Pekins are among the most popular backyard ducks. One look at them, and you can see why. It’s hard to resist hugging their soft, plushy feathers. This breed of duck tends to be very gentle and enjoys being petted. They can lay up to 200 eggs a year, but what their great size comes an even greater appetite! Females are among the loudest of all the domestic duck breeds, with the exception of the female call duck whose voice is earsplitting.

Pekins make good indoor as well as outside pets. They can be fitted with diapers and adapt to house life quite easily. One of my Pekins enjoyed taking afternoon naps in my bed with me. Unfortunately, frequent trips to the lake outside brought out his wild instincts, and he refused to come home after a while.

Originally bred in “Peking” or Nanjing, China, this is often the duck you will see hanging from the window in Chinatown roasted red. The taste of Pekin duck has inspired much Chinese poetry and won the favor of many foreign diplomats during the Qing dynasty.

A good way to test if your duckling is going to be a cuddly one is to pick it up and see how calm it is. A cuddly one will sit down immediately and relax. Nervous ducklings will bring that same energy into adulthood and be much harder to tame. Read more about taming your duck here.

 

Special thanks to Slow down Sunday for her images.