Domestic duck

Domestic ducks are birds that humans have raised for many different purposes. Most varieties come from the mallard, a wild species known as Anas platyrhynchos. Some domestic ducks come from the Muscovy duck, which is a different species called Cairina moschata. People primarily raise these birds to produce meat and eggs. Other varieties are kept for their ornamental value, meaning they are valued for their beauty. These ducks might have striking plumage or unique crests and tufts. They are often shown in competitions called exhibitions.

The process of domestication changed how these birds behave and look. Scientists using whole-genome sequencing believe mallards were domesticated in a single event. This likely happened during the Neolithic period in Southern China. After domestication, humans used rapid selection to create different lineages. Some lineages were chosen because they produced more meat. Others were selected because they laid more eggs. This selection process also changed their social habits. While wild mallards are monogamous, domestic ducks are mostly promiscuous. They have also lost the territorial behavior seen in wild mallards.

Farmers use several different systems to raise ducks effectively. Duck husbandry is simplified because ducks have reliable flocking behavior. They are also very good at foraging for their own food in wetlands. In East and Southeast Asia, many farmers use a method called polyculture. One common type is rice-duck farming, where ducks live in rice paddies. The ducks assist the rice by eating small pest animals. They also provide manure to fertilize the crops. This system allows the same land to produce both rice and ducks at once.

There are many distinct breeds of domestic ducks with different traits. The White Pekin is a common breed raised for meat. The Indian Runner is a prolific breed that can lay over 300 eggs per year. Other breeds, like the Aylesbury, can grow quite large for meat production. In contrast, the Appleyard is a much smaller breed. Some ducks are also hybrids, such as the mulard. A mulard is a cross between a Muscovy duck and a mallard. While most breeds lay about 200 eggs annually, these differences make each breed unique.

The history of duck farming is very ancient. While people in ancient Egypt hunted wild ducks, they did not domesticate them. In Ancient Rome, ducks were documented by the second century BC. However, records from writers like Columella suggest Romans captured wild ducks rather than breeding them. The earliest written records of ducks in China date to about 500 BC. The Muscovy duck has a different history, as it was domesticated in Mexico and South America. Today, duck farming is a massive global industry.

Global production numbers show how important ducks are to the world food supply. In 2021, approximately 4.3 billion ducks were slaughtered for meat worldwide. This resulted in a total yield of about 6.2 million tonnes of meat. China is the leader in this industry, accounting for over 80% of global production. In China alone, more than 3.6 billion ducks were raised. This yielded about 4.9 million tonnes of meat. While this is a large amount, it is still lower than chicken production. However, it is much higher than the meat produced from geese.

Ducks are also significant in human culture and art. In ancient Egypt, they appeared in art as symbols of fertility. In literature, Beatrix Potter wrote about Jemima Puddle-Duck in 1908. The famous Disney character Donald Duck is based on the American Pekin breed. In music, Sergei Prokofiev used the oboe to represent a duck in his 1936 composition, Peter and the Wolf. Ducks even appear in food traditions, such as Peking duck from Beijing. In the Philippines, a fertilized egg called balut is a popular street food.