Elizabeth Duck: How much do you know about them

The Elizabeth duck is a distinct breed of domestic duck, originating in Australia.

This new breed was developed in Merrylands, New South Wales, Australia in 1972.

Lance Ruting is the father of the Elizabeth duck; having named the breed after his wife, Ann Elizabeth Ruting. He created the Elizabeth duck from cross breeding the Mallard duck with the Rouen Claire duck.

At the time, the goal was to create a small, fast growing meat breed. Regardless, they gradually rose to recognition in Australia.

The Elizabeth duck is currently bred in Australia and New Zealand but are not wildly available throughout the world.

They are so few in number that they are classified as endangered by the Rare Breeds Trust of Australia.

Characteristics Of The Elizabeth duck.

In general:

They are mono colored.

They are short, with broad chest and round breast; also possessing slightly shirt legs with a round head.

Both possess grey bills with drake eyes and bronze legs.

Males:

They have a glossy green head with a white ringed ending.
Chest feathers are claret coloured and are bordered in cream, off-site underbelly.
On the back, they have charcoal gray feathers – which are also white-ringed, a solid dark rump, and a dull dark-brown tail.

Females:

They are fawn colored, possessing brown marks at the center of each feather on the majority of their body.
The secondary feathers are blue-green; while the primary feathers are off-site spotted with gray.

Elizabeth Duck Weight.

The males weigh about 3 ½ to 4 pounds ( approximately 1.6 – 1.8kg ).

While the females weigh about 2 ¾ to 3 ½ pounds ( approximately 1.2 – 1.6kg ).

Elizabeth Duck Uses.

They were primarily bred for meat production. The whole aim was to realize a rapid growing duck breed for meat.

However, some breeders also benefit from their eggs production. Elizabeth ducks are reported to be able to lay 100 – 150 eggs per year.

They are also raised for ornamental purposes or as pets.

Personality of Elizabeth Ducks.

They are generally small, calm, stocky birds, with a good temper : )

A Tabular Summary.

Breed Name	Elizabeth
Other Name	None
Country of Origin	Australia
Breed Type	Hybrid/Cross Breed
Breed Purpose	Meat, Ornamental, Pets
Personality and Traits	Calm, Friendly, Good temper, Fast growth rate.
Breed Purpose	Meat, Ornamental, Pets
Personality and Traits	Calm, Friendly, Good temper, Fast growth rate
Broodiness	Average
Weight	Drakes About 3 ½ to 4 pounds ( 1.6 to 1.8 kg ) Hens About 2 ¾ to 3 ½ pounds ( 1.2 to 1.6 kg )
Egg Color	White
Egg Weight	About 50 grams
Egg Productivity	Low – medium
Egg Size	Medium
Flight Ability	Poor
Climate Tolerance	All Climates
Dominance	Rare (common in Australia and New Zealand)
Coloration	Coffee or Mallard type coloration.