Jing River Waxy Duck

Jing River Waxy Duck

　　Jing River Duck, also known as Jing River Waxy Duck, belongs to the class Aves, order Anseriformes, and is a locally excellent egg-laying breed. It is named after the Jing River region where it is primarily produced.

　　Jianli County is situated in the plain lake area of the middle reaches of the Yangtze River, with a subtropical monsoon climate, which is conducive to the growth and development of Jing River Ducks. The region features vast land and fields, a network of ditches and rivers, and densely scattered lakes and ponds, yielding abundant fish, shrimp, snails, and aquatic plants. With rich feed resources, it is a major production area for Jing River Ducks.

　　Jing River Ducks have slightly small heads with a slight bulge on the forehead, resembling the head shape of a loach. They have large, spirited eyes with a long strip of white feather resembling eyebrows above the eyes. Their necks are slender and flexible, their bodies slightly elongated, their shoulders relatively narrow, and their backs flat and sloping gently backward while gradually widening. Their chests are deep-set, and they are small yet sturdy, exhibiting the body type typical of egg-laying ducks. Their upper beaks are bluish-gray, while their lower beaks and webbed feet are orange-yellow. Their feathers are tightly packed. Adult ducks weigh around 1.5 kilograms on average.

　　Jing River Ducks mature early and lay eggs at high rates. Female ducks begin laying eggs around 100 days old, with the earliest starting as young as 90 days. Their egg production peaks between 2 to 3 years of age, with each duck laying approximately 200 eggs per year. The eggs are oval-shaped, with shells that are relatively thin but smooth and tough. There are two types of eggs: white-shelled and green-shelled. White-shelled eggs are larger, accounting for about 74% of total egg production, while green-shelled eggs are smaller, making up about 26%. The average egg weight is 62 grams, with around 16 eggs weighing 1 kilogram. The ratio of egg white to yolk is 52.7 to 35.3.

　　Jing River Ducks also exhibit strong resistance to heat and cold. Their egg-laying rate remains at around 70% even in summer. In winter, they can still dive into deep water to forage. Moreover, they are highly adaptable, resistant to disease, have high survival rates, and are suitable for free-range farming.

　　The breeding history of Jing River Ducks is long-standing. According to the “Hubei Provincial Poultry Breeds” records: “Hu Xuezheng, a 75-year-old duck farmer from Heli Brigade, Bianhe Commune, Jianli County, whose family has raised ducks for five generations, reported that his grandfather was already raising local waxy ducks during the early years of Emperor Guangxu’s reign, marking a history of over 100 years.” Over this long historical period, duck farmers would navigate the vast Jing River region with fleets of ducks, drifting across thousands of ducks at a time. Due to the migratory and free-range nature of the duck flocks, which often roamed outdoors for days without being rounded up and frequently mingled with wild ducks, they gradually evolved into a breed resembling wild ducks—highly adaptable, with high egg-laying rates, tender and delicious meat, and a flavor comparable to wild ducks. This breed became the primary type raised by locals.

　　During World War II, Cui Qi, the chairman of the Hunan-Hubei-Sichuan Provincial Government who lived by Honghu Lake, was a “duck commander” before joining the revolutionary work—paddling duck boats and wielding bamboo poles. After assuming leadership in the Hunan-Hubei-Sichuan Soviet Area, he placed great importance on the development of Jing River Ducks, leveraging their well-known reputation to help overcome various challenges in the Soviet Area. He mobilized the public to cure Jing River Ducks into preserved duck meat and salted duck eggs, packing them into baskets. These were used to support frontline Red Army troops and also transported to other regions in exchange for boatloads of salt and daily necessities, ensuring the normal lives of the Soviet people. Together with Chen Kechang and Guo Huapu, he also used waxy ducks and their eggs to bypass enemy checkpoints, safely transporting banned supplies such as ammunition, electrical equipment, and medical supplies to the Soviet Area.

　　After the founding of the People’s Republic of China, Jing River Ducks were repeatedly listed as a local livestock and poultry breed by the province. Records show that in 1959, Jing River Ducks were mainly produced in Jianli, Jiangling, and other areas, with a total population of 500,000. By the 1960s, some regions had introduced duck breeds from Hunan, Jiangxi, and Jiangsu for crossbreeding, leading to hybridization and a significant decline in the number of purebred Jing River Ducks. However, Jianli County introduced fewer foreign breeds. According to 1981 statistics, Jianli County still had 182,500 Jing River Ducks.

　　To protect this local specialty resource, the provincial, regional, and county-level animal husbandry and specialty bureaus designated Zhougou, Fenyan, and Bianhe in Jianli County as Jing River Duck breeding bases. Thirteen specialized incubation facilities were established to centrally select eggs, hatch chicks, and supply breeding stock, leading to rapid development of Jing River Ducks. According to June 1994 statistics, the county was raising 3 million Jing River Ducks, with just the three towns of Zhougou, Fenyan, and Bianhe raising 1 million.

　　The development of the breeding industry effectively promoted the growth of processing industries. Zhougou, Hongcheng, and Bianhe all established poultry and egg processing plants. They cured Jing River Waxy Duck eggs into preserved eggs (pidan) with firm egg whites, tender textures, vibrant colors, rich nutrition, and a cool, delicious taste. In 1984, the Manchun brand Songhua pidan produced by Zhougou Poultry and Egg Factory and the Honglian brand Songhua pidan produced by Hongcheng Pidan Factory both received the title of Quality Product from the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Husbandry, and Fisheries. The Manchun brand Songhua pidan also won the Provincial Quality Product title and a National Silver Award. The products were exported to more than 10 provinces and cities including Guangdong, Anhui, Shanxi, and Hebei, as well as to Japan, Singapore, the UK, the US, and Hong Kong/Macau.

　　In 1991, Fenyan Town established a Poultry and Egg Joint Company, offering one-stop services including technical support, duckling incubation, duck supply, adult duck recovery, poultry and egg curing, and cured duck processing and sales. The cured ducks made from Jing River Ducks they produced were flavorful and high-quality, becoming sought-after goods in major cities such as Guangzhou, Nanchang, Changsha, and Wuhan. The company achieved an annual output value of over 2 million yuan. Fenyan Town also listed the development of Jing River Ducks as one of its main projects. In 1995, the town planned to raise 1.5 million Jing River Ducks and launch a new duck down processing project, aiming to push the combined processing output value of poultry and eggs, cured ducks, and duck down beyond 5 million yuan. (Jianli)