Best duck breed for eating?

[kaumlauf]

Hello duck people...
We had our ducks butchered by our willing Amish neighbors, (a service I very much appreciate) and enjoyed the meat. Some is still in the freezer. We had butchered young (10 wk) pekin /swede crosses, and 4 month old mallards.The older Mallards (males) were a little gamey, but the younger ducks were milder. Is there a "Best for Meat" duck out there? And is there a best age to slaughter?
We don't care as much about the egg laying...as we only eat a few.

We roasted them over charcoal on the bar b que. I really liked the smokeyness.
Even though we overcooked them, they were still moist.
Many thanks, Kat

 

[Wyandottes7]

I've never raised any ducks myself, but from what I've read, Pekin ducks, or Pekin/Muscovy crosses are the best for meat. I'm not sure what age is best to slaughter them at.

 

[kaumlauf]

thank you!

 

[learycow]

Pekins are great for meat as they are fast growers and get large (dress out to anywhere from 6 to 10 pounds). They do tend to be fatty/oily though. Some people process these around 12-16 weeks

Muscovy are another breed that are excellent for meat. They are slower growing than the pekins, but less fatty and more flavor. A lot of people buy them from me as they say they taste the best out of all duck breeds.
The males are larger than females, dressing around 8-15 pounds each. Females are smaller and dress closer to 5-7 pounds. I would process these around 4-6 months

 

[kaumlauf]

Thank you!