Aylesbury Duck
The Aylesbury duck is an old English breed of duck that was primarily bred in Aylesbury . Like many other white duck breeds, it is a meat breed.
history
The breed dates back to the early 18th century. The duck was raised in the Aylesbury area primarily by laborers and part-time farmers. It was usually the job of women and children to look after the chicks and young ducks.
In order to raise the ducks, the workers and sideline farmers usually had a small pond on their property. Next to it there were shelters where the ducks could rest. During the night the ducks were housed in the living room or even in the bedroom. Isabella Beeton reported that in the huts of the workers and part-time farmers there were boxes lined with hay along the walls, in which the ducks rested. Sometimes the ducks belonged to the workers, but often they raised the ducks on behalf of a wholesaler. Aylesbury ducks were breeding very early in the year, so the ducks were ready for slaughter by July 25th. In 19th century Great Britain this breed of ducks was considered particularly delicate.
The primary marketing area for this duck was London, approximately 40 miles south of Aylesbury. The ducks were first herded to London. Inns along the route offered large, enclosed areas where the herds could spend the night. Payment was usually made with a few ducks. To protect the ducks' feet, they were first chased through a flat tar bed and then through a flat sawdust bed. From 1839 there was a railway connection to London, so that the arduous march became increasingly superfluous and the animals were transported to London by train.
Breed characteristics
The characteristics of this breed of ducks include the pink or flesh-colored beak and the orange feet and legs. It's a bulky duck with pale skin and a broad chest. The back is carried parallel to the floor. The pink to flesh-colored beak is an important identifier of the species. Ducks with a different beak color are crossbreeds. The Aylesbury duck is one of the largest and heaviest domestic duck breeds, it is only surpassed by the wart duck and is just as heavy as the Rouen duck . When fully grown, the drakes can weigh between 4.5 and 5.4 kilograms. The ducks weigh between 4.1 and 5.0 kilograms.
Danger
The Aylesbury duck is no longer important in commercial poultry breeding today, but Aylesbury ducks have been crossed into many commercial duck breeds that are primarily bred for their meat. Pure Aylesbury ducks are rare today, the smaller Peking duck has been crossed in most stocks . In England there are individual companies that breed the ducks for upscale gastronomy. The Aylesbury duck was included in the GEH Red List as extremely endangered (Category I), in 2013 only around 90 animals were recorded by eight known breeders. According to GEH, it is also on the red lists of endangered livestock breeds in the home country of England and the USA.
Others
The Aylesbury duck is the heraldic symbol of the town of Aylesbury. One type of beer is named after this duck. There are also two pubs in Aylesbury that have the duck breed on their behalf.
literature
- Janet Kear : Man and Wildfowl. T. & AD Poyser, London 1990, ISBN 0-85661-055-0 .
