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COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: Great Britain

CATEGORY: Duck

The Abacot Ranger was one of many breeds developed from (or crossed with) Indian Runners. Starting with ‘sports’ from khaki Campbells, themselves originally the products of Runner crosses, Mr Oscar Gray of Abacot Duck Ranch, near Colchester, mated their offspring to a white Indian Runner drake. The eventual results were ‘light drakes of Khaki carriage and type with dark hoods, and white ducks with blue flight bars and fawn or grey hoods’. This development was begun in 1917 and the Wye College Duck Laying Test of 1922-3 indicates a very successful outcome: the breed came top with 935 eggs in the four bird section.

Originally called the ‘Hooded Ranger’, this breed almost died out. Imported into Germany via Denmark in 1926, it was ‘stabilised’ as a colour form by H. Lieker, whence it acquired the name ‘Liekers Streifere’(Lieker’s Ranger or Scout). In 1934 it was eventually standardized under the name of Streicber-Ente(Ranger Duck). Later standardized in 1987, the modern Abacot Ranger owes both its sur­vival and written standard to the work done in Germany.

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COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: England

CATEGORY: Ducks

Develop in the 1980s  and first shown in 1987 by Tom Bartlett of Follow Farm in England, this Bantam Duck is a miniature version of the original Silver Appleyard produced by Reginald Appleyard in the mid 20^th century. The miniature first standardized in 1997, is roughly a third  of the weight of the original,  large breed.

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AREA OF ORIGIN: Asia

CATEGORY: Duck

The Hook Bill is described and illustrated by Francis Willughby (in his Ornithology, published in 1678). Harrison Weir (1902) asserts that these birds are of Indian origin. He notes also that he saw them between 1837 and 1840 on the lake at Surrey Zoologi­cal Gardens. Weir maintains that the Dutch’released their Hook Bills every morning on to the local canals and rivers, a very cost-effective way of feeding them. At dusk the birds flew back to their owners. Fancifully perhaps, he suggests that the bill and white bib made them distinct from the wild targets of the local hunters. Both Durigen and Broekman (referred to in Schmidt, Puten, Perlhuhner, Ganse, Enten, 1989) reinforce the Asiatic origin of the bird. Durigen calls it haken- or bogen- schnabel (hook or bow-bill). The name Krombekeenden occurs in the Dutch references and the Germans use the term Krummscbnabel-Enten. How and when it arrived and later spread in Europe is not reported, although there is evidence (A. Biihle, 1860) that the bird was widely distributed throughout Europe in the mid-nineteenth century, centred particularly in Thuringia where it was kept on garden ponds for egg-laying and as a prized meat bird.

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COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: England

CATEGORY: Duck

The Silver Appleyard is a good all-round utility duck produced by Mr. Reginald Appleyard from selective cross breeding. It is a good layer, an excellent table bird and very ornamental.

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COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: Great Britain

CATEGORY: Duck

This bantam breed was formerly known as the Silver Appleyard Bantam. It was produced by Reginald Appleyard from a cross between a small Khaki Campbell duck and a white Call drake in the 1940s. The Silver Bantam does not have the same colour genes as the large Silver Appleyard, hence the change of name when the Miniature Appleyard was standardized in 1997. The Bantam is very similar to the Abacot Ranger, which was also developed from Khaki Campbells and crossed to a white drake. In this way, the dusky mallard genes were retained and the hidden harlequin-phase genes  were revealed. 

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(Anas   boschas)

Ducks are web-footed, short-legged, broad-billed waterfowl of the Anatidae family comprising fresh-water and wood ducks (Anatinae), the sea and bay ducks (Fuligulinae) and the mergansers (Merginae).

The Mallard Duck

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It is generally accepted that all breeds of ducks, with the exception of the Muscovy, originated from the wild Mallard. This is quite clear with a breed like the Rouen and Call Ducks. Some consider that the Black East Indian and the Cayuga originated from sports of the Mallard. It is possible to understand, too, that the original white ducks of the world coming as Mallard sports. They were developed for body size and table qualities, by domestication and selection, resulting eventually in the Aylesbury and Pekin as we know them today. The wild Mallard also played its part in the make-up of the Khaki Campbell.

The Muscovy originated in South America. It is a distinct race. Even its incubation period of 35 days is different to the 28 days of other waterfowl. Because of this factor, if crossed with other domesticated, waterfowl, the resulting progeny will be sterile.

The Muscovy Duck

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Ducks are not only popular for exhibition purposes but useful, and profitable, for the production of meat and eggs. The many variations in size, type and colour patterns give breeders of ducks a wide range from which to choose from to suite their desires. These include the well fleshed White Pekin to the racy Runner; the large White Aylesbury or the massive beautiful Rouen; the showy Crested to the pretty Saxony: or the tiny Call and East India.

Carolina and Mandarin ducks, for which there are laid down standards, are classified as ornamental ducks in South Africa.  All indigenous S.A. or foreign breeds are classified as wild duck.

  The Mandarin Duck

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COUNTRY OF ORIGIN:  Wales

CATEGORY: Duck

The Magpie is a very striking duck because of its bold black and white or, blue and white plumage. It yields both meat and eggs and is a medium size duck.

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COUNTRY OF ORIGIN:  Germany

CATEGORY: Duck

The Gimbsheimer was bred from the Orpington, American Pekin and Saxony in Gimbsheim between 1958 and 1963.

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COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: Holland

CATEGORY: Duck

All call ducks originally come from Holland. Their original name was Dutch Decoys. The name Call originated in England because of the females loud quack. These little ducks were bred from the Mallard and the original colour was as in Mallard, but were called Brown or Grey. The white variety, which later became the most popular, were sports from the original colour. The breed was developed by wild fowl hunters who used to tie a cord to one leg and allow the little decoy to swim away. On spotting a flock of ducks the hunter would tug at the cord, which made the duck quack loudly usually bringing the flock closer to investigate and within gunshot. They were imported into England prior to 1851 and to America before 1883.

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COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: Wales

CATEGORY: Duck

The Welsh Harlequin is a utility duck and is very attractive. They are prolific layers, and were bred from sports from a Khaki Campbell flock in 1949.

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