Meat Duck Quality/Production Standards

[chicken_boy_Kurt]

So, I'm probably getting annoying with all these questions. Let me give you an update, though.

For those of you who don't know, I am trying to get a Muscovy meat duck project started in my 4-H club. I'm the club's vice president, so my club leader put me in charge of it. I proposed the idea at tonight's meeting and there was enough interest that the club leader will now contact someone (no idea who it is, she didn't tell me exactly) to see if it's even a possibility. So now that we have interest and a possibility, I have some more questions.

Does anyone know of any standards (as in "Standard of Perfection" only this would be for production qualities) for meat ducks? As in, this much breast meat, this distance between such and such, etc. Because if I don't find these, we can still do the project, but the ducks would be judged entirely on uniformity and condition. Which, to me, isn't as fun.

 

[duckdad]

So raising a bird and working with the breeding to get a nice, well marked and descript bird isn't much fun?

Why don't you try asking in the "meat bird" section and you;ll likely find more people that are rasing their birds for slaughter. Most folks in here are keeping their ducks as pets or yard birds. Personally I happen to enjoy raising them.

 

[chicken_boy_Kurt]

I enjoy raising ducks too. I have three Saxonies for exhibition right now. But I think it would benefit the club members more if the birds were judged based on meat quality and definition rather than just how similar the birds they enter are and in what condition they are (everyone can keep a bird in good condition).

They'd be processed professionally at a butcher.

 

[Tahai]

DuckDad, this is the Duck forum, and, as much as some people may enjoy raising them as pets, ducks are livestock, so questions about raising ducks for meat are appropriate. If this is a topic that disturbs you, you could have easily avoided this thread. It is titled "Meat Duck" after all.

 

[Tahai]

Kurt,

I was reading an article today about the National 4-H Poultry show, and their meat bird and egg production classes. You may want to look into their site for contacts. Someone there may be able to point you toward meat bird standards for ducks.

http://extension.psu.edu/4-h/news/2...ar-at-the-national-4-h-poultry-egg-conference

Good luck.

 

[chicken_boy_Kurt]

Kurt,

I was reading an article today about the National 4-H Poultry show, and their meat bird and egg production classes. You may want to look into their site for contacts. Someone there may be able to point you toward meat bird standards for ducks.

http://extension.psu.edu/4-h/news/2...ar-at-the-national-4-h-poultry-egg-conference

Good luck.

Thanks! And nice article, though if you had found an article for this year, it would have been about me.

I do know a lot of people who I could talk to about this, but I'm pretty sure they're all going to say what Phil said. Which is making me want to try making my own standards.

 

[Oregon Blues]

The SOP should be describing a bird that is suitable as a meat bird, so you should be able to use the SOP.

 

[chicken_boy_Kurt]

The SOP should be describing a bird that is suitable as a meat bird, so you should be able to use the SOP.

This is true, but the hatchery is not breeding them to the SOP. For one thing, this is the French production strain so they're huge... I guess it might work, barring size. Thank you for your input because I hadn't thought of that.

 

[Rosecomb-Ryan]

Quote:

For one thing, this is the French production strain so they're huge...

I personally have seen Muscovies from 'French Production' lines.. A Show Muscovies is almost 1/3 bigger then any of those I have seen. Show Quality Whites, if you can find them, are usually the largest. Some of my White hens are the size of some Drakes I have seen.

 

[chicken_boy_Kurt]

Okay! New question! How does one go about weighing a duck? Because now Phil is telling me it's impossible. I'm not sure if this project is going to happen.