Slaughtering a muscovy duck?

[sydney13]

I have a muscovy hen who recently has become pretty aggressive towards my chickens and sometimes even people. I keep her and a goose in a flock of hens and usually she follows the goose around but lately she and the chickens are getting into rough fights. Ive had a few problems in the past with her and the chickens, but its never been this bad. My barred rock in particular will chase her around until the duck decides to tackle the hen. It gets pretty rough and then when I pick the chicken up the duck will be bitting at my legs to try to get to the chicken. This has happened once or twice before but now its happening on a daily basis, sometimes multiple times a day. I have no way of separating the duck and I wouldn't want to send her off to become someone else's problem, so unless things get better I guess I'll have to butcher her

I know that im to wimpy to kill her with a knife but I think I handling it by snapping her neck and than bleeding her out. Ive read that it takes experience before you can easily snap a bird's neck with your hands, is this true?
I want to use a fool proof method so I was thinking of doing it by stepping down on a broomstick to crush her neck. I know people do this with chickens, but would a duck's neck work for it, or be too thick?

 

[Country Parson]

I would NOT try snapping her neck. That may work well on a chicken, but a duck's neck is much stronger. The quickest, easiest method is to get a good sharp axe and take the head in one swoop. I have slaughtered several Muscovies, one just as recent as this past Monday. Also, processing is a pain----lots more feathers that are much harder to pull out. While I would never dream of skinning a chicken (that's where all the flavor is), I almost always skin Muscovies nowadays.

 

[Sierra pachie bars]

Muscovy is the best meat ever. I do not raise them to eat. But i do give the person who processes for me one for himself when he does my processing. He had never processed a duck before but learned fast to just skin them. Feathering them is a pain.
I may process some to eat this year, mainly because i have so many due go hatch.

 

[lizzyandTreversrescue]

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[Country Parson]

Lizzy, your attempt to rescue is noble and deeply respected, but the distance between Florida and Massachusetts may make the arrangement unworkable. All the best, though.

 

[lizzyandTreversrescue]

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ohh i did not know she was that far sorry tow

 

[rainplace]

Do not skin a muscovy! They are not fatty like other ducks. You're going to want that skin on there to keep the meat from drying out.

 

[Steve_of_sandspoultry]

deleted

 

[Country Parson]

rainplace,

I agree in the sense that I would rather NOT skin them. It's just that by comparison plucking a duck or goose is a long, drawn out process compared to meat chickens. My fingers are getting to the point where they struggle at such chores. By far, plucking is the best method (in my mind) for a nice finished product.

 

[jenny_kap]

if the water is hot enough and the ducks are at least 5 months old, it is not that hard to pluck them.