Meat Duck Questions (only for those who eat them)

[Featherland]

What is the best duck breed for meat?

Which is the tastiest and why?

Which is the largest and tastiest?

 

[fancyfowl4ever]

Depends on what flavour you like. I personally can't stand the greasy duck taste that the Mallard derrived breeds have, there for I keep Muscovies. Muscovie has a similar taste to veal I think and its not greasy.

 

[MommaBugg]

Quote:
I completely agree. I bought 3 rouens with my other ducks, one I had to slaughter sooner than expected due to her extremely aggressive nature.. Very greasy and too 'gamey' for my taste.

If you have ever had store bought duck and liked it, chances are VERY good that it was a pekin. They get BIG FAST. I have three and at a month and a half old they are already HUGE. I weighed one and he is nearly 7 pounds ALREADY. I dont know whether what I got was pekin or jumbo pekin, but the ones I got are fast growers. Some hatcheries like McMurrays offer jumbo pekins I believe.

 

[sourland]

Muscovies have always been my favorite. Good flavor with less fat than the mallard derived breds.

 

[bwmichaud]

Muscovy is the best duck for meat. They take a little longer to get to size, compared to pekins, but they basically take care of themselves. It's also nice having the huge difference in size between the males and females. One side of a female's breast is perfect for 1 person and one side of a drake's breast is perfect for 2 people. Just don't overcook them. Medium rare is perfect.

 

[Hippie Chickie]

Got to go with the scovies also. My family loves them. Ditto on making sure you don't overcook them.

 

[The Duck ABC's]

Saxonies are less fatty then the other mallard derived ducks. They are highly priced in the gourmet kitchen because of this special trait.

 

[WestKnollAmy]

We ate a Silver Appleyard last year and did not care for him as much.
This year we are hatching off Muscovy/Pekin, Rouen/Pekin and Pekin. If we get a Muscovy drake later we may hatch out them to put in the freezer, too.
We have the Jumbo Pekins so we hope to get a good flavorful cross from the Muscovy/Pekin along with added size.
Duck may not be our favorite meat but it is a change from chicken.

Oh! And we have Saxony coming so I know we will have extra drakes to try!