Killed My Meat Birds

[krawnden 1,036]

No, but I don't know what would be best I'm afraid. One year I raised 15 meat ducks and tried doing them the same way as the chickens and it was useless - they were a complete nightmare to pluck. I scalded the first one as usual then after about half an hour trying to pluck that one bird I gave up and ended up skinning all the rest.

[Teckers 649]

Ok thanks anyway pal and well done on the job in hand proper job and good information about the way you do it

[maxwell 88]

What feed do you use to rear them

[krawnden 1,036]

Layers pellets. I tried growers pellets one year but they didn't grow anywhere near as well - average size was about 2lb smaller.

[maxwell 88]

Do you rear them free range or have them in a run

[krawnden 1,036]

Under heat lamp from day old to 3 weeks (gradually raise the lamp higher and higher as they begin to feather up), then out on the lawn in a run that gets moved every day for 2 weeks, then free range until slaughter. I have them on chick crumb for the first 5 - 6 weeks, then switch over to layers pellets.

[Rabid 1,936]

Strange that, I find ducks dead easy to pluck

[gamerooster 1,179]

Prefer to do chickens and turkeys dry, but son much easier to wet pluck ducks and geese.... We use the big metal boilers, not sure on temperature but the waters not boiling but there's a fair bit of steam coming off it, it's to hot to put your hand in but not hot enough to boil the birds

[krawnden 1,036]

Rabid - how long does it take you to do a duck? D'you do em wet or dry?

[Rabid 1,936]

Always done my ducks wet, but never boiled them ever, in fact I never tried the scalding on anything. I can have a large duck rough plucked in 10 minutes pretty easy, Mrs does all the final cleaning of pins.

[krawnden 1,036]

So when you say wet, d'you just mean you dunk em in cold water?

[Rabid 1,936]

So when you say wet, d'you just mean you dunk em in cold water?

Yes, it just keeps the feather and dust down, no actual help to the plucking at all

[krawnden 1,036]

You must be fast if you can do a duck in 10 mins - takes me way longer than that.

[Rabid 1,936]

You must be fast if you can do a duck in 10 mins - takes me way longer than that.

Never had a problem with ducks, geese are a different story though

[leegreen 2,147]

Prefer to do chickens and turkeys dry, but son much easier to wet pluck ducks and geese.... We use the big metal boilers, not sure on temperature but the waters not boiling but there's a fair bit of steam coming off it, it's to hot to put your hand in but not hot enough to boil the birds

 

Plucking dry gives a crispy skin.

 

Krawnden do you save the heads for the dogs?