Xingyi Duck

Xingyi Duck

　　Xingyi Duck

　　Breed Description

　　Origin and Distribution: A small-sized dual-purpose breed for eggs and meat. The main production areas are located in four cities and counties in southwestern Guizhou: Xingyi, Anlong, Xingren, and Zhenfeng. It is also distributed across counties such as Panxian, Puan, Qinglong, Guanling, Zhenning, Ceheng, and Wangmo, as well as neighboring regions in Yunnan Province including Gongyuan, Kaiyuan, Luoping, and Eshan. Commonly used for producing table duck eggs and for cured duck processing. This duck breed features fast growth, early maturity, high egg yield, strong adaptability, and good walking ability.

　　Appearance Characteristics: The body is square-shaped with loose feathers, a thick and short neck, a wide and deep chest that is slightly raised, a short back, and somewhat thick legs. The head is large and coarse, with brown irises, black beak knobs, orange-yellow shanks and webs, and black toes. Over 95% of drakes have greenish feathers, with the upper neck, tail, and saddle feathers exhibiting a dark green sheen. The beak is bluish-yellow, the middle of the neck has a white collar, the lower neck and chest feathers are brown, the back consists of intermixed blackish-brown and white feathers, and the abdominal feathers are grayish-white. Over 70% of ducks have dark mottled feathers, followed by bamboo shell and slate-gray colorations, with yellow beaks. The down feathers are well-developed.

　　Breed Performance:

　　① Growth Rate and Meat Production Performance Average Weight: Birth – 45g; 30 days – 495g; 60 days – Drake 704g, Duck 707g; 90 days – Drake 1430g, Duck 1390g; 120 days – Drake 1650g, Duck 1630g; Adult Drake – 1620g, Adult Duck – 1600g. From hatching to 20 days, the body is covered in down. Feather growth begins at 20–25 days, tail feather molting occurs at 25–30 days, chest and abdominal feather molting at 35–40 days, head and back feather molting at 45–50 days, wing feather molting at 45–55 days, primary and secondary wing feather molting at 50–70 days, general molting at 70–90 days, and full feather development by 90–100 days. Adult drakes have an average semi-eviscerated slaughter rate of 83.11%, while ducks average 73.60%. The average fully eviscerated slaughter rate is 68.10% for drakes and 58.80% for ducks.

　　② Egg Production and Reproductive Performance Average Age at First Egg: Spring-hatched ducks – 148 days, autumn-hatched ducks – 190 days. Average annual egg production is 175 eggs, with an average egg weight of 70g. The average eggshell thickness is 0.29mm, and the average egg shape index is 1.41. Eggshells are milky white, with a minority being light green. Drakes reach sexual maturity between 135–165 days. The mating ratio of drakes to ducks is 1:(10–15). The average fertilization rate of breeding eggs is 84%, and the average hatching rate of fertilized eggs is 83%. Drakes are productive for about 1 year, while ducks remain productive for 2–3 years.