Here's how we do ducks. It takes a little bit of investment, but if you're going to process ducks frequently, it is well worth it.
Step 1: Slaughter and bleed out.
Step 2: Scald. The water should be between 150 and 160 degrees with a fair amount of dish soap in the water to cut the grease. When you're scalding, slosh the bird up and down rhythmically. After a minute or so, take one of the long primary wing feathers between thumb and forefinger. Shake gently, and, if the bird is ready, the feather will pop out with ease. If you have to tug hard, it's not ready. The scald makes or breaks everything.
Step 3: On a stainless steel table or a table covered with a plastic trash bag opened up for a table covering (sanitary and disposable) quickly pluck the duck. Begin by removing the wing and tail feathers. As the birds cool, the larger feathers are the first to reset themselves and become difficult to pull. A scalded bird isn't really plucked, it's rubbed. Put the bird on the table and work against the grain of the feathers. Try to pluck one section at a time, if you randomly grab all over the bird it makes a mess, Just do one side of the breast and then the other, then one leg and then the other. Do the wings quickly, rubbing your thumbs firmly and in a circular motion. Be careful to get the leg-pit as clean as possible. There's still going to be a fair amount of down on the carcass, but as much as you can within reason should be removed.
Step 4: Wax. In an outdoor turkey boiler, filled between 1/2 and 2/3 full with water brought to a boil, melt a good chunk of dux wax, available online from Cornerstone Farms and other venues. There should be a solid inch or a bit more of wax floating on top of the water. Shut off the wax. Fill a clean, preferably new, 5-gallon bucket with icey water--plenty of ice. Remove the head of the duck, leaving the neck long. Don't cut off the feet, they are your handle. You are now going to make a candle out of your duck. Holding the feet of the duck, dip it into the wax water, head first, submerging it up to the ankle, pull in out and immerse it in the ice water. Repeat for a total of three dips in each water. These are dips, dip it in, pull it out. Don't leave the bird hanging out in the hot wax water where its skin will be dammaged. Do it rhythmically, but smoothly, so that it doesn't splash everywhere. In the third dip into the ice water, leave it there submersed to harden up for a minute or two in the icey water. Test it by inserting your finger inbetween the leg and to body. The wax should be cold all the way down to the skin, telling you that it's gripping all of the down tightly at the skin. Then, back on the table, pull of the wax, applying pressure on the skin. You'll notice that the wax removes almost all the feathers. The few remaining will come off with your pin feather knife. Return the used wax to the wax melter. There it will remelt. Every once in a while you'll have to reheat the wax water and add fresh ice to the icey water. For hygienic purposes use these two receptacles uniquely for this purpose, cleaning them well. To dispose of the wax after the day of slaughtering, allow it to cool, and it will harden. Be sure to dispose of it, though, for it will seal in the water below it that, if left uncleaned, will fester.
Step 5: Eviscerate and chill.
Good luck!!!!
