Crested duck
The Crested is an exhibition duck with a pom-pom 'top-knot' on the back of its head. It is on the RBST watchlist.
The Crested is a pure-bred duck breed in the PCGB Bantam / Light class. Its origin is given as Selected from crested mutations of domestic Mallard stock. It appears on the RBST Watchlist as a priority breed, so keepers of pure stock help conserve it.
It is kept in light and bantam forms. Recognised colours: White, Coloured (markings must be symmetrical). Typical adult weights: drake about 3.2 kg and duck about 2.7 kg.
Expect roughly 120–200 eggs a year, with white/blue-green shells. It is mainly kept for eggs, for the table and for exhibition or as an ornamental bird.
Compiled from poultryclub.org, rbst.org.uk, domestic-waterfowl.co.uk, poultrykeeper.com. See sources
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Identity
- Species
- Duck
- Type
- Pure breed
- PCGB class
- Bantam / Light
- Also known as
- Crested Miniature
- Origin
- Selected from crested mutations of domestic Mallard stock
- Kept for
- Eggs, Table, Exhibition or ornamental
History
Crests appear now and then as a mutation in Mallards and their domestic descendants. The breed was most likely built up by selecting these 'sports'. It entered the American Standard in 1874 and the British Standard in 1910.
Appearance
A medium duck whose defining feature is a crest of feathers growing from a fatty lump on the skull. It comes in white and in coloured varieties.
Recognised colours
White, Coloured (markings must be symmetrical)
Size and weight
- Forms
- Light, Bantam
- Drake
- 3.2 kg
- Duck
- 2.7 kg
Eggs
- Eggs a year
- 120–200
- Egg colour
- White/blue-green
- Notes
- No reliable annual egg figure was found in the sources.
Temperament
- Keeping notes
- Pure-bred Crested pairings carry a lethal gene combination. On average about a quarter of embryos die in the shell, and some ducklings that do hatch have problems such as twisted necks.
Hardiness
Not recorded yet.
Broodiness
Not recorded yet.
Flying
Not recorded yet.
Suitability
- Good to know
- Pairing a Crested with a crestless duck avoids the lethal combination, though some of the ducklings will have no crest.
Conservation status (RBST)
A priority breed on the Rare Breeds Survival Trust Watchlist.
Breed club
Sources
This page is compiled from:
Review
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