Perfect Age for Meat Duck?

[House2005]

What is the best age to butcher a pekin meat duck?

Thanks!!

Jess

 

[steffanie3]

Not to hijack, but I am curious about Rouens ( I figure if they know ducks they might know both types).

 

[dangerouschicken]

For white pekin: 7, 12.5, and 18 weeks. Less pin feathers during those times.

 

[ninjapoodles]

Quote:
Wonder if that holds true for Mallards? Next duck season, I'm going to tell Alex to ONLY shoot the ones that are 18 weeks old.

Seriously, those suckers are HARD to pluck. And then they don't even taste good! I keep telling him (sincerely, this time) to just shoot wood ducks and teals, but he whines about how small they are and how crazy they fly, blah blah blah...

 

[greyfields]

That's true of all ducks.

I hatch my own ducks, so I don't have crops of uniform age like you would through the mail. I think our processor hates me.

 

[KLH2010]

Are they noticeably less tender at 12.5 or 18 weeks of age? Which age have you all found to be the best as far as weight gain vs tenderness?

 

[Ace_king_brahma]

I heard it was 15 weeks for muscovies so actually I should wait until the 18 week mark?

 

[snewman]

It was asked, but not answered, of the 7, 12.5 and 18 week timepoints, is there a benefit to one more than the others? As in food conversion, tenderness of meat, body weight, etc? I have some pekins that look pretty darn big now at 6 weeks and I'm wondering if there's any benefit to waiting to 12.5 or 18 weeks to keep me from jumping the gun next week.