HELP WITH MUSCOVY PROCESSING ?????

[MountainMarans2012]

I've helped process chickens last year,but not Muscovy's, and now I'm getting ready to process my older 1 1/2 year old Muscovy Drakes, there's too much fighting going on between them. Does anyone know the right size processing cone to purchase for slaughtering....I've been looking on www.cconly.com at their stainless steel cones and its hard to decide between the KC-SS-M3 or KC-SS-L3 as far as the right size to stabilize them during the bleeding process ????? Also any experienced helpful Tips,Videos' anything to help me along with my first time processing would be very helpful ?????

 

[KevinEleven]

when I did mine I had to scald in hotter water than when I did chickens

 

[FCLady]

90% of the meat on a muscovy on the breast and legs.

We drop them in a killing cone, cut off their head and drain. Then we hang them by one leg and start
removing their skin. Around one leg, then the other, we loosen/remove the skin. Slice the skin down their belly to their neck and peel the skin towards their backs.

We then lay them on a table to remove their breast meat. Slicing the meat along the center breast bone down towards
their sides. Once both breasts are removed we cut off their legs. 90% of the meat is now off.

Skinning them saves us from eating all the fat, so it's a very lean meat. Beware of the oil gland that is at the base of the tail; where the tail feathers join their back. Avoid that gland!

A year and half old muscovy is OLD for butchering them. We butcher drakes starting at 3 months up to 9 months.
The older they get the harder the skin is to remove and the harder it is to keep the down from sticking
to their flesh.

We use the same size killing cone that we use for our broilers. If they are too large it is hard to get an uncooperative drake to actually stick their head out the hole. They'll pull back their head and you have to sometimes reach up there and bring it down. By 1-1/2 they will also be VERY strong and those toenails are VERY sharp. My DH and I both have scars to prove that. We use leather gloves when handling them.

Hope that helps. If you need ideas how to pick them up without getting beat to death with their wings, I can help there too. They are much stronger than chickens are!

 

[MountainMarans2012]

Thank You for the help...I know what you mean by claws, they have long nails and are hard to hold ...If you have any great suggestions on holding them the right way so I don't get smacked by their wing feathers would be appreciated ......

 

[LindaB220]

I'm interested in the whites I'll keep up with this thread