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Domestic Ducks - Heavy Breeds in Domestic Waterfowl
'Heavy Ducks' are those which generally weigh over 7lbs in the female and 8lbs in the drake. The largest of the heavy breeds are the traditional English Aylesbury and the Rouen. Drakes can weigh up to 12 lbs and ducks 9-11 lbs.

In general, 'heavies' are the old-established breeds which were developed for the table. The Cayuga was the table bird of the USA before the Chinese Pekin was imported in 1874 . The Pekin revolutionised the table duck industry both in the USA and in the UK where it began to replace the pink-billed Aylesbury.

Other heavy breeds are the colourful Blue Swedish and the Rouen Clair. Ducks like these were probably in farmyards in Victorian times but not standardized in the UK until 1982. The Saxony and Silver Appleyard are even more recent as breeds but have rapidly become popular because of their striking appearance. They were both developed as dual-purpose (table and egg) birds.

  The Muscovy duck (Cairina moschata) is also classified as a Heavy 'Duck'. It is in fact, a different species to all the other breeds (which were all developed from the mallard). The Muscovy is indigenous to South America but rapidly spread world-wide after the discovery of the Indies by Columbus. It became known under several labels including Cairo, Barbary and Muscovy.

An example of the Heavy Ducks from the British Waterfowl Association Standards:

The Silver Appleyard
These big ducks were developed by expert waterfowl breeder, Reginald Appleyard in the 1930s. First shown in the 1940s, they were never standardized until rescued by Tom Bartlett. Wippell's 1947 painting of the breed was used as a standard. The drake is recognized by his colourful plumage. The claret feathers of the breast are tipped with white, and the scapular feathers are also edged with chestnut. The trademark of the drake is in his head markings; the green head of the mallard is stamped with silver eyebrows and silver throat. The ducks are particularly attractive with their creamy white feathers flecked and streaked in fawns and brown-grey.