The Pekin Risk Is Weight, Not Flight
A Pekin duck faces fireworks with the opposite problem to a flighty breed: she is a heavy, fast-grown bird who cannot fly at all, so her danger is the scramble, not the escape. When bangs start in an open pen, Pekins rush together, climb over each other, and pile into corners, and the bird at the bottom of that pile can suffocate or come out with a strained leg her frame can ill afford. The fix is timing: bring the flock into their night house in the late afternoon with the feed call, shut the door while every bird walked in calmly, and count them. A Pekin shut in early, on deep bedding, with the flock around her, experiences fireworks as noise muffled by walls rather than a reason to run.
One Level, Deep Bedding, Nothing to Climb
Set the Pekin shelter up flat for fireworks night, because ramps, steps, and raised platforms turn a startled shuffle into falls for birds whose legs are already their weak point. Block or remove ramps, move drinkers to floor level, and lay bedding deeper than usual so a bird who is knocked sideways lands on straw rather than boards. Check the floor for anything slick, since a Pekin who splay-legs on a wet patch can injure a joint in seconds. Keep the flock's space generous enough that the group can spread along a wall instead of stacking into a corner, and if your house has a known crush corner, screen it off with a hurdle for the night.
Water to Drink, but No Swimming Until Morning
Put drinking water inside the Pekin house in a low, heavy container they cannot tip or climb into, deep enough for each duck to dip her head and clear her nostrils. Swimming water stays out of the fireworks-night picture entirely: a panicked Pekin on a dark pond can exhaust herself against the sides, fail at a ramp she manages easily by day, and chill or drown, so empty the outdoor tubs or fence the pond off before dusk. Shade the side of the house facing the display with a breathable cover to cut the flashing, while keeping ventilation open on the far side, because a house full of large ducks generates warmth and moisture quickly overnight.
Quiet Keeper, Closed Door, Normal Feed
Pekin ducks are placid, food-led birds, and they take the evening's temperature from your routine more than from any single bang. Feed the normal ration at the normal time, let the flock waddle in behind the feed scoop as they always do, and do the full check (water, bedding, latch, count) before the first display begins so the door can stay shut afterwards. A keeper repeatedly opening the house to peek lets in light and noise and starts a fresh rush toward the doorway each time. Talk as you work in the voice they hear at feeding; a familiar human sound at shut-in is part of the routine this breed finds reassuring, and then leave them to it.
Morning Release: Watch the Legs First
Let the Pekin flock out after walking their run for rocket debris and fence damage, and then watch the birds walk, because legs are where a fireworks night leaves its mark on this breed. A Pekin who sat at the bottom of a pile may come out slow, limping, or preferring to sit while the others feed, and a bird with a drooping wing or feathers missing along the back was likely climbed over in the rush. Count the flock twice, check the house bedding for blood, and delay pond access until every bird has walked to breakfast convincingly. If one is missing despite the shut-in, KinsLe's Lost Pet Alert System alerts nearby members free of charge, and a finder can message you directly about your Pekin.