Aylesbury
DuckRare breed
The Aylesbury was Britain's table duck, raised in such numbers in the Vale of Aylesbury that whole villages hatched ducklings in cottage kitchens and walked them to London markets — the birds' feet tarred and sanded for the journey. What the trade wanted was pure white skin and flesh, achieved by feeding on the chalky local water, and a keel so deep the bird's underside rests on the ground. The Pekin arrived and out-grew it commercially, and the true exhibition Aylesbury is now genuinely rare, listed Critical: most white ducks sold as 'Aylesbury' in the United States are Pekins or crosses. The give-away is the bill — a real Aylesbury's is long, straight and pale pinkish-white, never orange.
Weight
How to spot it
- Bill
- Long, straight and pale pink-white — the single most reliable breed marker
- Carriage
- Horizontal and very low, with a deep keel that brushes the ground
- Plumage
- Pure white with pink-white skin beneath
- Legs & feet
- Bright orange, set centrally on a boat-shaped body
- Look for
- A white duck lying almost flat with a flesh-pink bill; an orange bill means Pekin blood
Find Aylesbury breeders near you
No breeders currently list this breed — post a wanted ad or check back soon.
