Know or want to learn duck processing? Muscovy meat up for grabs

[dusty88]

Here's the deal. We added Muscovies to our property this year. Started by getting "straight run" day olds. I had them come in June when my 13 yr old daughter was home to care for them. She did a great job. The reality is though that she is soft-hearted and not used to the concept of livestock so she can't bear to have her pets end up on our kitchen table.

My plan was to keep the females and 1 male for reproduction/eggs. I promised her that we would not eat "this" generation of males though eventually that's how it's going to work. The "straight run" was unfortunately heavy on males, and now I have too many males beating up on a poor female. I told my daughter that we can wait no longer and need to get rid of 5 males.

Although these males are much older than the usual processing age, Muscovies are still great meat. My hope is to find someone interested in helping me butcher them, and you keep the meat. I want to personally make sure they have a death as quick and painless as possible, so I can keep my word to my daughter.

I have processed chickens before, which is a similar process. That was easy. Plucking feathers from ducks is a lot more difficult, from what I hear. We can either try plucking (I've read some techniques) or we can go for a skinless product.

If anyone is interested, pm me and we'll see if we can work out the timing. I live about 30 mi west of Indianapolis.

 

[dusty88]

bump if anyone is interested in some duck meat
I am going to try to get this done Friday or Saturday.

 

[jagee]

I'm interested in duck meat, but I know nothing about processing one. I can field dress a deer, but that is the extent of my butchering knowledge.

 

[dusty88]

Processing chicken is really pretty quick and easy. I just hear a lot of stories about what a pain it is to pluck duck feathers, thus the difference. Muscovies have a lot of meat on them, though so hopefully it will be worth the process. I want to learn the process well, give this meat to someone, and hopefully the next ducks I do will be a lot faster.

The first step after killing a chicken is to dip it in scalding water to make plucking easier. For ducks, I've read that if you dip them in wax after you pluck the large feathers, the wax will allow you to peel off the frustrating pin feathers. So I've ordered some "duck wax" and am trying to locate a burner so I can use a large pot or 2 in the garage.

It looks like I am going to try to do this Monday. I have the day off and my daughter will be at school. If any one is free that day and wants to help, you can keep the meat of the birds (4-5, not sure what they will weigh out at but they are the size of small turkeys).

 

[jagee]

Good luck

I would be in the way if I came to 'help' but I have to work Monday anyway.

 

[Llamaguy]

Pekin Ducks should fit in a 5gal canning pot. I had trouble getting a Chinese goose in one though, small aluminum trashcans work well for anything bigger than 8lbs. You only need to get the water up about 130-150 depending what you read which could easily be done on stovetop and then moved outdoors for the scalding. If you're doing more than one at a time, try to find someone with a plucker; even a chicken will tire your hands, much less 5 ducks!

Once you get the feathers off, it's just carefully pulling out all the offal without tearing the intestines. Might also get a pair of pruning shears for butchering. They make the nect and butt much easier to remove.

 

[dprimm]

I would but really cannot afford to miss another day of work.

Best of luck. Did you see the dirty jobs where the ducks and geese were processed for hunters?

 

[wolfman]

Turkey frying kit, burner and pot, make a good scalding set up. Pot is big enough for a big bird, and the burner will shorten the water temp recovery time.

 

[Bfish]

I usually breast out ducks that I shoot. However this year I did the whole shebang on about a have dozen of them and they are in the freezer... If you want to do this yourself and you can't find someone to help you then you can youtube it. A lot of guys ring necks, that is what I usually do when I cripple one. But you can get this little deal that is a finisher that will just push into the back of their head and kills them instantly. This may be your best bet other than chopping heads off.

 

[dusty88]

Well, school was cancelled today so I unfortunately have to postpone the processing. If anyone wants to just pick them up live and butcher it themselves, they are yours. Otherwise I'll let you know when I reschedule. I had a couple of people interested who couldn't make it today.

 

[Rocdenindy]

I would love to learn but I work Thursday through Sunday this week. Any chance of doing it during the week?

 

[dusty88]

New slaughter date Jan 30

It has to be when I'm off work and my daughter is at school. Hopefully no snags this time.

 

[datIANguy]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pZfWnkFj27M - dry

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VFtVqBKjWFs - wax


Looks easy enuff.

 

[tradertator]

Honestly, I'd suggest skinning them, especially if the birds are older. Skinning them is super fast, easier, and makes way less mess.

 

[Bfish]

You get these knocked out on Friday Dusty? Just curious as to how you decided to do it and how it went.

 

[dusty88]

Well... had some more drama here and it wasn't duck butchering

As I mentioned earlier, the reason we weren't eating these ourselves was because my daughter raised them from day 1, gave them names, and thinks of them as pets.

She found someone last week to let them live on their property/pond.

So we are supposedly transporting them next weekend.

I did get everything ready (burner for large pot, duck wax etc). My intention was to try both the plucking and the skinning and see how it went.

We'll no doubt be processing males from the next generation. My daughter already knows that. Perhaps more significantly, it's doubtful she will be handling them much as the mother duck probably won't let her.

thanks for the replies and advice!

 

[Bfish]

Haha well that is how it goes sometimes... Can't go naming food. Had a buddy who's kids named food and it's still an issue when you bring it up!

 

[Gunaria]

Wish you were closer, I would have the meat breasted out, wrapped in bacon and placed in your belly before the little even got back from class. I've tasted all types of ducks but never muscovy.