Backyard Farming Forum
Bringing food production home

yeah, you need lots of girls with a couple of boys with ducks or everyone starts to suffer

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contentment

I can't say for sure. What about the non-viability of eggs? It would depend on the breed, what it's been bred with in the past...I have a friend who doesn't do too well with eggs but we tend to blame the incubator. Maybe the eggs are too old? I'm just glad I get one duckling and I use a duck to incubate the eggs!

I have three Muscovy Drakes as they were going free. Well they have been really good. Have a bit of space for them to waddle around and they have been good with the wyandotte chickens and New Hampshire cross. Well the poor buggers need a girl or five and we have not been able to locate any breeders. Does anyone know any breeders in the Adelaide hills or anyone selling any Muscovy ducks. Would be interested in a couple of girls as two of he drakes are set for the table with some roast veg.

Funny I read your post while I'm tucking into Muscovy Stir-fry Gilly.

Their meat really surprised me, nice. I'll give you one tip Gilly, Dont bother trying to pluck a Drake Muscovy for a Roast. That was my initial plan.

I first threw it into a tub of hot water with a drop or two of detergent, the hot water is to loosen the feathers the detergent is to get rid of the natural oil in the feathers to make it easy to pluck.
I then threw it into a tub of cool water to stop the hot water from cooking it.

I then proceeded to pluck it , over an hour later I threw down the pliers...yes....pliers, got the knife out and proceeded to quarter and skin the Drake Done.

Really good stirfried.

The trick with muscovies is to check when the pin feathers are starting to come out. It took me a couple of tries to work that out too! But skinning them is also a good way to go. The first time I butchered a Muscovy it took me all day, and ended in a complete mess. Now I can get 5 done in an afternoon IF I am doing it by hand. I don't do that too often though because I bought a plucker, a fantastic investment!

Is it a pheasant plucker Stretch?

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www.backyardfarming.com.au
Bringing Food Production Home

Yeah, I can’t say I am looking forward to the plucking the drakes. I have only done a chicken before and that didn't end up that good. I saw a plucker machine the other day. It was an interesting contraption. Looked expensive.

@ EB
I'm not good at plucking pheasants, at pheasant plucking I get stuck
Though some pheasants find it pleasant I'd rather pluck a duck.
Oh plucking geese is gorgeous, I can pluck a goose with ease
But pheasant plucking's torture because they haven't any grease.

@Gilly
Yes expensive, I think ours was $600 give or take, about 8 years ago. It has rubber fingers that I hold a bird against removing the feathers. It takes a bit of practice to get a good result. The best option is the spinning drum type where you just chuck the bird into it and watch it bounce about among the fingers. A lot easier, but a lot pricier.

If the drakes are too old they will have a yellow musk gland on their tail base and the meat will not be too nice to eat.

so how noisy are drakes? i'm thinking of some muscovies for meat, since i'm not allowed to keep roosters. Do you reckon I'd get away with a drake and 2 or 3 girls for breeding in suburbia?

cheers

Drake Muscovies make a hissing noise, not that loud. Just beware of their rear ends! ha ha

I've been told by my parents that the mussies are extrememly dirty and would like me to process them all....

I currently have 14 10 week olds
1 daddy drake
2 mummies that are sitting again

Would be a shame to process the adults...so if anyone wants them when the eggs hatch, let me know...I am in Melbourne.

Be warned though...they are very messy, so you need a large enough yard to ensure they dont stink you up.

For meat, I'm going to try quial and raising hatched chickens

Much more cleaner...just have to buy fertilised chicken eggs

i skinned out 16 muscovey this fall, the breast meat was run through the meat tenderizer and made into swiss steaks or cubbed steak...what do you call them there the tenderized steaks?. the legs, wing, and thigh meat was de boned and ground with some pork fat for burger. i have 16 more to do.
as far as red meat go's they are tops. as close to beef as you can get. we fry the steaks make stew, have burgers.....my kids love it.
i bought 7 ducks...well ok a paid for 3 ducks 1 male and two girls, the dude kept tossing them in the cage....lol. i wondered why?. he was so nice...or was he..
within 3 days i was down to 1 of each sex damm duck chasing dogs i was broken hearted.
not to worry tho....by the years end 2 ducks turned into 36 now you just ain't lived till you have about 35....(the mom was back on another nest of 20) ducks cleaning out the dog feeders and lounging about shitting in your swimming pool.
but they are good eats
p.s.
the next round will hit the wiz-bang for crispy skin roasted

Oh yeah, nothing like stepping on those little duck presents, squishing up between your toes....

Hmmm, crispy skin roast duck..... now that is good....

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www.backyardfarming.com.au
Bringing Food Production Home

last night we ate duck fajitas, and tonight it was duck stew with carrots taters celery musshies oinions...the works haven't had a bad one yet.