If you’ve ever seen a duck with pure white feathers and a simple pink-white beak, you’ve found yourself an Aylesbury duck. They are purely domesticated ducks that originated from England. This species of ducks are great with humans, which is why they are purely domesticated. However, when given feed, they grow very fast and can reach about 9-10lbs once fully grown.
Aylesbury Duck Origins and Uses
The first record of the Aylesbury duck (then called the English White) dates back to the 1690s near Aylesbury, a city in England.
Breeders highly regard the Aylesbury duck for its white feathers and ability to lay eggs during the winter. Breeders also kept their feathers in pristine condition, not only for the duck but also because their feathers became quill pens or stuffing for pillows. A single Aylesbury duck also produces a lot of meat, making them a popular table duck.
The breed matures quite fast, with chicks reaching a slaughtering weight at 7 to 9 weeks of age. Consequently, they can also breed quickly.
These days, you’ll typically see the Aylesbury duck wandering nearby ponds and lakes. Some people even keep them as pets, but modern-day Aylesbury ducks are known more for meat production. They do produce eggs, but their meat supply is much more plentiful.
Meat Production
The Aylesbury duck produces a lot of mild-flavored meat. Many cooks globally prefer Aylesbury duck meat to almost any other sort of duck meat. They’re typically slaughtered and butchered at 7 to 9 weeks of age before their first molt.
Physical Characteristics of Aylesbury Ducks
So then, what do Aylesbury ducks look like?
Thanks to their long, swan-like necks, an Aylesbury duck can grow over 13.5 inches in height. A male Aylesbury duck weighs around 10 pounds. A female weighs approximately 9 pounds.
Male Aylesbury ducks have a slight curl on their tail feathers but both male and female Aylesbury ducks have a white coloring, which breeders have worked hard to maintain. Their feathers are white, glossy, and soft to touch. The skin beneath their feathers is also white, compared to other ducks’ yellow skin.
The Aylesbury duck looks quite similar to the Pekin duck, which also has white feathers. However, the Pekin duck has a more upright appearance and an orange beak, while the Aylesbury duck has a pink-white beak and boat-like shape.
Aylesbury ducks have the typical orange duck legs and feet, along with grey-blue eyes.
Do Aylesbury Ducks Fly?
Contrary to what you might have heard from Beatrix Potter stories, Aylesbury ducks cannot fly. They have large body weights, and their wings, therefore, cannot support them in flight.
Aylesbury Ducks Lifespan
How long can you expect a single Aylesbury duck to live in your homestead? Most Aylesbury ducks live to about 10 years with proper health and care. You may want to familiarize yourself with some of the common health issues Aylesbury ducks face to provide the best care.
Common Health Issues
Aylesbury ducks sometimes develop feet problems because they do a lot of walking and are heavy from too much feeding. They are also prone to bumblefoot or Staph infections, so be sure to check your ducks’ feet often.
Ducks also need water so their preening gland doesn’t dry out in a condition called “wet feather” disease. Constant bathing will also prevent them from getting pests, like mites, ticks, fleas, and so on.
Aylesbury ducks prefer to be in flocks, so they’ll need to be dewormed every so often. Though they are not as prone as other poultry, deworming should remain part of their healthcare schedule.
Aylesbury Ducks Diet
An Aylesbury duck’s diet is not a one-size-fits-all affair.
Adults
While foraging, adult Aylesbury ducks might eat plant material, larvae under rocks, seeds, and perhaps some tiny fish.
Ducklings
Aylesbury ducklings grow fast if you feed them concentrated duck feed.
How Often Should You Feed Your Ducks?
You can feed your ducks a few times a day. They don’t move around a lot, so you need to make sure they get lots of nutrition from their duck pellets.
How Much Food Should You Feed Aylesbury Ducks?
Be careful about leaving duck food out. Aylesbury ducks are prone to obesity because they are not aggressive foragers.
Aylesbury Ducks Breeding and Egg Production
It might come as a surprise that chickens are not the only barnyard bird to produce eggs.
Mating
Unlike some birds, Aylesbury ducks don’t mate for life. For every one drake in a flock of Aylesbury ducks, there are usually 4 to 5 hens. A drake can mate with any of those hens to produce eggs.
Aylesbury ducks become fertile at roughly 3 to 4 months of age, though the prime time for a drake to mate lasts until about four years.
Laying Eggs
Aylesbury hens can lay eggs until they are about 7 to 8 years old. Aylesbury hens can breed all year round; they can lay around 35-125 eggs in a year. Aylesbury duck eggs tend to run large and are usually colored white or tinted green.
If you’re looking to your Aylesbury ducks for egg production, they tend to lay their eggs before 9 a.m., so they’re usually ready for collecting in the morning. Though, they’re not the best birds for egg production because they don’t brood very much. Their considerable body weight, keel, and somewhat clumsy nature do not make them very good at it.
If you’re looking to breed Aylesbury ducks, their eggs can incubate in their shell for 28 days. Though you’ll have to be more mindful of more free-range ducks, as they can lay their eggs anywhere. They’re also not the best sitters, so if you’re intending to breed, you may want to use an incubator.
Aylesbury Ducks Behavior and Temperament
Ducks are generally not known to be temperamental, and that goes the same for Aylesbury ducks. They tend to be docile and friendly toward humans. They are not very aggressive foragers, so they will grow fat fast when given concentrated feed, making them slow movers. Since they don’t move around too much, they’re not the most fun birds to watch. Though, they do have a massive keel and breast, which makes them waddle quite a bit.
Aylesbury ducks are quite sociable and tend to be in groups. If you’re looking to add this species of duck to your home, you should keep them in groups or at least in a pair. Feel free to let them socialize with other types of ducks, but be careful of the drakes. Drakes will mate with any female duck they might find. On the whole, it’s okay to let them wander, though they prefer to stay close to their home.
Although Aylesbury ducks are friendly, don’t let them get too close to wild waterfowl.
Keeping Aylesbury Ducks as Pets
Aylesbury ducks are actually great as pets! That’s because they are friendly, sweet, and slow-moving. They’re also surprisingly easy to train. They tend to be pretty good around children too, though supervision is a good idea.
If you’re looking to keep Aylesbury ducks as pets, there are a few things to keep in mind:
- They can be quite loud. While Aylesbury ducks are pretty friendly, they have a bit of a loud quack. When in groups, they can be especially loud, especially when first let out of their coop.
- They can have a smell if not taken care of properly. Like most animals, an Aylesbury duck will smell when exposed to mud and dirt, or if left unbathed. Luckily, this breed of duck loves to bathe, so they should be quite easy to maintain.
Tips on Aylesbury Ducks Care
These ducks are fairly easy going with a calm demeanor. However, they will require adequate protection from predators and adverse weather conditions. You’ll need to make sure they have a shelter that can protect them from both of these in order for them to have a safe and healthy life.
Whether you want to use a guard dog, fencing, or traps, you can build safety into your routine by putting your ducks out an hour after dawn and putting them to bed before dusk.
Aylesbury Ducks Cost
The cost of buying a duck and then caring for it varies depending on where you look, but buying the eggs should usually come cheap.
Ducklings and Eggs
Ducklings come a little cheaper in their eggs, sometimes going from $4 to $12.
Adults
An Aylesbury duck’s price depends on a few factors. Decide whether you want a male or female and if you want it for a pet or a breeder. With that in mind, an Aylesbury duck could go for between $25 to $75.
Food and Maintenance
Choosing what to feed your duck depends on whether you’ve bred them for show or utility. If you’re raising a show duck, avoid feeding them grass, lettuce, or too much corn.
Similarly, you’ll have to provide a clean place for them to bathe and roam. Provide your duck plenty of clean bathing water to keep their feathers white. Make sure their favorite roaming spots have gravel to walk on rather than mud to help keep them clean.
If you’re looking to breed ducks, make sure the male duck is not overweight. Overweight ducks tend to have poor fertility. If the duck still has trouble producing chicks, you can provide bathing water to help them mount the female better.
Aylesbury ducks take well to the cold as long as they have warm hay and shelter.
If you want your duck to maintain its pristine white appearance, don’t give the duck too much sunlight. That will cause the feathers to become slightly brittle and turn yellow.
Where Can You Buy Aylesbury Ducks?
If you want to purchase a purebred Aylesbury duck, you’ll have to check with Omlet US, the American Livestock Conservancy, or the APA. You probably won’t find many commercial operations breeding Aylesbury ducks, but maybe on a homestead.
Noteworthy Facts about Aylesbury Ducks
Let’s look at a little more information about this splendid breed of duck.
Info Table
| Purpose | Meat, Show, Eggs, Pets |
| Country of origin | England |
| Breed Class | Large |
| Weight – Drake | 10 pounds |
| Weight – Hen | 9 pounds |
| Eggs per year | 35-125 |
| Egg size | Extra large |
| Egg weight | 80 grams |
| Egg production age | From 3-4 weeks, up to 4 years of age |
| Diet | Nutritional duck pellets, corn, lettuce |
| Lifespan | Roughly 10 years |
| Flying ability | None |
| Personality | Docile, friendly, sociable |
| Distinguishing features | Pristine white feathers, pink-white beak |
| Varieties | None |
| Cost (USD) | $4 to $75 |