The Barbariysky duck is the name of a duck which came from the French poultry farming musky or Cairina moschata. This species of birds is considered quite large. For the first time cultivated it in the initial place of distribution – in Mexico and South America from where then barbariysky ducks and delivered to the countries of the Old World.
How does the barbariysky or musky duck externally look?
Plumage of the females living in the wild nature ordinary has the dark coloring diluted by several "impregnations" of white feathers. The birds cultivated now who underwent some crossing with ducks of other breeds can be quite variously painted in such colors as black, white, black white-winged, pale-yellow and many others.
Also the peculiar fleshy outgrowths which are located floor centimeters above a beak between eyes of birds of both sexes are characteristic of barbariysky ducks. These formations have red color and are called poultry breeders "corals" or "duck warts".
Drakes are ordinary slightly larger, than females (1.3-1.5 kilograms and 60-65 centimeters), and reach weight in 3 kilograms and also length to 90 centimeters. These measurements are more characteristic of wild individuals. In house conditions barbariysky ducks ordinary it is slightly more. For example, males can weigh and 4-6 kilograms, and females – up to 3 kilograms.
Barbariysky ducks eat a forage, ordinary for the majority of birds, – vegetable and animal food. It can be a grass and also small insects.
The term of incubation of eggs is identical both at wild, and at the cultivated ducks – only 34-36 days. But the bird living near the person on average produces 8-14 eggs for one laying, and wild – 8-10 pieces.
What barbariysky duck on taste?
The duck divorced in house conditions has one feature – it grows much more slowly, than habitual Beijing therefore only true judges grow up barbariysky birds. It is considered that this bird species possesses quite low-fat meat which is more nice to the taste, than at Beijing "competitors", wild ducks and other species of domestic ducks.
The Barbariysky duck is very thermophilic, is not loud and silent, and the cultivated individuals avoid bathing in open reservoirs.
Selectors, seeking to find "golden mean" between the Beijing and barbariysky ducks, also removed new breed of a bird – mullard which weight of representatives can reach 4-4.5 kilograms. According to the French culinary specialists, the liver of a mullard is ideal raw materials for preparation of hepatic delicacies and a fuagra. But also on it useful "properties" of barbariysky ducks do not come to an end. The French pharmacists learned to allocate from its meat compound such homeopathic medicine – an otsillokoktsinum who is used in fight against colds.