a flock of Aylesbury Ducks on Buckinghamshire small holding
The Aylesbury duck is a breed of domesticated duck, bred mainly for its meat and appearance. It is a large duck with pure white plumage, a pink bill, orange legs and feet, an unusually large keel, and a horizontal stance with its body parallel to the ground. The precise origins of the breed are unclear, but raising white ducks became popular in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, England, in the 18th century owing to the demand for white feathers as a filler for quilts. Over the 19th century selective breeding for size, shape and colour led to the Aylesbury duck. Duck rearing became a major industry in Aylesbury in the 19th century. The ducks were bred on farms in the surrounding countryside. Fertilized eggs were brought into the town's "Duck End", where local residents would rear the ducklings in their homes. The opening of a railway to Aylesbury in 1839 enabled cheap and quick transport to the markets of London, and duck rearing became highly profitable. By the 1860s the duck rearing industry began to move out of Aylesbury into the surrounding towns and villages, and the industry in Aylesbury itself began to decline.
Size: 5383px × 3453px
Location: Buckinghamshire, United Kingdom
Photo credit: © Ernie Janes / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: adult, adults, bill, bird, birds, breed, breeding, brood, cute, domestic, duck, ducks, farm, farming, farmyard, feeding, flock, free, grass, group, line, livestock, meat, pattern, plumage, poultry, table, white, yellow
