Easiest duck breed to dress

[comp6512]

I processed a few cayugas, and it was a hit or miss experience. Some of them dressed nicely, but most had these black quills that are impossible to remove. So I would spend like three hours just plucking a duck.

Is pekin easy to pluck? Any other suggestions?

 

[ChickenToes]

Did you use wax? Wax is supposed to be really helpful removing the pin feathers. Otherwise, try Pekins. They're larger and are very popular as a meat duck.

 

[protodon]

I can tell you I got really confused with what were pin feathers and what were really the broken ends of down feathers. I butchered some ducks at 7-9 weeks and encountered the broken down feathers then I did one at 10 weeks and discovered what pin feathers on a duck really were. I had seen pin feathers in chickens before but this stuff was literally like armor. I ended up skinning that duck.

I'm not sure when you processed yours and if you encountered the pin feathers or the down feathers but I learned that I had all the broken down feathers because my hot water wasn't reaching the skin as well on their front and the small down feathers were breaking as I plucked rather then coming out. I found this out just by chance when I had a really good scald and the duck plucked amazingly clean. Unfortunately I can't recreate that scenario without almost cooking the skin or having the skin rip. But butchering at 7-9 weeks and making sure that water gets to base of those small down feathers on the chest, is the trick to plucking a duck cleanly without wax. imho the wax is way more trouble than it's worth.

 

[dancingbear]

I remember reading in somebody's post awhile back, what the perfect ages are for processing ducks, they said it made a huge difference in plucking. I don't know from personal experience, I haven't yet processed a duck. The Whiz-Bang pluckers are supposed to be great for ducks and geese, as well as chickens and turkeys.

A little dish-soap in the scalding water might help get past the oils on the feathers for a better scald.