We stopped butchering ducks because we weren't satisfied with how the carcass looked.
So I ordered duck wax. It was sent the same day, but UPS took 2 weeks in transit to deliver it. Couldn't do it this past weekend, plan to do it next weekend, so the ducks got nearly an extra month. Unfortunately, not much visible growth in that time frame, but lots of feed used.
Except for the Pekins. They weren't old enough to butcher last time. They could have been done a week ago, but since then, they are packing on the weight. Pekins are the way to go for meat, I think. At 8 weeks my biggest male weighed 9 1/2 pounds and the rest of them not far behind. Even the females are huge and they don't feel fat when I pick them up. In fact, I added corn to their diet to try to get some fat on them.
I can't separate out figures for feed for just the Pekins because all ducks are together, but they don't seem to eat enormous amounts for the weight they gain. They do like their groceries, but you can almost visibly see them growing, so I feel I am getting a very good return for what they eat.
Take my advice and don't ever buy hatchery Swedish for meat. They eat endlessly, don't grow well , and burn off a lot of feed in constant hysteria. They've been a huge waste of money. Taste really good, though.
So I ordered duck wax. It was sent the same day, but UPS took 2 weeks in transit to deliver it. Couldn't do it this past weekend, plan to do it next weekend, so the ducks got nearly an extra month. Unfortunately, not much visible growth in that time frame, but lots of feed used.
Except for the Pekins. They weren't old enough to butcher last time. They could have been done a week ago, but since then, they are packing on the weight. Pekins are the way to go for meat, I think. At 8 weeks my biggest male weighed 9 1/2 pounds and the rest of them not far behind. Even the females are huge and they don't feel fat when I pick them up. In fact, I added corn to their diet to try to get some fat on them.
I can't separate out figures for feed for just the Pekins because all ducks are together, but they don't seem to eat enormous amounts for the weight they gain. They do like their groceries, but you can almost visibly see them growing, so I feel I am getting a very good return for what they eat.
Take my advice and don't ever buy hatchery Swedish for meat. They eat endlessly, don't grow well , and burn off a lot of feed in constant hysteria. They've been a huge waste of money. Taste really good, though.
