The Crested is a breed of domestic duck, characterised by a crest or tuft of feathers on the head. Ducks of this kind were probably brought from the East Indies to Europe by Dutch ships.[3]: 413 The duck may be of any colour; the crest results from the action of an autosomal dominant gene and varies widely in size, from imperceptibly small to a diameter of approximately 13 cm.
 In the harbour of Camden, Maine | |
| Conservation status | |
|---|---|
| Standard | Poultry Club of Great Britain |
| Traits | |
| Weight | |
| Egg colour | blue, green, tinted or white |
| Classification | |
| APA | medium duck[4] |
| EE | yes[5] |
| PCGB | light[6] |
| |
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History
editThe Crested probably originates in the East Indies, with subsequent development in Holland.[3]: 413 Crested ducks are seen in seventeenth-century paintings such as those of Melchior d'Hondecoeter and Jan Steen.[7]: 441
In the United States the breed was described by D.J. Browne in 1853.[3]: 413 [8]: 197 The white Crested was added to the American Standard of Perfection of the American Poultry Association in 1874; the black variant was added in 1977.[4] The Crested was recognised in the United Kingdom in 1910.[3]: 413
A bantam version of the breed, the Crested Miniature, was bred by John Hall and Roy Sutcliffe in the United Kingdom in the late twentieth century; it was recognised in 1997.[3]: 415
Characteristics
editApart from the crest, the Crested is an ordinary-looking duck of medium size. It may be of any colour: in Europe, the Entente Européenne lists eleven colours, and also states that any colour is permitted;[7]: 441 [5] in the United States only black and white are recognised.[9]: 90
A crest of feathers may appear in any duck breed or type deriving from the wild Mallard, Anas platyrhynchos, with a frequency of some 0.0001%–0.001% of all eggs hatched.[9]: 89 It results from the action of a very variable autosomal dominant allele, which is semi-lethal and may display incomplete penetrance as well as incomplete dominance. As with other similar mutations, birds heterozygous for the crested allele CrCr are expected to be crested, while those that are homozygous are expected to die in the egg, and those without the gene have no crest.[9]: 91 A crest occurs in some 30%–40% of ducklings hatched from matings of two homozygous birds.[10]: 1252
The crest varies widely in size, from imperceptibly small to a diameter of approximately 13 cm.[9]: 91 The crest allele is associated with a number of abnormalities in the structure of the brain and skull, including larger-than-expected brain size, abnormal cranial bone formation, fontanelles or perforations of the skull, intracranial lipomas or fat bodies, and reduced size of the cerebellum, the olfactory bulb and the prepyriform area;[11]: 1251 with physical deformities including shortening of the body, wry neck and wry tail[9]: 92 and with neurological disorders including impaired motor co-ordination, with symptoms such as an unsteady walk or inability to get up after a fall.[12]: 324
Depending on the fat body's size and relative position to the brain, it can impede a duck's ability to ambulate. Many crested ducks experience a "tottering" walking pattern and, if knocked over, are unable to get up. Other issues caused by the fat body may include seizures, neurological problems, and even early death.[11]: 1252
Researchers under the Bruno-Dürigen-Institut at the Wissenschaftlichen Geflügelhof of the Bund Deutscher Rassegeflügelzüchter at Rommerskirchen have developed a test to assess the extent of motor impairment in individual ducks: the bird is placed on its back on a flat surface, with its feet in the air, and the time it takes to stand up is measured. When used for breeding, birds able to right themselves quickly – within a second to two – were found to have a higher rate of hatching, and to hatch a lower number of ducklings with physical or neurological defects.[9]: 90 [12]: 324
Use
editThe Crested may be reared for eggs and meat like any other duck; the eggs may be blue, green, tinted or white.[9]: 92 The birds may also be kept for showing or for ornament.[9]: 89
References
edit
- ^ Barbara Rischkowsky, Dafydd Pilling (editors) (2007). List of breeds documented in the Global Databank for Animal Genetic Resources, annex to The State of the World's Animal Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture. Rome: Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. ISBN 9789251057629. Archived 23 June 2020.
- ^ Transboundary breed: Crested. Domestic Animal Diversity Information System of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Accessed August 2022.
- ^ a b c d e f g Victoria Roberts (2008). British poultry standards: complete specifications and judging points of all standardized breeds and varieties of poultry as compiled by the specialist breed clubs and recognised by the Poultry Club of Great Britain. Oxford: Blackwell. ISBN 9781405156424.
- ^ a b APA Recognized Breeds and Varieties: As of January 1, 2012. American Poultry Association. Archived 4 November 2017.
- ^ a b Liste des races et variétés homologuée dans les pays EE (28.04.2013). Entente Européenne d’Aviculture et de Cuniculture. Archived 16 June 2013.
- ^ Breed Classification. Poultry Club of Great Britain. Archived 12 June 2018.
- ^ a b J. Ian H. Allonby, Philippe B. Wilson (editors) (2018). British Poultry Standards: complete specifications and judging points of all standardized breeds and varieties of poultry as compiled by the specialist breed clubs and recognised by the Poultry Club of Great Britain, seventh edition. Chichester; Hoboken, New Jersey: Wiley Blackwell. ISBN 9781119509141.
- ^ D.J. Browne, Samuel Allen (1853 [1849]). The American poultry yard : comprising the origin, history, and description of the different breeds of domestic poultry, with complete directions for their breeding, crossing, rearing, fattening, and preparation for market …. New York: C.M. Saxton.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Dave Holderread (2011). Storey's Guide to Raising Ducks, second edition. North Adams, Massachusetts: Storey Publishing. ISBN 9781603427456.
- ^ Heiko D. Frahm, Gerd Rehkämper, C.W. Werner (2001). Brain Alterations in Crested Versus Non-Crested Breeds of Domestic Ducks (Anas platyrhynchos f.d.). Poultry Science. 80 (9): 1249–1257. doi:10.1093/ps/80.9.1249.
- ^ a b Julia Cnotka, Heiko D. Frahm, A. Mpotsaris, Gerd Rehkämper (2007). Motor Incoordination, Intracranial Fat Bodies, and Breeding Strategy in Crested Ducks (Anas platyrhynchos f.d.). Poultry Science. 86 (9): 1850–1855. doi:10.1093/ps/86.9.1850.
- ^ a b Julia Cnotka, Inga Tiemann, Heiko D. Frahm, Gerd Rehkämper (2008). Unusual brain composition in Crested Ducks (Anas platyrhynchos f.d.) – Including its effect on behavior and genetic transmission. Brain Research Bulletin. 76 (3): 324–328. doi:10.1016/j.brainresbull.2008.03.009.