Uses: Utility: meat.
Eggs: 40 to 120 White Eggs.
Origin: Picardy region, France.
Weight: Drake: 3.4 – 4.1 Kg, Duck: 2.9 – 3.4 Kg.
Classification: Heavy.
Useful to Know: Heavy ducks mate more successfully in deeper water.
Photo: A Rouen Clair Duck. Photo courtesy of Rupert Stephenson.
The Rouen Clair duck has a slightly foggy history but appears to originate from the Picardy region to the north of Paris around 1920. It was created from the Rouen duck which itself was created in the Rouen area, slightly to the west of Picardy 50 years earlier in the 1860’s, mainly as a commercial duck. Feathered World Magazine in 1933 had an article from van Gink who said it was Monsieur Rene Garry who produced them by crossing and careful selection, selecting ducks with a lighter ground colour from the farms in the region. What went into the end result is unknown but van Gink went on to say he felt they had Pekin blood in them due to the shape of the head, which was unknown in Europe before the Pekin arrived.
Rouen Clair ducks were first standardised in France in 1923 and much later in Great Britain in 1982. It isn’t standardised in the U.S.
Photos
Books
The following books are available. Links take you to the Amazon or other sellers’ pages for the books.
- The Domestic Duck – C. & M. Ashton – P.20
- British Waterfowl Standards 2008 – P.60
- British Poultry Standards 2008 – P.442
Discussion
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- Please leave a comment below if you can provide further information or have a question about this breed.
