Mianyang Partridge Duck

Mianyang Partridge Duck

The Mianyang Partridge Duck is a geographical indication certification trademark.

　　The Mianyang Partridge Duck is a dual-purpose breed developed for both meat and egg production. It originated in areas such as Shahu, Yanglinwei, Xiliuhe, and Pengchang in Xiantao City, Hubei Province. The Mianyang Partridge Duck was bred by the Livestock and Poultry Breeding Farm of Xiantao City (formerly Mianyang County), Hubei Province. In 1974, when the Hubei Provincial Science and Technology Commission organized relevant units to establish breed standards, it was officially named the Mianyang Partridge Duck. In September 1982, experts from within and outside the province were organized for evaluation, and it was certified as a developed breed by the Animal Husbandry Bureau of the Hubei Provincial Department of Agriculture and Animal Husbandry. The breed is raised across various regions in Hubei Province, including Tianmen, Hanchuan, Honghu, Jingmen, as well as Caidian District and Hannan District in Wuhan City.

　　Starting in 1960, the Livestock and Poultry Breeding Farm of Mianyang County introduced the Gaoyou duck, known for its large size, long body, and heavy eggs, as the sire, and crossbred it with the local Jingjiang duck, which is small-sized, good at foraging, and lays many eggs. This crossbreeding demonstrated favorable hybrid vigor. After three years of self-breeding, in 1966, Gaoyou drakes were again introduced to crossbreed with the first-generation hybrid ducks. Through nearly 20 years of directional selection and inbreeding fixation, a new breed—the Mianyang Partridge Duck—was gradually developed, characterized by larger size and heavier eggs than the Jingjiang duck.

　　The Mianyang Partridge Duck is heat-resistant, cold-hardy, and highly adaptable, with a high survival rate. It is adept at foraging in wetlands and dry land, and can withstand harsh weather conditions such as wind, frost, rain, and snow. Even in the freezing cold season, it can dive into deep water to search for food such as shrimp, snails, and clams. According to statistics from 1981, among 1,200 newly hatched ducklings, the survival rate reached 89.67% at 30 days old and 85.17% at 60 days old under free-range conditions. The Mianyang Partridge Duck has a slender and flexible neck, giving it strong foraging abilities.

　　The Mianyang Partridge Duck is a larger-sized, fast-growing, highly adaptable, and high-egg-producing dual-purpose breed developed in Hubei Province. Its duck eggs are used to make “Shahu Salted Eggs,” which are famous nationwide for their large size, rich yolk oil, and orange-red yolks, and are popular in Hong Kong and Macau. In 1982, 15 counties in Hubei raised this breed, and it was well received by the public. Given its short time since development, efforts should continue to focus on the Livestock and Poultry Breeding Farm of Xiantao City as the breeding base, develop a 5,000-mu breeding duck pasture on the Dongjing River outer beach, and expand the cultivation of animal and plant feeds such as fish, shrimp, clams, snails, and wheatgrass. Additionally, the group breeding method should be adopted to guide the Mianyang Partridge Duck toward producing more eggs, growing stronger, and developing faster.

　　Characteristics: The Mianyang duck has a rectangular body shape, with broad back, deep chest, reddish meat color, and orange-yellow shanks and webbed feet. Drake: The upper half of the head and neck and the primary wing feathers are peacock green with golden luster; the lower half of the neck, back, and waist are brownish; the rump is black; the chest, abdomen, and secondary wing feathers are white; the beak is bluish-yellow with a black bean. Hen: The entire body is covered with fine, striped partridge-colored plumage, available in dark and light shades, with the light shade being more common; the primary wing feathers are bluish-black; the beak is iron-gray with a black bean. Duckling: The feather color is dark gray, with a dark-colored feather band running from the crown to the back of the neck.

　　The Mianyang Partridge Duck grows relatively quickly, reaching a weight of about 1.5 kg at 13 weeks of age. Its slaughter rate is 89%–91%, though the lean meat rate is slightly lower, at only 16%–17%. In terms of egg production, it lays 160–250 eggs per year, with an average egg weight of 74 g. Eggshell colors are bluish-green and white, accounting for 85% and 15% respectively. For reproductive performance, when the male-to-female mating ratio is 1:20–25, the fertilization rate and hatching rate are 93.07% and 88.47% respectively.

　　Although the Mianyang Partridge Duck has many advantages, such as strong reproductive performance and high slaughter rates, [

　　Mianyang Partridge Duck

　　Xiantao City Duck Industry Association

　　11210913

　　Live duck