Introduction to the Sichuan Ma Duck Breed and Its Main Characteristics

The Sichuan Ma Duck is a dual-purpose breed of relatively small body size. Its central production area is located in Mianyang, Wenjiang, Leshan County and other areas of Sichuan Province, and it is widely distributed across the rice paddy production regions of Sichuan Province. The Sichuan Ma Duck is early-maturing, has strong grazing ability, and a relatively high breast and leg ratio, making it the main breed for producing meat-type ducklings in Sichuan Province.

I. Appearance Characteristics

The Sichuan Ma Duck has a relatively small physique, a firm and compact constitution, and tight feathers, with a long neck and an elegant head. The bill is orange-yellow, and the bill bean is mostly black. The breast is well developed and prominent. The shanks and webbed feet are orange-red. The plumage color of female ducks is rather mixed, with hemp-brown being the majority. In hemp-brown female ducks, the feathers of the body and rump are all based on light brown, with oval black spots on top; the black spots gradually increase in size and deepen in color from the head toward the rear of the body. At the lower two-thirds of the neck there is often a white neck ring. The abdomen has white feathers. Among the brown-hemp female ducks, those with darker color are called Da Ma Duck, with feathers of a muddy yellow color and smaller spots being called Huang Ma Duck, while other mixed-color feathers account for about 5% or so. The male duck has a long, narrow body, with 2-4 sex feathers curving toward the back. The plumage color of male ducks is relatively uniform and is often divided into two types. One is the green-headed male duck; the feathers on the head and the upper one-third or one-half of the neck of this male duck are emerald green, the abdomen has white feathers, and the front breast has reddish-brown feathers. The other is the sandy-headed male duck; the feathers on the head and the upper one-third or one-half of the neck of this male duck are black-and-white mixed cyan, without emerald green luster, the shoulders and back have light yellow fine partridge markings, the front breast is reddish-brown, the abdominal down feathers are white, and the sex feathers are gray. Under grazing conditions, the annual average egg production is about 150 eggs; the average annual egg production at 500 days of age is 131 eggs; the average egg weight is 72-75 grams; and the eggshells are mostly white, with a few being cyan.

II. Production Performance

The Sichuan Ma Duck has a relatively fast early growth rate. The highest point of relative growth appears at around 10-20 days of age; the relative growth rate drops sharply at 80-90 days of age; and after 100 days of age it is below 1%.

The eviscerated carcass yield of the Sichuan Ma Duck at 90-100 days of age is 63.21%. According to measurements by the Kaijiang County Agriculture Bureau: the eviscerated carcass yield of male ducks at 6 months of age is 70.56%, the breast and leg muscle weight is 291.7±3.18 grams, accounting for 29.1% of carcass weight; the eviscerated carcass yield of female ducks is 70.6%, and the breast and leg muscle weight is 288.4±3.14 grams, accounting for 31.8% of carcass weight. The Sichuan Ma Duck begins forced feeding at 100 days of age, and after two weeks can gain 540 grams, with a weight gain rate of 39.9%, a lean meat rate of 25.2%, and a skin fat rate of 22.3%; the carcass (mixed skin fat sample) has a moisture content of 60.1%, fat 22.4%, protein 16.04%, and ash 0.85%.

Under flock grazing conditions, the Sichuan Ma Duck has an annual egg production of about 120-150 eggs, and high-yielding ducks can reach more than 200 eggs. According to measurements by the Kaijiang County Agriculture Bureau of the Daxian Region, the average egg production at 500 days of age is 130.9 eggs. According to measurements in the Yibin Region, under grazing rearing with appropriate supplemental feeding, the annual egg production is 141.3 eggs. The eggshells are mostly white, with a few being cyan; the shell thickness is 0.35 mm; the average egg weight is 71.9 grams; and the egg shape index is 1.4.

The Sichuan Ma Duck has no broodiness and is traditionally reproduced using the barrel incubation method. Incubation begins every year in March and ends at the end of August. According to the customary practice of hatcheries, ducklings hatched around the Beginning of Summer are called "spring water ducks," mainly for scattered rearing by farming households, while ducklings hatched after the Summer Solstice are called "autumn water ducks," mainly for rearing by shed-duck households that graze large flocks in the wild. Breeding duck flocks generally number 300, and breeding eggs are collected intensively from March to July each year; the male-to-female sex ratio is 1:10; the fertilization rate is above 90%; and the hatchability of fertilized eggs in the barrel incubation method is generally above 85%. According to observations, in flock-grazed duck flocks, each female duck mates with male ducks an average of 1.1 times per full day, and each male duck mates with female ducks an average of 11.0 times. The service life of male ducks is one year, and that of female ducks is 2-3 years.