DUCKS

Ducks

Mudchute is home to a number of ducks. Our call ducks live in Pets Corner and other ducks can be found swimming on the duck pond or in their temporary accommodation near the turkeys. For info on our Mandarin ducks, please see the Aviary Birds section.

  • Rouen Ducks

    The Rouen duck is a very large imposing breed which looks like an oversized mallard, with the females being brown with black lacing on the outside of the feathers. The drake has a green head, claret bib and grey body. The Rouen duck is originally from France where they were used as a meat bird and crossed with the Muscovy to produce the Barbary duck. They take 2 yrs to reach their full size of 12lbs, and because of this they are now kept more for showing. Exhibition females only lay between 100-150 eggs per year. They are a docile breed and tame reasonably easily and due to their size they cannot fly.

  • Aylesbury Ducks

    The Aylesbury duck derives its name from the town of Aylesbury in Buckinghamshire, where it was bred as a table duck to supply the London market in the eighteenth century. The Aylesbury duck was a leading waterfowl exhibit in the first national poultry show held at the London Zoological Gardens in June 1845. This was the beginning of live poultry exhibitions, and it was the Victorian stress on size that led to the development of the modern Aylesbury duck with its pronounced keel and long pink beak. The Aylesbury is a heavy duck with the drakes weighing 4.5-5.4kg (10-12lbs) and the ducks weighing 4.1-5.0kg (9-11lbs). The females are not very good layers only producing 80-100 eggs per year.

  • Muscovy Duck

    Originally a wild duck from Central America where it nests in the trees of forest swamps, laying 8–21 eggs per clutch. A nice character with a sense of humor, very intelligent and head of escape committee!

  • Call Ducks

    Call Ducks are a small breed with drakes weighing only about half a kilogram. Despite their small size, they have a very loud, high-pitched call. These birds were originally bred to lure wild ducks into traps during hunts. The call duck has been in Britain since the 1850s and in addition to their small size have a distinctively round forehead and broad, short bill. Find out more about the breed from the Call Duck Association UK.

  • Indian Runner Duck

    These ducks were originally called Penguin Ducks when introduced by Dutch Explorers 200 years ago. They have lost their power of flight but can run fast on their tall upright bodies.

  • Fulvous Whistling Duck

  • White-faced Whistling Duck