPR trials with White Pekins, broken rice fully replaced wheat in the feed, and water-soaked cassava (tapioca) meal replaced up to 40% of the maize without hurting growth (ICAR-DPR review).
- No mouldy feed. Ducks are very sensitive to aflatoxin, the mould poison of badly stored maize and groundnut. In young White Pekins it slows growth and can kill (ICAR-DPR review).
- Health. Ask your vet about vaccination against duck plague and duck cholera, and report sudden deaths at once: see keep ducks healthy.
Buying tips
- Check the look. Pure creamy-white feathers, an orange-yellow bill and orange legs. A white duck with red, bumpy skin on its face is a Muscovy, not a Pekin.
- Not every white duck is a Pekin. A seller's "Pekin" may be a cross or another meat line. India's central duck farm, for example, imported a Vietnamese meat-duck line, Vigova Super M, in 1996 (ICAR-DPR).
- Weigh a few birds. Ask the age, weigh some birds, and compare them with the weights above.
- Known farms. Buy ducklings from known farms, such as KVASU's at Mannuthy, where you can. The breed name in an ad is the seller's word, and Kattutharai does not check it.
- Health and papers. Check each bird and ask for the vaccination record: see buying ducks.
Frequently asked questions
How fast does a White Pekin grow?
With good feed, about 2.2–2.5 kg at 6 weeks, says TNAU (TNAU). In ICAR-DPR's trials in India, birds weighed about 2.2–2.5 kg at 8 weeks (ICAR-DPR review).
How many eggs does a White Pekin lay?
About 160–200 in its first year of laying (ICAR-DPR review). It is kept mainly for meat.
How do I tell a White Pekin from a white Muscovy?
A Muscovy has bare, red, bumpy skin around its eyes and hisses instead of quacking. A Pekin has a smooth, feathered face and an orange-yellow bill (ICAR-DPR review).
Can I cross White Pekin with local ducks?
Yes. KVASU found that ducklings from Pekin and Kuttanad parents grew faster than pure Kuttanad ducks (KVASU). Raise such crosses for meat.
Next
Compare it with the Muscovy (Manila) duck, Kerala's Kuttanad duck and the egg breed Khaki Campbell. Read Duck rearing in South India: breeds, buying and health for rearing, buying and bird-flu rules, and browse ducks for sale.