Breed of domesticated duck, bred mainly for its meat and appearance
Prize-winning Aylesbury duck (front) and drake (rear), 1873
The Aylesbury duck is a breed of domesticated duck, bred mainly for its meat and appearance. It is a large duck with pure white plumage, a pink bill, orange legs and feet, an unusually large keel, and a horizontal stance with its body parallel to the ground. The precise origins of the breed are unclear, but raising white ducks became popular in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, England, in the 18th century owing to the demand for white feathers as a filler for quilts. Over the 19th century selective breeding for size, shape and colour led to the Aylesbury duck.
Duck rearing became a major industry in Aylesbury in the 19th century. The ducks were bred on farms in the surrounding countryside. Fertilised eggs were brought into the town's "Duck End", where local residents would rear the ducklings in their homes. The opening of a railway to Aylesbury in 1839 enabled cheap and quick transport to the markets of London, and duck rearing became highly profitable. By the 1860s the duck rearing industry began to move out of Aylesbury into the surrounding towns and villages, and the industry in Aylesbury itself began to decline.
In 1873 the Pekin duck was introduced to the United Kingdom. Although its meat was thought to have a poorer flavour than that of the Aylesbury duck, the Pekin was hardier and cheaper to raise. Many breeders switched to the Pekin duck or to Aylesbury-Pekin crosses. By the beginning of the 20th century competition from the Pekin duck, inbreeding, and disease in the pure-bred Aylesbury strain and the rising cost of duck food meant the Aylesbury duck industry was in decline.
The First World War badly damaged the remaining duck industry in Buckinghamshire, wiping out the small scale producers and leaving only a few large farms. Disruption caused by the Second World War further damaged the industry. By the 1950s only one significant flock of Aylesbury ducks remained in Buckinghamshire, and by 1966 there were no duck-breeding or -rearing businesses of any size remaining in Aylesbury itself. Although there is only one surviving flock of pure Aylesbury ducks in the United Kingdom and the breed is critically endangered in the United States, the Aylesbury duck remains a symbol of the town of Aylesbury, and appears on the coat of arms of Aylesbury and on the club badge of Aylesbury United.
The Aylesburyduck is a breed of domesticated duck, bred mainly for its meat and appearance. It is a large duck with pure white plumage, a pink bill,...
Piedmont; she is buried in the Cathedral of Cagliari. Aylesbury's heraldic crest displays the Aylesburyduck, which has been bred here since the birth of the...
Aylesburyduck Bac Kinh duck[citation needed] Bali duck Bashkir duck[citation needed] Bau duck (also known as Ta Duck) Blekinge duck Bourbourg duck Call...
on the development of the modern 'light duck' breeds. Before 1900, most ducks were bred for the table. Aylesbury and Rouen ducks were famous throughout...
mature slower than most other domestic duck breeds (6-8 months). They are often compared to the Pekin or Aylesbury breeds in both egg production and size...
the BBC news magazine programme Nationwide on 24 May 1978. Herbie, an Aylesburyduck, was bought by Jacky and Paddy Randall of Croydon for their children...
and early 20th centuries, Meadle was a centre of production for the AylesburyDuck industry, and had a grist mill to provide feed. Meadle was the home...
The Orpington or Buff Orpington Duck is a breed of domestic duck. It is a dual-purpose breed used for meat and egg production. It is capable of laying...
main places where Aylesbury ducks were bred. In the 18th century selective breeding of white common ducks led to a white domestic duck, generally known...
The Pekin or White Pekin is an American breed of domestic duck, raised primarily for meat. It derives from birds brought to the United States from China...
light AylesburyDuck heavy Bali Duck light Black East Indian Duck bantam and call ducks Blue Swedish heavy Buff Orpington Duck light Call Duck bantam...
The domestic duck (Anas platyrhynchos domesticus) is a subspecies of mallard that has been domesticated and raised for meat and eggs. A few are kept for...
It is the only true Welsh breed of duck. Bonnet later created the Whalesbury Duck, a cross between an AylesburyDuck and a Welsh Harlequin. As a result...
pigeon in a pheasant in a guineafowl in a mallard in a chicken in an Aylesburyduck in a goose in a turkey. He also makes a flourless-cake for the hunters...
with cloves and parsley sauce; and poultry, such as chicken, duck (e.g. Aylesburyduck) and goose. Consumption of chicken increased from the 1950s when...
county had its own pulling power in addition, as produce such as the AylesburyDuck could then be easily transported to the capital. The railway system...
German Pekin, German: Deutsche Pekingente, is a European breed of domestic duck. It is commonly called simply Pekin or White Pekin. It is a different breed...
poultry, with the Pembrokeshire turkey having become as well known as Aylesburyduck. Geese were also commonly kept, with the county once having a reputation...
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