Raising & Processing Muskovy Ducks

[Germaine_11.20]

Thank you Steve, I was leaning that way myself but hoping there was still time.

I raised rabbit for years and it is delicious! Any recipe that chicken is used for you can substitute rabbit and I think it tastes better. I only stopped because I processed about 50 in one day and it just got to me--the look on their faces--about the 40th one.

So, suggestion to those who butcher them, only do 10-15 at a time! Maybe someday I will raise them again...

 

[trimpy]

Quote:
Thanks for the reference. $8.99 for a used copy shipped!

 

[Steve_of_sandspoultry]

50 in one day? no thanks, we do ours in small numbers. whatever doesn't sell out of a litter goes to freezer.

Good deal on the book Trimpy you will like it.

Steve

 

[jellybean]

Do you actually shoot them to kill them? And then do you cut off the head and bleed them? I've never killed my own ducks, but this year I'll be starting to and am not sure of the quickest/easiest (on me too!)/and most humane way to do it. After skinning, can you scrape some fat off the inside of the skin to keep? I would rather not have to pluck. Oh, and I have Rouens now, but am looking for a breeding pair of Muscovies as well. How is the meat/size of mules? Like a Rouen/ Muscovy cross? Or a cross with any other duck?

 

[katertater]

I just got a pair of muscovies about a month ago. By chance I got a male and female. Can't wait til she's old enough to start laying!

 

[GodsProvision]

We Have some Muscovies coming to processing age. How soon do we start them on a different diet and what is the best way to dispatch them? I saw a video on YouTube, but it did not seem humane at all. Thank you.

 

[chrissyr]

We had Muscovy duck for a big family dinner this weekend. I roasted them in oven bags with a sauce of pureed cranberry sauce, orange juice, and a couple of tablespoons of cornstarch. They were tender and delicious (they were whole, skinless birds). The oven bags kept the meat from drying out. I cut the meat off the bone and sliced it up to serve. The lower legs I kept whole, and the children loved them! There wasn't any left, and the cats got the little bits of meat that were left on the carcasses.

That sounds awesome with the oven bag. Has anyone else done this?
We have some white French Muscovies and I've never cooked them before. I'm reading some say to remove the breast and cook separately. Is it better to do that or roast the whole thing in the oven?

 

[triplepurpose]

That sounds awesome with the oven bag. Has anyone else done this?
We have some white French Muscovies and I've never cooked them before. I'm reading some say to remove the breast and cook separately. Is it better to do that or roast the whole thing in the oven?

You can roast the whole thing if you like, breast and all, no problem. We do whole muscovies (homegrown) 325 for about 1/2 hour per pound. You have to actually weigh it because muscovies vary wildly in size depending on gender. Cover it for the first half of the cooking time or so, then uncover at the end to brown the skin a little. You'll want to score the skin with a few paralel lines across the breast and the legs too before cooking, so the fat can render--they you don't have to baste them, because they are self-basting as the fat melts out. You can (and should) make an amazing gravy from the drippings and rendered fat that collects in the pan. Muscovy fat is typically of excellent quality (healthwise) particularly if they were raised on pasture or open range, and very tasty. You can also use duck fat to fry potatoes--highly recommended.

 

[chrissyr]

You can roast the whole thing if you like, breast and all, no problem. We do whole muscovies (homegrown) 325 for about 1/2 hour per pound. You have to actually weigh it because muscovies vary wildly in size depending on gender. Cover it for the first half of the cooking time or so, then uncover at the end to brown the skin a little. You'll want to score the skin with a few paralel lines across the breast and the legs too before cooking, so the fat can render--they you don't have to baste them, because they are self-basting as the fat melts out. You can (and should) make an amazing gravy from the drippings and rendered fat that collects in the pan. Muscovy fat is typically of excellent quality (healthwise) particularly if they were raised on pasture or open range, and very tasty. You can also use duck fat to fry potatoes--highly recommended.

oh my gosh, thank you so much!!

 

[triplepurpose]

oh my gosh, thank you so much!!

No problem! We love our little ducks... That's just a summary of our basic guidelines for roasting, but they should get you started off in the right direction... Fresh herbs like thyme and rosemary are also excellent sprinkled generously over the roast, and we usually fill the space around the duck with potatoes, carrots, etc. Darn, now I'm getting hungry...

GL!