I did my 4 meat ducks today.

[obsessed]

Well as the title says, I did my ducks. They were hard and made me cry a bit.

They were very big. The plucking I can definitely do with out. The first one I did, I scalded the skin too much it tore. So I skinned that one and the other three went pretty well. I don't think I got out all the feather but hey a little feather doesn't hurt, right. I used the Parafin wax to help but it still didn't get all the feathers and after the whole day trying, I am tired.

I think my expedition into fowl is over. It just wasn't very fun. The chickens stunk and the duck were too emotionally hard to kill. And then there was the plucking. I will stay with the rabbits. But if I had a plucker..........

 

[PineBurrowPeeps]

It's not supposed to be fun hun. If it were I think I'd be worried. It's about raising your own food.
I cried several times last year when I first started with meat chickens. I even gave up at the end of the year because I had a bad experience with a meat bird and felt that I couldn't kill them fast enough for it to be humane.
That was last year... Now I'm raising them for profit and while I use a processor for the majority, things crop up like this morning when I had a predator attack my meat flock and I had to put 5 down myself because they were too injured.
As much as I hate to admit it, you do get used to it somewhat or numb to it.

 

[RuffTuffCreampuff]

Ducks are hard for me too....they always seem so happy and smiling. But I do love smoked duck soooooooo....I make DH do it.

Pam

 

[the_great_snag]

I thought ducks and geese were supposed to be dry plucked???

 

[vfem]

I have to put down one of my injured ducks. I've NEVER done this before and I don't want to kill him and bury him like my other pets as I'm afraid it will attract preditors to the area as he...well... rots.

Anyways, where can I find some information on doing this. I am tempted to get hubby to do it... but he looks REALLY not happy with me that I asked him to do it in the first place.

I was told I would have to defeather it and I figured we could just eat duck next weekend as I don't have any money for groceries at this point anyways. Living off of duck and eggs for a little while should be ok.

So should I dunk them in boiling water to scold the feathers for easier removal like I read for chickens?! I might try to do this on the grill as I don't want to bring this inside at all.... my daughter would freak and I can't imagine what the dog would do?!

 

[obsessed]

Vfem - sorry about your duck. I think you are supposed to scald them with a little bit of dish detergent in the water. That should penetrate the natural oils in the feathers. Other than that proceed like a chicken. I used the wax in the scalding water and that really helped get the feathers out easier. I read about it here some where. I will look for the thread.

 

[Steve_of_sandspoultry]

For our Christmas goose we dry pluck as much as possible and scald and wet pluck the rest. For the rest of the year we skin them. It's the quickest way to process a duck. Take a very sharp knife and start at the neck just under the skin, slice down along the breast bone (don't go to deep or you will nick the breast meat) to almost the vent. Then work the skin off by lifting and slicing until you get it off. Once you get the hang of it it goes really fast. We make sausage from the leg 1/4's and giblets and you can cook the breasts alot of different ways. The last ones we did we sliced them in 1/2 and cooked them on the grill.

Duck Sausage

Boneless skinless duck breasts

Steve in NC

 

[vfem]

Quote:
This will be the first time I've done this... but as for cooking it.... that I will enjoy. After I say a little fairwell. Of course, I'd rather not have to do this again as I'll only have 2 ducks left and I want their eggs...

I do like the idea of feathering as much as I can and then skinning. I have ALWAYS skinned my whole chickens. Its just getting the insides out I'm not too fond of.

 

[Southernbelle]

I've never processed ducks and I hate processing chickens - too many feathers! I stick with rabbits and quail. I always skin the quail - they're so easy!

 

[obsessed]

So I ate my duck today. It was fabulous. Like I know what heaven tastes like. I tastes like an apple that had roasted in duck fat for about an hour.

The killing SUCKED. But I just may do that again.