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A somewhat lesser known and rare breed, the Abacot Ranger breed (also known as the Hooded Range in the United States) was created in Colchester in the County of Essex, England from 1917 to 1922 by Oscar Gray of Abacot Duck Ranch. He used sports from Khaki Campbells and a White Indian Runner Drake to create the breed. They were a popular utility duck used for supplying meat and eggs but became less popular in the UK and if it wasn’t for the work done in Germany by H. Lieker who stabilised the colour, they could have possibly been lost. There hasn’t been much interest in the Abacot Ranger by many of the bigger waterfowl breeders, but there are small groups of breeders in the U.K reviving the breed, using German bloodlines and over the last few years, the numbers appearing at shows have been increasing.
The British Waterfowl Association standardised these ducks in 1987. They are a light duck breed that rarely flies, so they can be kept in using a fairly low fence within the garden, but care should be taken that the garden is safe from predators.
Details:
Uses: Utility, meat, eggs
Eggs: Up to 180 White Eggs annually
Origin: Colchester, Essex, U.K.
Weight: Drake: 6.6 lb, Duck: 5.5 lb
Pic by @littlenell1
Pic by @littlenell1
Breed Reviews: (There are no reviews for this breed yet)
Breed discussion: https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/535325/abacot-ranger-ducklings/0_30
Do you own Abacot Rangers? Are you an Abacot Ranger breeder? If so, please reply to this thread with the your thoughts and experiences, including:
· What made you decide to get this breed?
· Do you own them for fun? Breeding? Some other purpose?
· What are your favorite characteristics about this breed?
· Post some pics of your birds; male/female, chicks, eggs, etc!
The British Waterfowl Association standardised these ducks in 1987. They are a light duck breed that rarely flies, so they can be kept in using a fairly low fence within the garden, but care should be taken that the garden is safe from predators.
Details:
Uses: Utility, meat, eggs
Eggs: Up to 180 White Eggs annually
Origin: Colchester, Essex, U.K.
Weight: Drake: 6.6 lb, Duck: 5.5 lb
Pic by @littlenell1
Pic by @littlenell1
Breed Reviews: (There are no reviews for this breed yet)
Breed discussion: https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/535325/abacot-ranger-ducklings/0_30
Do you own Abacot Rangers? Are you an Abacot Ranger breeder? If so, please reply to this thread with the your thoughts and experiences, including:
· What made you decide to get this breed?
· Do you own them for fun? Breeding? Some other purpose?
· What are your favorite characteristics about this breed?
· Post some pics of your birds; male/female, chicks, eggs, etc!
. All the pics I find of them have a brown/red head. The one posted on here looks like a Welsh to me?
