Hudson Valley Foie Gras: The Truth

[bluejeans]

a person can only try this once with a chicken.. but ducks having no gag reflex throat wise, thrive on it..

 

[Coupe]

Poor duck's

 

[bluejeans]

thanks for your post i hope you found this video intresting even if you may have strong dislikes for their methods..

i would thionk poor ducks are the ones that starve to death ------- these guys would be more of the lucky ducks-- nice barn plenty of ducky company and they are fed well. yet there are even greater benefits,, farms like this one ,, keep ducks in demand so
others can purchase them for pets or hobby farms..or just smaller farms.

 

[Coupe]

In all honesty, I never knew they where force fed until i saw this video. No one knows what goes on when camera's are not there tho.. As much as i dont agree with it, it is a very informative video!

 

[Freakmonger]

I suppose noodling isn't as graphic a process with the same desired effect. It seems what is forgotten is they are raised for the purpose of food, and if a proper artisanal process is taken the total utilization of the animal can produce many wonderful and tasty products. The duck is in my opinion better then the magical pig, whom produces many wonderful products as well. When the duck is used properly it can be a key ingredient for success in the self sustained farm.

 

[Marty1876]

Well, ducks should earn their keep. I thought this was gonna be horrible, but it's not really much different than meat ducks anywhere else. They appear to be trying to be humane, but you'd sure never see this in the wild.

I think in the end, if it's ended quickly and no parts of the duck are wasted, it's acceptable.

 

[bluejeans]

I think ducks just may be the answer on how to feed a starving world . And as America's beef becomes more and more exspencive to raise .Ducks will also be the answer for americas hunger for a lean beefy taste as well ..

I was impressed by the good clean conditions the Hudson Valley Foie Gras ducks were kept in .. also the care that they also were given grasses over head to eat .. i would think during the summer nights
ducks also would get ample insects in the barn with insect gathering lights, plus the grain portioned out by tube feeding was very sufficent and the ducks did not seem to mind at all that they were feed that way .. in fact they were calmer than most ducks feed on most farms around their handlers..And the most impressive thing about this particular operation is it is opened daily to public viewing..

after all EVEN on ones own privatly owned place their must be days a visitor might think the place could use a little better cleaning or perhaps a little fresher water for the ducks ..not realizing ducks can muddy the water in just a few seconds or that the litter on the floor was just cleaned and mucked out a few days prior..

it would be interesting to hear the complants of these Hudson Valley Foie Gras workers if they came to mine or your place .. perhaps they would complain about the vitamin content of the feed or the portion sizes each duck
was able to get or the housing that was provided or the way the some of the shy ducks acted torwards their keepers .. ANY WAY IM SURE THEY COULD GIVE EACH OF US SOME POINTERS ON DUCK KEEPING
ALSO..

 

[Marty1876]

I've kept ducks a long time, but no doubt our methods would only be somewhat similar.

I'm orgainc and I mix my own grains. My birds have a few acres for roaming, and extra ducks are eaten in the fall. We dress our own, feed our own, manage our own, and eat their eggs and meat and feel gratefull for it. (OK, my kids not so much) But to me, they are a nice addition to the milk and cheese, turkeys, geese, and chickens on our semi-self sufficeint farm. Ducks are also far more productive much quicker for meat birds, and many breeds are reasonably able to provide a good percentage of their own food, given space and opportunity to forage in productive areas.

Besides, ducks are more productive layers (some) than most chickens for less feed and trouble and noise. They are excellent all around birds, and extremely hardy.

 

[bluejeans]

Thanks very much for your intresting post Marty.

i enjoyed reading it. as im sure others did also..

 

[Freakmonger]

While in culinary school I had the opportunity to travel to France and while there in the Alsace region I was able to go to a Foie Gras Farm a small farm in the middle of the village which seemed odd to me. As most of us know these animals are fairly noisy and can be smelly, the farmer was proud that he kept his farm in such a tranquil condition as he put "it only makes a finer product, and I would be run outta town if it were otherwise". My surprise was when I walked into his poultry house he had his grains boiling in a gigantic cask of wine and stuff that smelled good to me. When I entered into the holding area it was a regular love den the lights were low and french jazz was played softly in the background. What surprised me most was how the geese lined up to be fed, he didnt have to chase them . From a culinary aspect the duck is wonderful. The farmer in France made some 6 different products from the livers and some 16 others from the rest of the duck. This experience completely changed my view on animals, food, and especially Foie. There is a bad side and this process can be mass manufactured which isn't good, and I feel bad for those that have to experience such conditions. Whats sad is we do the same thing to ourselves on a daily basis, please don't examine my liver.