Centennial Review: History and husbandry recommendations for raising Pekin ducks in research or commercial production

X Chen; D Shafer; M Sifri; M Lilburn; D Karcher; P Cherry; P Wakenell; S Fraley; M Turk; G S Fraley

doi:10.1016/j.psj.2021.101241

Centennial Review: History and husbandry recommendations for raising Pekin ducks in research or commercial production

Poult Sci. 2021 Aug;100(8):101241. doi: 10.1016/j.psj.2021.101241. Epub 2021 May 14.

Authors

X Chen¹, D Shafer¹, M Sifri², M Lilburn³, D Karcher⁴, P Cherry⁵, P Wakenell⁴, S Fraley⁴, M Turk⁶, G S Fraley⁷

Affiliations

¹ Maple Leaf Farms, Inc., Leesburg, IN, USA.
² Sifri Solutions, LLC, Quincy, IL, USA.
³ Ohio State University, Wooster, OH, USA.
⁴ Purdue University, West Lafeyette, IN, USA.
⁵ Consultant, Lincoln, LN2 2NH United Kingdom.
⁶ Dux Consulting, LLC, Milford, IN, USA.
⁷ Purdue University, West Lafeyette, IN, USA. Electronic address: gfraley@purdue.edu.

Abstract

By some accounts, ducks were domesticated between 400 and 10,000 yr ago and have been a growing portion of the poultry industry for decades. Ducks specifically, and waterfowl in general, have unique health, housing, nutrition and welfare concerns compared to their galliform counterparts. Although there have been many research publications in regards to health, nutrition, behavior, and welfare of ducks there have been very few reviews to provide an overview of these numerous studies, and only one text has attempted to review all aspects of the duck industry, from breeders to meat ducks. This review covers incubation, hatching, housing, welfare, nutrition, and euthanasia and highlights the needs for additional research at all levels of duck production. The purpose of this review is to provide guidelines to raise and house ducks for research as specifically related to industry practices.

Keywords: duck; housing; lighting; welfare; wellbeing.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

Animals
Chickens*
Ducks*
Meat