# Processing Ducks?



## BoxerParty (Nov 9, 2011)

How does one process a duck? I've found pretty cheap ducks, but...they're ALIVE. The guy will kill them for me, but will charge $5 extra/duck. 

Is it difficult to process them myself? Worth the extra $5/duck?


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## DaneMama (Jun 27, 2008)

It depends on how he kills them and what he does after. Just $5 extra for killing then sounds a bit steep. But if he will pluck then or skin them for you for that price it might be worth it. They're a pain to skin LOL


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## BoxerParty (Nov 9, 2011)

DaneMama said:


> It depends on how he kills them and what he does after. Just $5 extra for killing then sounds a bit steep. But if he will pluck then or skin them for you for that price it might be worth it. They're a pain to skin LOL


I asked the guy selling them - the $5 is JUST to kill them. For that price, I can probably snap their necks myself, and get to keep the organs.


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## Sprocket (Oct 4, 2011)

Okay...I do this A LOT considering I am surrounded by duck hunters.

Since mine are already dead I will just tell you the ways we killed our chickens.

3 ways

Number one - Grab them by the head and swing them around OR Pull their neck out. This is the way Drew and his buddies kill the ducks that they just wound.

Number two - Tie a string around their head up high, tie a string around their feet, have one person on each end "pulling" tight (not really pulling but a little tension). Place neck over stump, make one clean chop.

Number 3 - Take traffic cone (easiest thing for us to find) cut top off a little to make room for a head. Secure cone upside down, place bird in head first, pull head out and cut head off, let drain.

For cleaning ducks.

I place bird on the ground, stand on wings, pull legs until it comes apart . Does not always work unfortunately but works very well if it does. If not, then you have to manually rip the skin off which is a PITA but worth it. Then gut it, I cut the neck, wings, and legs off and package separately because they are perfect sprocket sized. The body, I sometimes freeze the entire breast/back with organs attached because it is a nice little package meal. If I don't do that, they I separate organs, backs and split the breasts.

ETA - It takes me about 2 hours to do 10 ducks.


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## eternalstudent (Jul 22, 2010)

I have to admit I find ducks not to bad to process. Killing them I go for sprockets method 1.b - ring the neck. it really is dead simple.

As for processing I stopped trying to pluck them as it takes forever and leves a lot of feathers behind, so I skin them. a quick guide (its a shame you did not ask last week as I could have videoed how I did it!!)

1- cut the wings off as there is very little meat on them, 
2- cut feet off and give to dogs to keep them happy 
3- bull the bell feathers up and then with a knife or scissors slit the skin.
4- (the slightly gross bit) slip fingers under the skin and work out outwards.
5- pull all skin off - you might need to do a little trimming with a sharp pair of scissors' around the legs to make life easy.

I personally take the heads of as it makes my life easier and a good pair of scissors' will take them off easily.
I don't drain the meat as I don't see the point - I freeze any meat that is not getting eaten straight away so I don't see the need to deprive my puppers of good nutrients.

If you want to gut the animal then slit its belly and simply pull out the intestines - out will pop the stomach - if the gizzard is full then this will normally stick in the neck and you might want to pull the out the top not bottom.

The last thing I do which is not necessary is: I chop the tail and bum off the duck - this takes away the rectum and any smelly poo before I dig around in it!! 

You want to leave the liver- heart - kidney - lung in as these are good foods.

Your fist one will take between 20 - 40 min's by your 5th you'll be doing it in under 5 and by your 20th you will be watching telly while doing it ;-).

One last suggestion is not to do it outside in a howling wind as it can make your yard look a bit weird !!!!!

This was puppers first duck, I had the breast and legs for a pot roast which left a good bone heavy meal for her first time >-)


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## naturalfeddogs (Jan 6, 2011)

eternalstudent said:


> I have to admit I find ducks not to bad to process. Killing them I go for sprockets method 1.b - ring the neck. it really is dead simple.
> 
> As for processing I stopped trying to pluck them as it takes forever and leves a lot of feathers behind, so I skin them. a quick guide (its a shame you did not ask last week as I could have videoed how I did it!!)
> 
> ...


Holy cow! That picture creeps me out! LOL! Just a part is one thing, but the whole neck head and all. I was taking a sip of coffee when I scrolled to it.........


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## liquid (Dec 28, 2011)

naturalfeddogs said:


> Holy cow! That picture creeps me out! LOL! Just a part is one thing, but the whole neck head and all. I was taking a sip of coffee when I scrolled to it.........


Haha for some reason, I love seeing pictures like this! 
Feeding raw has really made me weird :tongue:


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## whiteleo (Sep 7, 2008)

For some ungodly reason my dogs won't eat the beak!


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## BoxerParty (Nov 9, 2011)

All these descriptions of ways to dispatch ducks are making me a little queasy...  But they're super cheap, so I should probably suck it up. :wink:


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## DaneMama (Jun 27, 2008)

Am I just lazy? I just give the dogs whole birds...feathers and all. Akasha, Zuri and Shiloh will eat them whole. Bailey and Emmy won't even eat the fresh meat that's been skinned. Feather just add more "fiber" to their diet lol


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## BoxerParty (Nov 9, 2011)

DaneMama said:


> Am I just lazy? I just give the dogs whole birds...feathers and all. Akasha, Zuri and Shiloh will eat them whole. Bailey and Emmy won't even eat the fresh meat that's been skinned. Feather just add more "fiber" to their diet lol


I'm trying to imagine the looks on Malcolm and Lila's faces if I just handed over an entire duck... :jaw: :boom:

ound:


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## eternalstudent (Jul 22, 2010)

DaneMama said:


> Am I just lazy? I just give the dogs whole birds...feathers and all. Akasha, Zuri and Shiloh will eat them whole. Bailey and Emmy won't even eat the fresh meat that's been skinned. Feather just add more "fiber" to their diet lol


That would mean I don't get my pot roast :-(

If it was not such a rare occurrence that I can get game birds then I might be more tempted to let her eat the all of it, but that time is not just yet


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## Sprocket (Oct 4, 2011)

I don't really want to clean up the mess that they would make from eating a whole bird feathers and all. In addition, I don't want them to think that birds with feathers are okay to eat. I'd like to have a parrot at some point and I have chickens. 

I skinned this REALLY pretty male duck and I draped the hide over a decoy that Gunner got a hold of, and I was trying to preserve it. Well Gunner got a hold of it a month later and ate the entire skin, feathers and all. I was afraid his butt would bleed from pooping feather quills. He did have a few sharp looking poops so I'm not going to let that happen again. 

Anyway, I would DEFINITELY get the ducks and process them yourself. It is the price we pay for keeping our dogs healthy :smile:


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## BoxerParty (Nov 9, 2011)

OK, I ordered 5. Hopefully this isn't too terribly traumatic. :wink:


...I hope my spoiled monsters appreciate the things I do for them!


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## Sprocket (Oct 4, 2011)

BoxerParty said:


> OK, I ordered 5. Hopefully this isn't too terribly traumatic. :wink:
> 
> 
> ...I hope my spoiled monsters appreciate the things I do for them!


I have a video of the first chicken we ever did. You could watch it, and it might ease you into the process so there are no surprises.


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## BoxerParty (Nov 9, 2011)

Sprocket said:


> I have a video of the first chicken we ever did. You could watch it, and it might ease you into the process so there are no surprises.


You know, I was 100% fine until someone started talking about intestines... I'm really not squeamish, and the cost is totally worth it. 

I am a strong, independent, modern woman, and I am empowered to kill and process my own water fowl!


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## Sprocket (Oct 4, 2011)

BoxerParty said:


> You know, I was 100% fine until someone started talking about intestines... I'm really not squeamish, and the cost is totally worth it.
> 
> I am a strong, independent, modern woman, and I am empowered to kill and process my own water fowl!



I urge you to do the intestines quickly and hold your breath. I literally threw up in my sink when I cleaned one batch of ducks.


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## BoxerParty (Nov 9, 2011)

sprocket said:


> i urge you to do the intestines quickly and hold your breath. I literally threw up in my sink when i cleaned one batch of ducks.


not helping.


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## Sprocket (Oct 4, 2011)

BoxerParty said:


> not helping.


haha well if it helps they had been shot on a saturday, buried until sunday, then dug up and left in a bag for 2 days, then frozen and defrosted a few days later...yeah they had a smell.

The fresh ones don't smell as bad but they are warm and that is kind of gross. I recommend wearing some thick latex gloves like mechanics wear. They are expensive but they help A LOT.


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## Scarlett_O' (May 19, 2011)

If you are queezy...I would HIGHLY suggest killing, and then freezing....freeze solid...then thaw till just slightly "squishy" and skin and do what ever else you want/need to!!:thumb:
That is how I did the chukar and duck that I had gotten from a hunter...they were frozen, I thawed them till slightly squishy and they were done in no time!!:thumb:


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## Sprocket (Oct 4, 2011)

Scarlett_O' said:


> If you are queezy...I would HIGHLY suggest killing, and then freezing....freeze solid...then thaw till just slightly "squishy" and skin and do what ever else you want/need to!!:thumb:
> That is how I did the chukar and duck that I had gotten from a hunter...they were frozen, I thawed them till slightly squishy and they were done in no time!!:thumb:


I did that but the skin was SUPER SUPER hard to get off. IME its much easier to skin it when it is fresh and still warm.


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## Scarlett_O' (May 19, 2011)

Sprocket said:


> I did that but the skin was SUPER SUPER hard to get off. IME its much easier to skin it when it is fresh and still warm.


Really??

Mine were SUPER easy....hmm...I wonder what is up with that!:tongue:


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## BoxerParty (Nov 9, 2011)

Scarlett_O' said:


> If you are queezy...I would HIGHLY suggest killing, and then freezing....freeze solid...then thaw till just slightly "squishy" and skin and do what ever else you want/need to!!:thumb:
> That is how I did the chukar and duck that I had gotten from a hunter...they were frozen, I thawed them till slightly squishy and they were done in no time!!:thumb:


Eh, I'm not that queasy. I grew up watching surgeries in the surgical theatre while my mom did rounds. :biggrin: I can handle a few dead ducks! (i think )


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