Is there a cleaner way to kill a duck???

[revans2003]

 

[LadyIsadora]

I have never heard of sniping off the head with pruning shears. I cant imagine that would work well even for pidgin. I keep my tools sharp but a ducks neck is usually pretty stout. I would never entertain this idea. May as well use a butter knife. terrible.
We have tried several methods. The cone was not too bad. It was difficult to maneuver the duck into it and it was awkward to cut through the neck in that position. In the end I bought a very big & heavy cleaver and a tallish tree stump for the job. Heavy enough to put weight behind a rap on the head and long enough to ensure a one whack removal of the head. I wanted it heavy so I could knock them out before laying across the stump & chopping the head. A sturdy hit at the back of the head knocks them out long enough to position them without much flapping about to enable a cleaner kill. To cut down any mess or bruising of meat have a large rubber-maid container there to set them in. It contains the mess. Then I hang them up from a string tied to a tree to drip while the next one is processed. It allows them to drain, again, into a container while they await plucking and further processing.
I generally have very large ducks for processing so this may be a bit much for some. Smaller ducks are easier to chop.
I do wish there was an easier way, but aside from hiring an assassin This is what I have found, works for me. Big, heavy sharp tools for clean kills, & tubs for gathering/ cleaning up the evidence. Hope that helps a bit.

 

[fuzziecreatures]

I hold them upside down, tuck their body in my left arm like a football and cut the jugular veins in the neck and hold them until they are gone and the nerves have stopped. Everything drains into a bucket that I turn into my compost pile and then water down. All other stuff I don't use goes in the trash because the chickens turn the compost as well.
I do the chickens the same way, I don't do the turkeys this way because they are too big and strong. I hang the turkeys, cut the jugular veins and step back.

 

[teach1rusl]

If you're killing for meat, I'd say a killing cone would be most efficient, to let it bleed out well...modest level of trauma to you and the bird. I'd probably end up chopping my own hand off if I tried to chop a chicken/ducks head off, but I do think it'd be a quicker, more human death for the animal. Not sure how that method effects bleeding out though.

If you're killing to put a bird out of its misery, then I think shooting it in the head is the quickest/easiest/less traumatic method.

 

[sunnyfishy]

When we butchered 3 ducks this summer, we did something akin to method 1 and 3--we (as in my boyfriend and his friend, I couldn't be present for the actual kill) chopped off the head on a butcher block with a roll of plastic sheeting over the ground to catch any blood, then tied up the body by the feet over a bucket. We used a sawhorse with some ties to hang it, and then after it was finished bleeding, we plucked them and then gutted them. It wasn't nearly as messy as I expected, and I found the plucking to be a lot more difficult than I ever would have imagined. We picked the wrong time of feathering for it--so be sure to watch for when your birds are molting.

 

[TwoCrows]

The OP asked a legit question here about how to cull ducks for the table. There was no need for all the sarcasm and arguing here.

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[LadyIsadora]

OMG, SUNNYFISHY, you said a mouthful! I totally forgot about the timing thing. I should NEVER forget about the timing thing again, what a nightmare.

The first ducks I raised were supposed to be strictly for meat and meant to have a very short life-span. I got them from chicks and watched the calendar for the recommended timing. If memory serves I was supposed to hit the window at 7, 12, or 18 weeks, A pretty small window and I sure missed it the first round.

Problems/ Mistakes I made:
1) I got the chicks from the local IFA that did not know exactly how old they were.
2) I didn't think going over by a week or two would make a difference; With young duck it certainly does!
3) I did not check the bird for new feather growth before doing the deed. (DUH)

Result:
Sweetie & I hunched over this bird for about 2 hours or so, pulling out new growth feathers with our matching Leather-man pocket pliers. Great bonding experience, but one I would prefer not to repeat.
I don't know the timing for adult birds (birds over a year old) as their growth is different and you mainly have to watch for molt I think. I did process 3 older birds from a friend that did not know their age, except that they were "a Few seasons old" They were not bad to do. But when taking out a young bird, timing is everything.


PS Thank you moderator.

 

[casportpony]

I really do need to figure out a way to process them without traumatizing me.

-Kathy

 

[CrazyTalk]

i agree that there should be a very more humane way because those methods sound rather cruel, hmm you could always drug the birds so they just fall asleep and never wake up. that way the nerves arent so active so no too much blood and the duck isnt really hurt.

This is a common misconception among people that don't process animals very often - something being violent does not make it inhumane - infact it's often the opposite. All of these methods lead to instantaneous death, whereas less violence typically leads to a slower death and more pain.

It's important to not confuse a lack of squeamishness with cruelty.

 

[buff goose guy]

Quote: i didnt say anything about violence