Rouen
The Mallard duck is the
ancestor of almost all domestic breeds of ducks and clearly that of the Rouen.
Though marked with the same color pattern as Mallards, with drakes having green
heads, white collars, claret breast and a blue patch on the wing, Rouens are
even brighter in color and larger in size than Mallards. The Rouen was
developed in France and was admitted to the American Standard in 1874.
It is still considered the superior meat bird in Europe, where much more duck
is consumed than in America. In the U.S., Rouens are raised primarily for the
restaurant market. These ducks are excellent foragers, calm in disposition and
unlikely to fly. Drakes mature at about 8 pounds and ducks at about 7 pounds.
Laying rate varies; some strains average 100 eggs per year and other over 150.
Status: Watch. The Rouen is one of the more common non-commercial ducks in the U.S. Its market seems to be growing since it produced leaner meat than the Pekin, the standard commercial duck in the U.S. Exhibition Rouens do not have the production qualities that production types do.
Reference:
The American Livestock Breeds Conservancy, Box 477,
Pittsboro, N.C. 27312
Photographs:
Watt Publishing, 122 S. Wesley Ave., Mt. Morris, IL 61054 USA
