Harvesting Duck ...

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Annie

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I'd like to leave the skin on these ducks when I get ready to harvest them. I haven't butchered duck since I was a kid and I remember my dad waxing the ones we brought home from the hunt but us kids weren't allowed to do that part of the butchering.

So ... YouTube is great but you guys know how it goes -- there is always something important that seems to get missed -- any advice before I get started. I've got 3 Pekins that need to meet their maker here in the next week or so.

Thanks, guys.
 

Okie4570

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There's several rubber "fingered" gadgets out there to help with feather removal as well. Read the reviews though, I've got no personal experience with them.
 

Annie

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Ok, thanks guys. I gotta cut a tree down next weekend but weekend after that I got at least 3, maybe 4 that are headed to the freezer so I guess I'll just get to plucking the old fashioned way. I can't see buying one of those new-fangled fingered thingamabobbers just to pluck a duck. :anyone: Course I may change my tune after I've plucked a few. I HATE plucking chickens. I'd rather just skin the bastages. So I'll try plucking and then waxing the pin feathers off these duck and see how it goes. I'll let ya know.
 

dennishoddy

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We just dipped them in boiling water and wiped the feathers off. There are some rubber gloves out there with little nubbins on them that assist in that effort. Ace hardware should have them.
140-150 degrees with some dawn dish soap to break down the duck oil in the feathers for better penetration of the hot water.
 

MacFromOK

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We just dipped them in boiling water and wiped the feathers off.
...
140-150 degrees with some dawn dish soap to break down the duck oil in the feathers for better penetration of the hot water.
Ya do realize that boiling is 212F... :D

I had my fill of scalding/plucking chickens as a kid. I can still almost smell 'em.

I built an incubator years ago when a friend gave us a few ducks (2 hens and a drake IIRC). We hatched probably 40+ (had 38 ducks in a pen at one time) and I only killed one for eating. Decided to just skin it rather than pluck it, which turned out to be more trouble than it was worth (the meat was so soft it would tear too easily).

It really was tasty though... :D
 

dennishoddy

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Ya do realize that boiling is 212F... :D

I had my fill of scalding/plucking chickens as a kid. I can still almost smell 'em.

I built an incubator years ago when a friend gave us a few ducks (2 hens and a drake IIRC). We hatched probably 40+ (had 38 ducks in a pen at one time) and I only killed one for eating. Decided to just skin it rather than pluck it, which turned out to be more trouble than it was worth (the meat was so soft it would tear too easily).

It really was tasty though... :D
water temp for plucking/wiping is lower than boiling. Some say 135, but we had better results in the 150 range. Dip them in and out so the skin would release the root.
 

MacFromOK

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water temp for plucking/wiping is lower than boiling. Some say 135, but we had better results in the 150 range. Dip them in and out so the skin would release the root.
Hey, you're the one that said "boiling water" ... :D

In any case, the temp lowers pretty quick once ya dunk a few birds in it. Mom kept a teakettle on the stove to replenish the water. :drunk2:
 

Annie

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This little adventure is an outdoor kinda thing. I was thinking about getting one of those propane and propane accessory-type set-ups folks burn their houses down with -- errr, fry their turkeys with -- around Thanksgiving time every year. Since I'm a solo operation I figure I'm only gonna do 5 or 6 at a time. (Plus, I don't have that many birds this go round. I actually thought ahead this time and didn't jump in both feet first. Besides, don't have the freezer space right now either.)

Hey, any of you guys ever made duck jerky?
 

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