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Origin
: The
Termonde
duck is a breed that is often referred to in the history of the other
Belgian duck breeds. It is believed to be (one of) the ancestor(s) of
both the Merchtem and Huttegem duck. Strangely there is very little to
be found about the origin of this breed although it’s mentioned in
poultry literature all over the world. Often the
Termonde
is confused with Blue Swedish or Pomeranian ducks and others even say
these breeds descend from the Dendermonde. However it is generally
accepted that the
Termonde
duck was spread on a large scale throughout the North of Belgium in the
nineteenth century.
Characteristics
: The
Termonde
is a very large meaty duck. It appears it was a slowly growing breed but
with excellent meat quality en very well suited for industrial
hybridization to produce the very best table ducks. The ducks lay pretty
well but unfortunately do not always brood themselves.
Appearance
: The
Termonde is a very large and long duck with a horizontal carriage and
without any sign of keel. The bill is in both sexes strikingly
blue-colored. The eyes are dark
brown and the legs and feet are bluish gray with paler flecks.
The plumage is solid colored but there is a large white bib on the
breast. The outer primaries are also white.
Varieties
:
The most typical variety of the
Termonde
duck is white-bibbed blue but there are also white-bibbed black
Termondes.
State
: Endangered. The
Termonde
is the rarest Belgian duck breed (not considering the Huttegem duck). It
is only seen in the Northern Dutch-speaking part of Belgium.
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