Eating 8-12 week old WH?

[Lucky1]

My parents want to process them with my meaties, will they be big enough? (I only have 3.)

 

[zooweemama]

My WH are 8 almost 9 weeks old and I am not sure they are going to all that much bigger- by 12 weeks old I am sure you can process them. Pekins make better meat ducks though- they are ready for processing by 7 weeks and they are huge. I hope someone more familiar with this breed can help you on size. My other set of ducks are almost 12 weeks old and from 8 weeks that did get a little bigger but not a huge amount (in my opinion. in that set i have 2 pet quality runners and they are about the size of my WH and were about that size by 8/9 weeks).

 

[Miss Lydia]

My parents want to process them with my meaties, will they be big enough? (I only have 3.)

Lucky, they aren't going to let you keep them then? I'm so sorry.

 

[ducksinarow]

They are suppose to be better at egg laying than for meat. They are not a big duck.

 

[Lucky1]

Ya, i tried my hardest and did everything i could but in the end they just refused to accept the idea.

 

[zooweemama]

Ya, i tried my hardest and did everything i could but in the end they just refused to accept the idea.

I'm so sorry.

 

[Kevin565]

Ya, i tried my hardest and did everything i could but in the end they just refused to accept the idea.

 

[Lucky1]

So by now they should be about their full size? Parents are not going to be happy, i think they envisioned a Pekin sized duck even after i told them that would be smaller

 

[Oregon Blues]

I butcher ducks at 8-10 weeks.

By 12 weeks there might be a new crop of pin feathers. They are a lot more work if they are covered in pin feathers. Or else, you can use duck wax which deals with the pin feathers very easily.

I would expect a WH to dress out rather small. They are not large ducks and not developed for a meat breed. Still, they will be very delicious.

 

[Oregon Blues]

By the way.....

Are these drakes? Because if they are ducks and they are purebreds, you should be able to sell them on Craigslist for more than they are worth in meat.

Drakes, probably not. It is difficult to rehome drakes. But Welsh Harlequin ducks are top of the line egg layers and someone will pay good money to purchase them as layers.