The German Pekin, , is a European

breed A breed is a specific group of breedable domestic animals having homogeneous appearance (phenotype), homogeneous behavior, and/or other characteristics that distinguish it from other organisms of the same species. In literature, there exist seve ...

domestic duck Domestic ducks (mainly mallards, ''Anas platyrhynchos domesticus'', with some Muscovy ducks, ''Cairina moschata domestica'') are ducks that have been domesticated and raised for meat and egg (food), eggs. A few are kept for show, or for thei ...

. It is commonly called simply Pekin or White Pekin. It is a different breed from the American Pekin, which is also commonly known by the same names. It was bred in Europe from birds originating in China and Japan and is distributed in many European countries.

History

The mallard was probably domesticated in China before 1000 AD. Force-feeding of ducks is documented from the tenth century, under the Five Dynasties. Chinese people were sophisticated breeders of ducks. Among several breeds they created was one named ''shi-chin-ya-tze'', or roughly "ten-pound duck". In 1872 some birds of this type were imported to the United Kingdom by Walter Steward; others were taken to the United States by James E. Palmer, where they gave rise to the American Pekin breed. Some soon reached Germany from the UK, possibly via France. In Germany the Chinese ducks were cross-bred with upright white ducks brought from Japan by Dutch ships, resulting in birds with a steep body angle; those taken to the United States were crossed with

Aylesbury Aylesbury ( ) is the county town of Buckinghamshire, England. It is home to the Roald Dahl Children's Gallery and the Aylesbury Waterside Theatre, Waterside Theatre. It is located in central Buckinghamshire, midway between High Wycombe and Milt ...

birds, which led to birds with a more horizontal stance. In Britain as in Germany, breeders in the early twentieth century tended to select for an upright body position. The modern British breed derives mostly from birds imported from Germany from about 1970. In 2017 the German Pekin was listed as "seriously endangered" in the Rote Liste of the Gesellschaft zur Erhaltung alter und gefährdeter Haustierrassen, a German national association for the conservation of historic and endangered domestic animal

breeds A breed is a specific group of breedable domestic animals having homogeneous appearance (phenotype), homogeneous behavior, and/or other characteristics that distinguish it from other organisms of the same species. In literature, there exist seve ...

. In 2025 its conservation status in Germany was listed in

DAD-IS DAD-IS is the acronym for the Domestic Animal Diversity Information System, a tool developed and maintained by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations as a part of its programme for management of animal genetic resources for ...

as "at risk/endangered",, while in the United Kingdom it was "not at risk".

Characteristics

The Pekin is heavily feathered; the plumage is creamy white with a yellowish tinge. The beak is short and orange-coloured. The body is broad and heavy, and is held almost vertical. In the United Kingdom, drakes weigh approximately and ducks about , while in Germany drakes weigh approximately and ducks about .

Use

The Pekin was intended to be a table bird, reared for its

meat Meat is animal Tissue (biology), tissue, often muscle, that is eaten as food. Humans have hunted and farmed other animals for meat since prehistory. The Neolithic Revolution allowed the domestication of vertebrates, including chickens, sheep, ...

. In Germany it has not been kept for agricultural production since about the time of the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, and is primarily a show bird. Ducks lay about 80 eggs per year; the eggs weigh approximately .

References

Duck breeds Duck breeds originating in Germany {{bots, deny=Citation bot