Waterfowl for Meat Production Thread - Ducks, Geese, and Muscovies

[Maeschak]

Hi, we just added some Muscovies, but for now hoping they will be broody once
old enough, since they take longer to mature.

But am really wandering if someone has some advice on cooking duck?
Thinking of a slow cooker, but than how do I deal with the fat?
I am not familiar with that part, lol. So far only ornamental or meat for our dogs,
since they provide great protein. The chickens and rabbits can go to the
processing plant. But have a duck in the fridge that hubby did and need to figure out what the best first trial is for the table;0)

I don't have any Muscovies (yet) but have wanted meat Muscovies for a long time so I've done a bit of reading... (Hopefully someone w actual experience will come around!) From the reading it seems Muscovy are very lean and cook a bit more like lean beef. Therefore, don't count on having lots of basting fat or the like and medium-rare is necessary as opposed to 'well done.'

Please let me know how it turns out as I may bite the bullet and try them out this spring!

 

[SunshineMary]

I'm hoping to revive this thread too. I am curious what weigts people are getting on their geese after processing. I did 5 recently and they were only 5-6 lbs. they look nice but I was expecting larger. I google imaged "christmas goose" and they all look like mine, not super meaty. My geese are pilgrims.View attachment 1165520

We hatched out Pilgrims over several dates this past spring and slaughtered them at 16 to 18 weeks. They ranged from 6 to 8 pounds, which is smaller than we would like. We should have let them go until 22 to 24 weeks I think, but we were eager to send them off to freezer camp because the young ganders were such a gang of thugs and went around beating up the ducks, menacing the chickens, and rumbling with the turkeys. Next year we will make some changes to our set up so that we can let them grow out longer.

Here is a picture of one of the ganders on the left with a Cornish Cross chicken on the right for comparison:

 

[Hamaarahof]

I don't have any Muscovies (yet) but have wanted meat Muscovies for a long time so I've done a bit of reading... (Hopefully someone w actual experience will come around!) From the reading it seems Muscovy are very lean and cook a bit more like lean beef. Therefore, don't count on having lots of basting fat or the like and medium-rare is necessary as opposed to 'well done.'

Please let me know how it turns out as I may bite the bullet and try them out this spring!

Lol, the Muscovies are just a new addition, at this point mostly as a "natural incubator".
However the extra drakes will get sold or processed later on. This one is a young
Welsh Harlequin drake. So not a meat type duck really. We mainly have them for egg
production and ornamental value. But we will switch some breeds this year. We will not
continue with the Welsh Harlequins. But as I said, not very experienced with having
ducks as meat birds for our own table, lol.

 

[kgoslar21]

So I am new to butchering, sort of. My family has done it old school for years. I am looking into pluckers and was wandering if anyone had one that did an awesome job on geese. I butchered these for the first time last year and did not realize what a job it was to pluck. We have geese, chickens, and ducks. I was looking at the rite farm I think xl. It does 3-5 chickens at once. So sounds big enough for geese. I also have never used the duck wax, which in my opinion looks amazing. My mom is looking with skeptical eyes at all my brilliant youtube ideas. They used to get all together and do 100 broilers in one day. But now it will probably be mom and me. So I am trying to make this a two person operation. Any tips or reviews would be great! I am also looking into those bags that shrinkwrap in hot water. If anyone has a great supplier let me know.

 

[sk290]

I don't know about the pluckers but for the poultry bag this seems to be the 'go to' person (http://www.nadyaspoultry.com/shrink-bags.html). I hope others reply about the pluckers because we also need one.

 

[KariStucki]

I’m wondering if this thread is still active?
I had a mixed flock of Cayuga and Khaki Campbell ducks, and was looking to add some geese, but my flock just got killed. So, I’m starting over.
My husband and kids really like the look of the Cayuga, so I have more of them ordered. I got a couple more Khaki Campbell, because I was enjoying the egg production we were getting. And, I’ve ordered several geese. A couple Africans, a couple pilgrims, and maybe a couple French Toulouse. I may add in some Embdens too. The geese are absolutely for meat, because my husband brought home a Canada goose last fall, and my whole family loved it. The kids have been asking all year if he could shoot us more geese, and been heartily disappointed that there are hunting seasons, and now is not one of them. So, we have decided to raise the geese ourselves.
I hadn’t had a chance to try cooking one of our ducks before they were all lost, so hopefully in a year or so, I’ll be able to give it a shot. I like the idea of darker meat, animals that are a little more cold/ wet hardy (I live in Idaho), and will still provide some eggs.
My goal is to raise them to probably 18-24 months, and then cull for meat, and a manageable flock.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

I’m wondering if this thread is still active?
I had a mixed flock of Cayuga and Khaki Campbell ducks, and was looking to add some geese, but my flock just got killed. So, I’m starting over.
My husband and kids really like the look of the Cayuga, so I have more of them ordered. I got a couple more Khaki Campbell, because I was enjoying the egg production we were getting. And, I’ve ordered several geese. A couple Africans, a couple pilgrims, and maybe a couple French Toulouse. I may add in some Embdens too. The geese are absolutely for meat, because my husband brought home a Canada goose last fall, and my whole family loved it. The kids have been asking all year if he could shoot us more geese, and been heartily disappointed that there are hunting seasons, and now is not one of them. So, we have decided to raise the geese ourselves.
I hadn’t had a chance to try cooking one of our ducks before they were all lost, so hopefully in a year or so, I’ll be able to give it a shot. I like the idea of darker meat, animals that are a little more cold/ wet hardy (I live in Idaho), and will still provide some eggs.
My goal is to raise them to probably 18-24 months, and then cull for meat, and a manageable flock.

No, you've resurrected this thread from the grave. Might want to try looking here instead for an active thread.

I raise Pekin ducks myself for meat, very tasty, and while we sell our chicken eggs, we typically keep all our duck eggs for ourselves. Makes fantastic mayonnaise. and any egg dish you can imagine (though you have to adjust baking recipes, due to size). Recommend NOT keeping to 18-24 months then processing, the meat will be very tough by that point, and the weight gain will be minimal.

If you have the space, recommend you keep one adult drake, as many hens as you can comfortably manage (at least 6) so he doesn't over mate and injure. You go more than half a year before you you will see any eggs, and chances are, you buy straight run, so buy 10-12, cull all the males for the table expect your best growing one along the way. Hopefully, you get a broody, otherwise, its periodic incubation (and I personally have terrible luck incubating duck eggs, success rates have been quite low - 30-40%). You will always be looking for a new male to replace the current drake (who becomes sausage), and cull any obviously underperforming hens, or hens "aging out". They also make good ground meat, which can be used for the aforementioned sausage, tacos, hamburgers, etc.

I expect eggs around seven months, with frequency between 2 days in 3 and 3 in 4 (seasonally variable) and have processed ducks up to 8.5# regularly. Carcass yield is not as good as with (meat) chickens at a young age, closer to 60% than 70%, depending on your knife work, but comparable to young dual purpose breeds of chicken that put on bone first, and meat second.

Hope that helps. I rarely drop into the duck and geese forums, but they are there and a good source of expertise I don't have.

 

[Isadora]

No, you've resurrected this thread from the grave. Might want to try looking here instead for an active thread.

I raise Pekin ducks myself for meat, very tasty, and while we sell our chicken eggs, we typically keep all our duck eggs for ourselves. Makes fantastic mayonnaise. and any egg dish you can imagine (though you have to adjust baking recipes, due to size). Recommend NOT keeping to 18-24 months then processing, the meat will be very tough by that point, and the weight gain will be minimal.

If you have the space, recommend you keep one adult drake, as many hens as you can comfortably manage (at least 6) so he doesn't over mate and injure. You go more than half a year before you you will see any eggs, and chances are, you buy straight run, so buy 10-12, cull all the males for the table expect your best growing one along the way. Hopefully, you get a broody, otherwise, its periodic incubation (and I personally have terrible luck incubating duck eggs, success rates have been quite low - 30-40%). You will always be looking for a new male to replace the current drake (who becomes sausage), and cull any obviously underperforming hens, or hens "aging out". They also make good ground meat, which can be used for the aforementioned sausage, tacos, hamburgers, etc.

I expect eggs around seven months, with frequency between 2 days in 3 and 3 in 4 (seasonally variable) and have processed ducks up to 8.5# regularly. Carcass yield is not as good as with (meat) chickens at a young age, closer to 60% than 70%, depending on your knife work, but comparable to young dual purpose breeds of chicken that put on bone first, and meat second.

Hope that helps. I rarely drop into the duck and geese forums, but they are there and a good source of expertise I don't have.

Stormcrow, I'm curious why you don't yet have a educator badge. It needs to happen! I learn a lot from you every time you post!

 

[U_Stormcrow]

Stormcrow, I'm curious why you don't yet have a educator badge. It needs to happen! I learn a lot from you every time you post!

Just relaying my experiences, and things I've read, consistently, from sources I trust. No big thing. I've only been at this 14 months. Forums like these present me in good light, but I really am best in small quantities. In person over a significant period, I'm revealed to be an insufferable @$$ - its how I'm wired.

 

[Parront]

I’m wondering if this thread is still active?
I had a mixed flock of Cayuga and Khaki Campbell ducks, and was looking to add some geese, but my flock just got killed. So, I’m starting over.
My husband and kids really like the look of the Cayuga, so I have more of them ordered. I got a couple more Khaki Campbell, because I was enjoying the egg production we were getting. And, I’ve ordered several geese. A couple Africans, a couple pilgrims, and maybe a couple French Toulouse. I may add in some Embdens too. The geese are absolutely for meat, because my husband brought home a Canada goose last fall, and my whole family loved it. The kids have been asking all year if he could shoot us more geese, and been heartily disappointed that there are hunting seasons, and now is not one of them. So, we have decided to raise the geese ourselves.
I hadn’t had a chance to try cooking one of our ducks before they were all lost, so hopefully in a year or so, I’ll be able to give it a shot. I like the idea of darker meat, animals that are a little more cold/ wet hardy (I live in Idaho), and will still provide some eggs.
My goal is to raise them to probably 18-24 months, and then cull for meat, and a manageable flock.

I have recently sent a couple of my male ducks to the freezer camp. They were 8 weeks old, and 2 more are joining them this coming Tuesday (day before trash pick up here). They were mixed breed, that I hatched at the Easter hatch-a-long to try out my new incubator. Live weight ~3.5 pounds each. Ducks take a lot of time to pluck, so I skinned one. Ilove the taste of duck and am retired, so I spent most of a day on these guys. I would not keep them past this age, they eat like fiends! I kept my geese to 6 months when I had them, they are a Christmas tradition in our German family.