Dixie Chicks

[hennible]

@Alaskan
Any chance you could do some butchering pictures? I will hopefully have a bunch of muscovy to butcher next fall. How old are they when you do them usually?

 

[perchie.girl]

@Alaskan
Any chance you could do some butchering pictures? I will hopefully have a bunch of muscovy to butcher next fall. How old are they when you do them usually?

X2

Or do a video and offer up a link. A gal did that on one of the Guinea Fowl threads.

 

[vehve]

Ducks are pretty much just like chickens. Don't know about the killing part though, I only have experience with ones that have been shot down. Oh, I did have to kill a goose once though. That was the first thing I ever shot. Great big 12 lbs grey goose, I was a bit eager and fired early, so I didn't get a clean hit. **** thing started falling straight at me. I tried to retreat, but it hit my left arm. Broke it's wing in the process. Then I had a wounded goose on my hands, and no idea what to do. Luckily it died pretty easily, I twisted it's neck, and slit the jugular. My arm was hurting for 3 days after that.

But anyway, pretty similar physiology, so the butchering part is pretty straight forward.

How do the homegrown ducks taste compare to say, wild mallard?

 

[Peep_Show]

Did anyone yell "Duck!"

 

[Alaskan]

@Alaskan
Any chance you could do some butchering pictures? I will hopefully have a bunch of muscovy to butcher next fall. How old are they when you do them usually?

OK... I will make sure to take pictures.

As to the killing.. The muscovy are SO EXTREMELY CUTE, that the kids can't bleed them. They chop off the head, toss the head aside, and then they have no problems doing the rest.

Deb, I never weigh my butchered poultry.... But that sounds like a good guess as to muscovy weight... The males can be twice the weight of the girls, BIG difference.

As to when to slaughter.. It depends on if they are female, male, and what you want food wise....

When I was first starting out, I butchered both sexes... Now I sell all of the girls for big bucks for breeders.

However, back when I butchered both sexes, I would try to wait a bit longer for the girls, 4 to 6 months.... Just to get more size on them.

With the boys, the best feed to meat conversion is around 3 months, after that their growth slows down, so that meat is getting more expensive.

However, I often keep a few to butcher at 6 or even 9 months for a big gorgeous center piece fancy meal.

Supposedly, if you butcher at 12 weeks then the meat is much more like veal, but I have never butchered that young.

Also, if you want to pluck and have a pretty carcass, then of course the bird can't be molting.

We usually skin the ones that we will piece out for pastrami and parts, and pluck the ones that we want to roast for fancy feasts (Saint Martin's day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas).

 

[Alaskan]

V,

I can't remember if
I have had wild mallard....

But I have had
1. Store bought duck
2. Home grown duck, blue Swedish and khaki cambel
3. Muscovy

I have to say, the difference between store duck and home grown duck is WAY bigger than the difference between store bought and home grown chicken.

Also, the Blue Swedish etc. could be a different animal when compared to Muscovy. Very different.

 

[hennible]

Yeah I've done Ducks Felix
I just want a heads up on muscovy... Need to brace my self, they are super cute and ubber friendly (my other ducks are cute, but these guys are different...). Also I have serious issues with the back end, cutting in to remove the guts, I was taught (on chickens) in a way that just doesn't look that nice when your done... Any way it gets worse on the ducks, not totally sure why.
Thanks for that info Alaskan.
The last home grown duck (Rouen blue sweedish cross)I had tasted, well the breast meat tasted a lot like a young beef roast, or even a bit like pork roast, it was good. The other parts were more poultry like. The leftovers worked well in with chicken in a chicken soup.

Can feel the baby quite well now, this part is really fun.

 

[Alaskan]

Ooh... Baby..... When are you due?

 

[hennible]

Late May early June
It will be nice not drive screaming to the hospital in a blizzard... LOL
Wish I could just do it at home, oh well.

 

[Alaskan]

Home is nice... More space than a car


(Yeah, one of my five is a car baby)