Comparison of production performance of Pekin duck, control population and meat line of Kuttanad duck

A study was conducted to compare the production parameters among commercial Pekin ducks, the control population as well as meat line of Kuttanad ducks. Day-old male ducklings (n=60 each) of commercial Pekin duck, control population as well as meat line of Kuttanad duck selected for body weight over four generations were randomly allotted to five replicates of 12 birds each and were utilised for the study. The body weight, body weight gain, feed intake, feed conversion ratio, livability and carcass characteristics were calculated for the study period of eight weeks. The results showed that there was significantly (p<0.05) higher body weight, body weight gain and feed intake in Pekin ducks followed by the Kuttanad meat line and control population of Kuttanad ducks. The feed conversion ratio was significantly (p<0.05) better in the Pekin ducks compared to the meat line as well as the control population of Kuttanad ducks. The mortality rate had an increasing trend in accordance with the improvement in growth rate in Pekin and Kuttanad meat line. The carcass characteristics expressed in percentage of live weight did not show any significant difference among the Pekin duck, control population and meat line of the Kuttanad duck.