Since ancient times, people have been very eager to breed ducks at home. Almost all breeds of domestic ducks descended from the wild mallard, which is widespread in Europe and North America. Various breeds were introduced to Russia gradually.
There are several types of domestic duck breeds that have been created by natural selection. These are meat, general use and egg breeds. In household plots, they usually breed birds of the first two types. There are many breeds of ducks all over the world. Among them there are also old species that have been known for a very long time. And there are also young, recently bred breeds. But on the territory of Russia, the most common are: Peking duck, musk duck, and also mulard.
Peking duck
Ducks, which were bred in China over three hundred years ago, are considered a very common meat type. The Peking duck has a wide and slightly elongated body, a convex chest, and a noticeably raised tail. But the wings of this breed fit tightly to the body. The Peking duck boasts an interesting creamy white plumage. At the same time, the paws have an orange-red color. The live weight of drakes of this breed is usually 4 kg. Females weigh 500 g less. By the way, already seven weeks after the birth of the Peking breed ducklings reach 3 kilograms in weight.
Muscovy duck
This breed belongs to the meat-and-meat type. It was first brought out in Latin America. Ducks of this breed have taken root well on Russian territory. In appearance, they differ from representatives of other species by an elongated body and strong long wings. The muscovy duck has a large number of reddish-pinkish warts on its head.
The variegated plumage of musk ducks includes almost all colors: from white to black, with a lot of shades. Drakes of this breed usually weigh 5 kg. And the weight of the duck does not exceed 2.5 kg. Muscovy ducks have very tasty and tender meat. By the way, this breed was brought to Russia from Germany in the 80s of the last century.
Duck mulard
As for the Mulard duck, this breed was developed by crossing Peking ducks and Musk ducks in France. It can be classified as a meat type. By the way, Mulard ducks are perfect for breeding in private farms. They are distinguished by a rapid increase in live weight. In about 3 months of fattening, the weight of a drake can reach 4 kg. In the future, it can increase up to 7 kg. In fact, mularda have combined the best qualities of musk and Peking domestic ducks. With the same feeding as in the above breeds, much more meat can be obtained from mulard.
