 Duck in Görlitz Zoo, Görlitz, Saxony | |
| Other names | German: Sachsenente |
|---|---|
| Country of origin | Germany |
| Use | Eggs, meat, fancy |
| Traits | |
| Weight | |
| Egg color | White [1] |
| Classification | |
| APA | Heavy duck [2] |
| EE | Yes [3] |
| PCGB | Heavy [4] |
| |
The Saxony duck (German : Sachsenente) is a German breed of domestic duck. It was bred in Saxony in the 1930s, but because of the Second World War was recognised only in 1957.
The Saxony was bred in the 1930s by Albert Franz of Chemnitz, in the Free State of Saxony, by cross-breeding German Pekin, Blue Pomeranian and Rouen birds, and was first shown at Chemnitz-Altendorf in 1934. Almost all of the original stock was lost during World War II. After the War, Franz started breeding again from the remaining stock. [5] : 445
The Saxony was officially recognised in East Germany in 1957, in West Germany in 1958. [5] : 445 Birds were taken to Switzerland in 1965 and to France in 1968. [6] : 1 The Saxony was recognised in the United Kingdom in 1982. [5] : 445 Some were imported to the United States by David Holderread in 1984; the Saxony was admitted to the Standard of Perfection of the American Poultry Association in 2000. [7] : 98
In 2013 the total number in Germany was 1173. [8] In North America, the breed is listed as "threatened" by the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy. [9]
The Saxony is a heavy duck: drakes weigh about 3.5 kg, ducks about 3.0 kg. It is muscular and close-feathered. Physically, the Saxony resembles the Silver Appleyard. The head is oval-shaped and is moderately large. The Saxony has a deep, full breast with plenty of width that is carried across the back of the bird and extends towards the tail. The abdomen is broad and full, free of keel development as seen in exhibition-type Rouen ducks. [10] The body is held at about 25° to the horizontal. [7] : 98
The Saxony has only one colour variety, buff-blue mallard: [lower-alpha 1] the drake has a greyish-blue head, white neck-ring, and rust- or chestnut-coloured breast feathers; the duck is a rich, light buff colour with two white stripes on each side of the face, one over the eye and the other from the eye towards the beak. [10] Both drakes and ducks have a yellowish bill and orange legs and feet, although the standard specifies dark yellow. [6] : 5
The Saxony forages well [7] : 97 and is straightforward to rear. [6] : 5
The Saxony is a dual-purpose breed, reared both for its eggs and for the table. Ducks lay approximately 80 [1] or 100 [6] : 5 eggs per year. The eggs are white and weigh some 80 g. [6] : 5
The Orpington is a British breed of chicken. It was bred in the late nineteenth century by William Cook of Orpington, Kent, in south-east England. It was intended to be a dual-purpose breed, to be reared both for eggs and for meat, but soon became exclusively a show bird.
The Cochin is a breed of large domestic chicken. It derives from large feather-legged chickens brought from China to Europe and North America in the 1840s and 1850s. It is reared principally for exhibition. It was formerly known as Cochin-China.
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Indian Runners are a breed of Anas platyrhynchos domesticus, the domestic duck. They stand erect like penguins and, rather than waddling, they run. The females usually lay about 300 to 350 eggs a year or more, depending whether they are from exhibition or utility strains. They were bred on the Indonesian islands of Lombok, Java and Bali where they were 'walked' to market and sold as egg-layers or for meat. These ducks do not fly and only rarely form nests and incubate their own eggs. They run or walk, often dropping their eggs wherever they happen to be. Duck-breeders need to house their birds overnight or be vigilant in picking up the eggs to prevent them from being taken by other animals.
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The Swedish Blue or Blue Swedish is a Swedish breed of domestic duck. It emerged during the nineteenth century in what was then Swedish Pomerania, located in present-day north-east Germany.
The Rouen is a heavyweight breed of domesticated duck. Rouens are raised primarily for meat, exhibition, or as general purpose ducks. Since they are not prolific egg layers, Rouen ducks are most commonly bred for their meat. The breed originated in France sometime before the 19th century.
The Call is a historic breed of small domestic duck. It is believed to have originated in the Netherlands, where the earliest descriptions and depictions of it date from the seventeenth century. It is similar in appearance to some other breeds of duck, but is much smaller, with a round head and very short bill. Ducks, but not drakes, are very loquacious and noisy, with a piercing high-pitched call which be heard from far away.
The Orpington or Buff Orpington Duck is a breed of domestic duck. It is a dual-purpose breed used for meat and egg production. It is capable of laying up to 220 eggs a year. Originally created by William Cook of Orpington, Kent, England, from the selection of mis-marked Blue Orpington Ducks; Cook was also the developer of the Orpington chicken. The breeds used in the development of the breed included Cayuga, Indian Runner, commercial Aylesbury and Rouen. It is proposed that Cook's intentions for the breed were to capitalize on the growing demand for the buff colour pattern. The Buff Orpington Duck was introduced to the public at the Dairy Show, the Agricultural Hall (q.v.), Islington, London in October 1897. It is considered a threatened breed by the ALBC. This breed was admitted to the British Poultry Standard in 1910 and the American Poultry Associations Standard of Perfection as the 'Buff Duck' in the Medium class in 1914. The Orpington duck is available in three colour varieties: Buff, Blond and Brown. The Buff Orpington is an unstable colour due to a blue dilution gene which means that from the offspring, all three colour variations will appear.
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The Nankin Bantam or Nankin is a British bantam breed of chicken. It is a true bantam, a naturally small breed with no large counterpart from which it was miniaturised. It is of South-east Asian origin, and is among the oldest bantam breeds. It is a yellowish buff colour, and the name is thought to derive from the colour of nankeen cotton from China.
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The Pomeranian goose, also known as the Rügener goose, is a breed of domestic goose.
The Hook Bill or Dutch Hookbill is a breed of domestic duck characterised by an unusual down-curved beak. It is an ancient breed, and has been documented since the seventeenth century. Speculation that it originated in Asia, or is related to the Indian Runner, is apparently unsubstantiated.
The Welsh Harlequin is a breed of domestic duck originating in Wales. In 1949, in Criccieth, Group Captain Leslie Bonnet discovered a colour mutation among his flock of Khaki Campbells and began selective breeding for the trait. By 1968, hatching eggs were exported to the United States, followed by the importation of live birds in 1981.
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The German Pekin, German: Deutsche Pekingente, is a European breed of domestic duck. 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.