_{As of September 2023}

^{1 For the sake of readability, the masculine form is used when referring to people in this guide. In the spirit of equal treatment, the corresponding terms apply to all genders. The use of the masculine form is purely for editorial reasons and does not imply any judgement.}

These behaviours can be categorised into so-called functional groups (e.g. locomotor behaviour), which are exhibited within the respective functional area (e.g. the strewn area).

The following section discusses the behaviour of the wild type. Any deviations or distinctive features resulting from modern methods of rearing Peking ducks are also noted.

The reproductive behaviour of Peking ducks will not be discussed in detail, as in Peking duck fattening the birds are slaughtered before reaching sexual maturity.

The animal owner or carer must check on the animals’ welfare at least twice a day by direct visual inspection.

Furthermore, the animal caretaker must also check all housing and care facilities daily to ensure they are in good working order (see TierSchNutztV § 4 General requirements for monitoring, feeding and care).

In order to develop a positive relationship between humans and animals, contact with the animal must take place frequently and in a calm manner, right from the very first days of life.

When carrying out any work in the shed, the ducks must be handled calmly to prevent them from being startled when approached and to avoid causing unnecessary agitation within the flock:

• Avoid abrupt, hasty movements
• No prolonged or sudden loud noises
• No sudden, intense light

The ducks should be gently accustomed to the regular performance of certain tasks.

• The herding of the ducks must always be carried out calmly and slowly. Any obstacles that could injure the ducks should be removed beforehand.
• The smaller the group and the calmer the herding process, the less agitated the ducks will be and the lower the risk of them trampling over one another and causing scratch wounds, which could lead to the carcasses being rejected at slaughter.

Before entering the shed, the ducks should be ‘warned’ by knocking on the door or speaking to them. The ducks can be accustomed to your own voice.

No hasty attempts to catch individual ducks from the flock should be made. If individual birds need to be removed from the flock (e.g. for weighing), this should be done from a small group that has previously been separated from the flock using herding boards.

Before (mechanical) bedding is applied, preliminary animal checks ensure that there are no animals unable to walk in the shed. Mechanical bedding should always be carried out in the same manner at a slow driving speed (e.g. always clockwise) so as not to disrupt the animals’ routine.

The animals should be accustomed to the relevant machinery from the start of rearing.

Ducks must not be caught or lifted by their legs or a wing, in order to prevent injury, particularly to the feet.

“It is prohibited to drag or pull animals by the head, ears, horns, legs, tail or fur, or to treat them in such a way as to cause them unnecessary pain or suffering” (see Regulation (EC) No 1/2005, Annex 1, Chapter III, No 1.8(d)).

To handle individual animals or when an animal needs to be carried, the duck is lifted with both hands. To carry it, one hand is placed under the body and the other around the body to keep the wings in a closed position. Alternatively, both hands can be placed around the body, simultaneously securing both wings.

Ducks must not be carried suspended with their heads down.

Injured, sick or suffering animals, whose continued presence in the flock would cause avoidable suffering, must be immediately separated from the flock for treatment in a isolation pen (ensure unrestricted access to water and feed!) or humanely euthanised.

• Dead ducks must be removed from the shed immediately and stored in carcass containers in an appropriate manner and as cool as possible, and disposed of properly.

The rearing and fattening phases for Peking ducks take place in different sheds or production facilities, as the birds have different requirements in terms of housing conditions, such as temperature and feed. This also allows for more efficient use of shed space and enables two age groups to be kept on the same farm at the same time.

Peking ducks are currently kept predominantly in enclosed housing systems. If external conditions (e.g. suitable outdoor run area, current disease situation) permit, free-range rearing or rearing of the birds with access to an outdoor run—which should be predominantly covered with vegetation—is also possible from a certain age (usually after the first moulting of the young birds). However, this places additional demands on husbandry management.

The fattening of Peking ducks currently takes a total of approx. 38–42 days under conventional conditions. The rearing phase lasts approx. 16–21 days of this period. This also depends on the farm-specific mating interval. In organic farming, the birds are fattened for at least 49 days. In Peking duck fattening, both sexes are kept together.

The stocking density during rearing and fattening must not exceed 20 kg live weight per ^{square metre} of usable floor area (see the Beijing Duck Agreement).

The relative humidity should never fall below 55%. Levels above 70% should be avoided.

Peking ducks are usually kept in open-sided sheds. However, air velocities exceeding 0.3 m/s at animal height should not be exceeded.

In forced-ventilation houses, the minimum air flow rate should be 4.5 m³/kg live weight/hour to ensure an adequate ventilation rate in summer.

The maximum concentrations of harmful gases are shown in the table below and should not be exceeded (Peking Duck Agreement, 2015):

In summer, oscillating fans must be provided to ensure adequate ventilation (see Peking Duck Agreement).

Lighting in the barn should be uniform throughout. For new builds and conversions, natural light covering 3% of the barn’s floor area should be factored in. The lighting schedule may vary during the acclimatisation period in the first three days. The light must be flicker-free and should resemble natural daylight as closely as possible.

The light cycle during the first three days at most may be extended to 24 hours to allow the animals to become accustomed to feeding and watering facilities. Thereafter, a day/night rhythm as close to natural as possible should be maintained, and a continuous dark phase of at least 8 hours must be ensured, provided that there is a deviation from the natural, seasonally varying dark phases. Appropriate dimming phases should be implemented prior to the change in lighting.

Emergency lighting of a maximum of 2 lux can serve as a guide at night.

Positive results have also been achieved by providing open-access water in the form of a shallow basin or similar. This best enables the animals to engage in species-typical behaviour, as required by Section 2 of the Animal Welfare Act. In terms of housing hygiene, the provision of additional water requires adjustments to bedding management to prevent the bedding from becoming waterlogged. In addition, regular water changes and cleaning of the basins are necessary.

Under the Peking Duck Agreement, an outdoor climate area must be provided for in the construction of new enclosed fattening sheds, provided that this does not conflict with building regulations or environmental protection legislation.

Animals should be checked several times a day, but at least twice a day. Chicks should be closely monitored, particularly during the first few days, and checks should be carried out several times a day. Important parameters include (see also Chapter 5: Criteria for assessing animal health):

• Distribution of the animals in the house
• Feed and water intake behaviour
• Movement
• Condition of plumage
• Consistency of droppings
• Condition of the eyes and nostrils

Fresh straw must be added daily. In rearing facilities, this is usually done by hand.

All housing and care facilities must be checked daily to ensure they are in working order (see Animal Welfare Ordinance § 4 General Requirements for Monitoring, Feeding and Care). Feed and water intake must be checked daily.

This includes tasks that are not carried out on a daily basis but are performed with a certain degree of regularity during or following a fattening cycle. These include, for example, the cleaning and disinfection work required during the service period (see Chapter 8), care provided by the vet (see Veterinary herd management and health assurance programme), as well as examinations to be carried out, such as drinking water tests when using water from the farm’s own well.

Vaccinations can be used to protect against various infectious diseases. Unlike chickens and turkeys, there is currently no compulsory vaccination requirement for ducks. It is standard practice to vaccinate parent birds before the start of the laying period (e.g. against Riemerella) in order to protect young ducklings through maternal antibodies. However, depending on the risk of infection, vaccination may also be advisable in individual cases for Peking fattening ducks. This should always be discussed with the vet responsible for the flock.

Under the Peking Duck Agreement, the keeper must be able to provide evidence of a veterinary care contract. Under this agreement, a veterinary inspection of the flock must be carried out at least once every three months.

In addition, the flock must be inspected once per cycle by a qualified person (veterinarian or fattening supervisor). A report must be drawn up following each visit, assessing the health and welfare status as well as the behaviour of the flock. The authorities may request to see these reports.

Participation in a health assurance programme is intended to safeguard animal health by collecting and evaluating batch-specific indicators from rearing, fattening and slaughter. If this reveals a need for action, a health plan is drawn up and implemented in collaboration with the herd’s supervising veterinarian. This must also be presented to the competent authority upon request. The requirements regarding the obligation to carry out self-monitoring (Section 11(8) of the Animal Welfare Act) are thus fulfilled.

Animal welfare indicators for Peking ducks – checklist

Animal welfare indicators for ducks – picture catalogue

Various criteria can be used to assess animal health:

• Evenly distributed within a group of the same age
• Complies with the breeding company’s specifications

• Losses over the entire cycle should average less than three per cent.
  • In any given week, less than 0.5% of the stock should need to be culled or die.

The animal keeper must immediately rectify any defects in the facilities that adversely affect the animals’ welfare, or take appropriate measures to protect the animals.

Any dead animals found must be removed immediately (see Section 4(1) sentence 1 no. 2 of the Animal Welfare (Livestock) Ordinance), stored properly and disposed of (see the Animal By-products Disposal Act (TierNebG)).

All technical facilities necessary for animal health and welfare (lighting, ventilation and supply systems) must be checked for proper functioning at least once a day. Emergency power generators and alarm systems must be checked for proper functioning at technically required intervals (see Section 4(1) sentence 1 no. 5 of the TierSchNutztV).

The results of the checks must be recorded daily in the barn log (see Section 4(2) of the TierSchNutztV).

At appropriate intervals, the barn, bedding storage areas and feed silos must be thoroughly cleaned and effectively disinfected in accordance with good professional practice (see Section 4(1) sentence 1 no. 10 TierSchNutztV); effective rodent and pest control must be ensured.

•  Basis: Check the barn at least twice a day
  • Careful observation of the animals, for which sufficient time must be allowed
  • Pay particular attention to areas where weaker animals tend to congregate (e.g. corners of the barn and areas under or next to feeding/watering facilities)

→ Early detection of sick and injured animals

• In order to decide whether an animal should be removed from the herd, taken to a holding pen or euthanised, it must first be caught and examined.
• Once the animal has been caught, a decision must be made as to whether it can remain in the herd, whether there is a ‘reasonable cause’ for culling, or whether the animal can be moved to the isolation pen and returned to the group after an appropriate recovery period or treatment.
• If there is a prospect of recovery, the animal must be taken immediately to a holding pen with dry and soft bedding or a soft surface.
• Any animal which, based on a professional assessment of its physical condition, is unlikely to survive must – in accordance with the applicable Animal Welfare Slaughter Ordinance (TierSchlV) – be stunned in a manner consistent with animal welfare and killed without delay, and must not be placed in a separation pen.
• Where necessary, immediate measures must be taken for treatment and, where appropriate, a veterinarian must be consulted (Section 4(1) sentence 1 no. 3 TierSchNutztV).
• Where necessary, measures such as the direct provision of water and, where appropriate, feed, as well as wound care using covering, wound-healing sprays (e.g. zinc sprays) or treatment with further medication, must be provided for the animals in the isolation pen.
• Close monitoring of the course of the disease is required, which, depending on the circumstances, should exceed the minimum monitoring frequency of ‘twice daily’.
• Any animal in a isolation pen whose health condition, following expert assessment, shows no improvement within a reasonable period of time must be anaesthetised and killed in accordance with animal welfare principles. The animal keeper must ensure that the person carrying out the killing of the animals possesses up-to-date knowledge and skills relevant to animal welfare – including humane methods of stunning and killing (see Section 4(1) of the Animal Welfare Act).
• Reintegration: Isolated animals should be reintroduced to social contact immediately upon full recovery.

• Where an animal must be killed, the legal basis for this is provided by the Animal Welfare Act (TSchG), Regulation (EC) No 1099/2009 on the protection of animals at the time of killing, and the Animal Slaughter Ordinance (TierSchlV).
  • ‘Emergency killing’ is defined as ‘the killing of injured animals or animals suffering from a disease that causes severe pain or suffering, where there is no other practicable means of alleviating such pain or suffering’ (Article 2(d) of Regulation (EC) No 1099/2009).
  • A vertebrate animal may only be killed under effective pain relief (stunning) in a state of unconsciousness and insensitivity, or otherwise, insofar as is reasonable under the given circumstances, only in a manner that avoids pain. (Section 4(1) TierSchG)
  • Persons who, on a professional or commercial basis, regularly anaesthetise or kill vertebrates for the purpose of killing must provide the competent authority with proof of competence. (Section 4(1a) Animal Welfare Act)
  • Knowledge and skills regarding legal and technical requirements and methods of killing are necessary.
  • The animal keeper must ensure that the person carrying out the killing of the animals possesses the necessary expertise, including the requisite skills.
• There is a reasonable ground for emergency killing if
  • the animal has been suffering from severe, incurable pain for a prolonged period.
  • the animal is suffering from a serious illness with no prospect of recovery.
  • the animal is unable to take in food or water independently and is therefore no longer able to care for itself.

Ducks identified as requiring slaughter must be killed as soon as possible to avoid unnecessary pain and suffering.

The duck to be killed must be handled calmly and gently until the anaesthetic takes effect, to prevent the animal from becoming agitated.

Every duck must be stunned before killing. Immediately after successful stunning, the animal must be killed using a suitable method (the standard practice is neck breaking).

The functionality of the equipment to be used must be checked before each use.

Stunning and killing should not be carried out in the middle of the flock and, where possible, without causing distress to the other animals.

Procedure

1. Capturing the animal to be killed
2. Restraining
   • Restricting the animal’s movement so that it cannot evade the procedure and the stunning can be carried out safely. From an animal welfare perspective, a suitable room outside the barn (e.g. an antechamber) should be used for stunning and killing.
3. Stunning
   • Every vertebrate must be rendered unconscious and insensitive to pain before slaughter.
   • The effectiveness of the stunning must be checked before killing:
     • No breathing
     • Pupils dilated / no blinking
     • Touching the eye elicits no reaction (no longer any eyelid closure reflex)
     • Neck muscles flaccid
     • Beak opens easily
     • No vocalisation
     • No directed movements
     • No vigorous wing flapping
   • If there are signs of inadequate stunning (e.g. eyelid closure reflex, attempts to stand up, focused gaze, lifting of the head), stunning must be repeated immediately.
4. Killing
   • Killing must follow immediately after stunning.
   • Killing must be carried out competently and safely, without delay and without causing fear or pain to the animal concerned.
   • The onset of death must be carefully monitored:
     • A palpable gap between the head and cervical vertebrae and
     • No eyelid reflex (the eye remains open when a finger is brought close to it)
     • No breathing
     • No directed movements
   • If breathing, eye reflexes or directed movements are observed after killing, the killing procedure must be repeated (if necessary, after re-anaesthetising – see Checking anaesthesia)
5. Disposal
   • It must be ensured that the animal is dead before the carcass is disposed of.
   • Carcasses must be disposed of immediately and securely in the carcass storage facility.

A key prerequisite for a healthy, productive Peking duck flock – alongside optimal housing conditions and the best possible provision of feed and water – is to prevent, as far as possible, the introduction of pathogens and their spread within the flock. The measures required to achieve this on the farm are collectively referred to as ‘biosecurity measures’. These include hygiene (cleaning and disinfection) as well as structural measures (e.g. paved forecourts and access routes, fencing, maintenance of the facilities and structural integrity of the sheds, hygiene sluices) and various management measures (e.g. wearing protective clothing, order and cleanliness on the farm, control of visitor traffic, pest control, handling of sick and dead animals).

Biosecurity measures must be planned on a farm-by-farm basis and implemented consistently on a daily basis to ensure a good biosecurity status. It is advisable to draw up a biosecurity plan and coordinate it with the attending veterinarian. Where there is a high risk of infection, the biosecurity plan can be supplemented by vaccinating Peking ducks to prevent clinical disease in the flock (see Chapter 4 – Vaccinations).

The farm’s operational structure also affects biosecurity status: the more contact a poultry flock has with other animals, the greater the risk of pathogens being introduced. Farms with multiple animal species (particularly cattle and pigs) should ensure strict separation of the housing and care of different animal species. Different age groups within the Peking duck flock should also be strictly separated from one another to minimise the risk of pathogen transmission.

Different pathogens exhibit varying levels of resistance in the environment (for example, Riemerella bacteria die off within a few days in the environment, whereas worm eggs can persist in outdoor runs for years). Organic material (animal excrement, feed residues, litter, feathers), moisture and warm ambient temperatures favour the survival of pathogens. Thorough cleaning can reduce the bacterial load on the cleaned surfaces by up to three orders of magnitude (to one thousandth of the original load). Thorough cleaning is also a prerequisite for successful disinfection, as many disinfectants react with proteins (e.g. those contained in excrement, feed residues and blood), which significantly reduces their effectiveness on heavily soiled surfaces. By combining cleaning and disinfection, the bacterial load can be reduced by up to six orders of magnitude, i.e. ideally to one millionth of the original load. However, even disinfection does not achieve a germ-free, sterile environment.

Once the ducks have been removed from the shed, it should be thoroughly cleaned before being restocked. 

Cleaning begins with removing manure from the empty stable. After dry cleaning, the stable should be swept clean and then wet cleaned. In cases of heavy soiling, it is advisable to use warm water (ideally 40 °C) and cleaning agents after thoroughly soaking the soiled surfaces. High-pressure cleaners are commonly used for effective wet cleaning (Caution: unsuitable nozzles, insufficient water flow, incorrect spray angles or an insufficient spray distance can lead to material damage and the widespread distribution of dirt particles/germs!).

The amount of cleaning agents required can be significantly reduced by pre-cleaning to remove coarse dirt or by thorough soaking. Any residual cleaning agents must then be thoroughly rinsed off with clean water to prevent surface corrosion and ensure the disinfection process is not compromised.

The following must be cleaned: livestock housing (from top to bottom), livestock equipment (including feed and water lines from the inside), work tools and vehicles, herding aids, loading ramps and other equipment in direct contact with the animals, livestock housing entrance areas and forecourts, feed storage containers and, finally, the equipment used for cleaning and the protective clothing worn during the process.

Cleaning is considered successful when all surfaces and interior fittings, containers, feed and water lines in the barn are clean and the waste water no longer contains any dirt particles.

The wash water used contains small amounts of nitrogen- and phosphorus-containing substances and is therefore defined as liquid manure.

Disinfection without prior thorough cleaning is ineffective: “You cannot disinfect dirt!” However, dirt is not always visible – it is precisely invisible residues (e.g. in uneven surfaces, cracks and small openings) that severely limit the effectiveness of disinfectants and allow germs to survive until the next time the stable is occupied. Disinfection should therefore take place as soon as possible after cleaning to prevent further contamination (e.g. from dust).

The barn must be completely dry before disinfection. Wet or damp areas ‘dilute’ the disinfectant and impair its effectiveness (dilution effect).

No disinfectant kills all types of germs and is suitable for every use. In the event of disease or increased risk of infection during the fattening cycle, it is therefore advisable to discuss the details of the planned disinfection with the attending vet. As a general rule, only disinfectants tested and listed by the DVG should be used. Products bearing the DLG quality mark have also been tested for material compatibility, among other things.

DVG list

The concentration recommended by the manufacturer must be adhered to during application. It should be noted that different concentrations are required for different ambient temperatures and that certain disinfectants are ineffective or only partially effective in cold conditions (cold-induced inactivation, e.g. aldehydes). During the cold season, peroxides or chlorine solutions should therefore be used in preference. Application can be carried out using spraying, misting or aerosol methods.

As a general rule, 0.4 l of working solution per m^² of surface area to be disinfected is required; for stable fittings, at least 30% extra must be allowed for. The contact time for most disinfectants should not be less than 2 to 4 hours, even if shorter times are specified by the manufacturer. Ideally, the disinfected livestock housing should then be left to air and rest ‘empty’ for 4 to 5 days.