If you love a good roast duck, then the Duclair duck is regarded as one of the best that money can buy. Although, do bear in mind that the taste of this bird may be a little bit different to what you are used to. We will explain a little bit more about why that is the case in a short while.
For now, we want to start by talking a look at the facts, and what can this duck bring to the table.
Facts at a Glance
| Temperament | Friendly and Docile |
| Eggs | 100 per year |
| Egg Shell Color | Bluish-Green |
| Use | Meat + Eggs |
| Weight | Male: 6.6 lb. (3 kg) Female: 5 lb. (2.5 kg) |
| Country of origin | France |
| Status | Watch |
| Foraging | Excellent |
Where Do They Come From?
The Duclair duck was officially recognized as a breed of duck in the 1920s. It is likely that it originates from France. It is very closely related to the Rouen Duck, another popular French breed.
This is a breed of ducks for meat, so if you head to a top restaurant around the world that serves duck, then it is virtually guaranteed that they will be selling the Duclair duck.
This is because this bird tastes wonderful. It is part of the reason as to why the Duclair duck is still around. Anybody that loves their duck meat would never let this breed die out. It is just too delicious!
The Duclair duck is not recognized as a domestic duck breed in United States by APA.
The Look of the Duclair Duck
The Duclair duck can reach up to 6.6 lb. (3kg) in weight, with the females being a little bit less than this.
The duck isn’t really anything special to look at. It is a bird that looks very similar to the look of the Rouen duck.
With the Duclair duck, you will be getting a breed with a buff-colored body. The head will either be blue or black. There will be a white bib, and there will be one white feather on each of their wings.
Is It Worth Raising For Shows?
Nobody is really going to be raising this breed for the purposes of showing it off. However, let’s be honest, very few ducks at like this. It doesn’t mean that the Duclair doesn’t make a decent show bird.
Since this breed has been built for the commercial market, you will often find it as a focus at agricultural shows around the world. Most of the shows seem to be focused on France and the United States.
This is where breeders of this duck are able to show off their absolute best meat birds in a bid to sell them on.
That isn’t to say that this duck doesn’t look good. However, if you are looking for a beautiful ornamental breed of duck, then the Duclair duck is probably not going to be one that you want to purchase.
The Duclair Duck as a Meat Bird
This is where this bird really does shine, as we have stated several times already.
The Duclair duck is a fast-growing breed. It will be ready for slaughter within 9 weeks, so they are certainly not going to be a costly bird to raise. This is why they are so loved by commercial duck farmers.
The real highlight, however, is the way that they taste. The Duclair duck tastes different to other meat ducks. There are some that say that the Duclair duck has more of a ‘gamey’ flavor to it.
There are others that claim that the taste is very similar to that of Venison.
If you want a good roasting bird, then the Duclair is that. If you want a good duck for any other purposes where you want a duck with a unique flavor, then the Duclair is going to deliver. There is a reason why this duck breed is so loved by chefs all over the world.
The Duclair Duck As an Egg Bird
With its prized qualities as a meat bird, you would think that the Duclair duck wouldn’t be that good at laying eggs. It is. Now, it is not going to be the best layer of eggs in the world, like the Khaki Campbell duck, but you certainly are going to be getting something from it.
The Duclair duck is able to lay around 100 eggs per year. These eggs will be fairly large, and they will have a green tint to them. Again, this makes this duck somewhat on the more unique side.
For the most part, the females of this breed are going to be good sitters too. This means that you shouldn’t really have that many issues breeding this duck.
Again, this is one of the reasons as to why so many people love the them as a meat bird. The ease of breeding means that you should always have new birds starting to hatch, which will help to keep that freezer nice and stocked!
Raising the Duclair Ducks
Normally, when you find an animal being served in top restaurants, these animals take a lot of hand rearing and care to get the animal to the point where they taste that delicious. This is why they are going to be so expensive. However, that isn’t the case with the Duclair duck.
Even if you have absolutely no experience with raising ducks, we can’t imagine that you are going to be finding it that difficult to raise the Duclair duck.
This is a hardy breed of bird which pretty much raises itself. It is resistant to diseases, and due to the area where it is bred (likely around Normandy), it is not going to be a bird that struggles with changes in temperature.
Your main concern should be ensuring that the duck has a decent amount of space to roam around in. This will ensure that they are able to forage.
This will give them the flavor that you want. You may also want to have the wings of the duck clipped. This is a bird that will end up flying away if it is given the opportunity to do so.
Other than this, if you get yourself a Duclair, then you are going to be enjoying a bird that is incredibly friendly, and one that you and your family will end up bonding rather closely with!
They are not even that territorial, so you can raise them alongside other non-territorial ducks if you really want.
