Blue Swedish
Heavy duck breed
Domesticated Mallard Anas platyrhynchos
The Swedish emerged as a breed in northern Europe during the nineteenth century. Only the blue colour is currently standardised in Britain. This is a heavy utility breed, laying around 150 eggs a year and surplus birds fattening well for the table. Being a heterozygous colour, purebred Blue Swedish ducks bred together produce three different colours of offspring: blue, black and splashed. Black bred with splashed produce all blue offspring.
The colour of the Blue Swedish should be a solid blue on the body with two white primaries.
The Blue Swedish is classed as a heavy duck, with the drakes weighing: 3.6 kg (8 lb), and the ducks: 3.2 kg (7 lb). The drakes are very active in the breeding season, so it is advisable to keep one male with at least two or three females.