| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| one_dog_per_acre |
Posted - Jan 20 2012 : 04:26:20 AM
I am considering ducks for slug patrol. My mom says I have eaten Peking Duck, but I don't remember that.
It always looks darkest just before it gets totally black.-Charlie Brown |
| 8 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| Dusky Beauty |
Posted - Jan 20 2012 : 09:22:14 AM
Flavor of duck depends on a lot of factors. The breed, how it's raised and how it's prepared. Pekins had a mild flavor, almost like rich chicken, Rouens have a gamier flavor, and the swedish I've eaten are kind of in the middle. Other tasty table breeds include Ancona, Muscovy, Cayuga and Appleyard.
For the most part, the actual duck meat tastes like the leg and thigh meat on turkey.
You can skin them during processing to save plucking and remove fat, but you will 1.)have to cook it moist so it doesn't dry out, and 2.)you lose all the fat by taking off the skin, and rendered duck fat is as useful a by product as feathers and down. It's most often praised for frying potatoes.
Duck "skin off" is incredibly lean. There is no intra-muscular fat, it's very filling, and very little waste on the carcass. My family is more satiated with a 4lb duck for dinner than they are on a 6 lb chicken.
Since duck is a very flavorful meat, seasoning and sauces are very important (you dont want to overpower it.. rosemary was a bad idea.) Citrus and fruity sauces usually go over the best. It's also very popular deep fried, and next time I make it it will be quartered and chicken-fried just to try it out.
Duck eggs, are sort of like chicken eggs+. They are richer, larger, have loftier whites (thats where the better baked goods comes in) lower cholesterol, recommended as part of an alkaline based diet for cancer patients, and generally have no effect on people with an allergy to chicken eggs.
Ducks as layers lay more eggs a year than layer chickens (one egg per day with shorter seasonal breaks) and continue to have a production life years beyond chickens.
Hen chicks are born with approx. 1000 ova (proto eggs) and hen ducklings are born with approx 1500. Fast laying breeds of any species will burn through those ova at a rate of about one a day and no longer lay eggs as they near their cap. Slow laying breeds will lay their whole lives because it will take that much time to use up their potential eggs.
I chose ducks because I love their personalities- ducks have always been "cuter" to me than chickens. Ducks are easy to manage; they need minimal housing, protection from predators and water to swim in. Ducks can be "herded" where you want them to go. Chickens cannot. Ducks are not as sensitive as chickens, less disease, less egg binding.
Sure they make mud puddles, and make water dirty, but I will gladly take that in exchange for all the health problems chickens are frequently subject to.
Finally, the "product value" of ducks is higher than that of chickens, the meat is especially precious to asian or french markets. People all around me sell farm fresh chicken eggs for $2 a dozen, but I can get twice that for duck eggs.
http://www.metzerfarms.com/ is great for browsing breeds with a great deal of info. They are the best "hatchery" on the market for waterfowl, only some "breeders" have better quality birds.
"The greatness of a nation and it's moral progress can be judged by the way it's animals are treated." ~Gandhi
http://silvermoonfarm.blogspot.com/
"After eating an entire bull, a mountain lion felt so good he started roaring. He kept it up until a hunter came along and shot him. The moral: When you're full of bull, keep your mouth shut. ~Will Rogers |
| one_dog_per_acre |
Posted - Jan 20 2012 : 09:13:53 AM
Awesome! Thanks, Tina!
It always looks darkest just before it gets totally black.-Charlie Brown |
| oldbittyhen |
Posted - Jan 20 2012 : 09:07:41 AM
If you want a duck that is H*ll on bugs, is not near as greasy as other ducks, the best momma's in the duck family, get Muscovys, they are also known as the quackless duck...
"Knowlege is knowing that a tomato is a fruit, Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad" |
| batznthebelfry |
Posted - Jan 20 2012 : 08:55:08 AM
We have always roasted a duck just like we do chicken in the oven...it is a denser darker meat that is very nice in flavor...yes it does create more oils but you want the duck to cook in its oils or it will dry out too fast in the oven...we let it drain of excess oils once we take it out of the pan before cutting it....I love duck eggs, like everyone so far they are wonderful for cooking & baking...can use one duck instead of 2 large chicken eggs in a recipe....plus the yolk seems to be more condensed or heavier than a chicken yolk....but oh taste so good in bake goods.....the reason a duck is greaser is they have more oil glands than a chicken to keep their feathers heavily oiled for when in the water...chickens have the one gland near the tail on the top of the back needed for grooming more than water protection.......Michele'
Chickens rule!
The Old Batz Farm
Hen #2622 |
| MamaBulla |
Posted - Jan 20 2012 : 08:10:15 AM
We have ducks and chickens and eat both types of eggs in baking, quiche, scrambled, omelettes, etc. Honestly, I've never really noticed a big difference in taste, but I have noticed the harder shell. I've never hard-boiled either one. We've never butchered our own birds either, but my brother cooked a store bought duck for us once, and it was pretty good. I don't remember how he did it.
Kris B.
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Farmgirl Sister #3679
http://farmgirlby40.wordpress.com
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| gramadinah |
Posted - Jan 20 2012 : 07:57:12 AM
I used duck eggs in baking never just cooked them up as over easy my SL did and said he loved them.
Diana
Farmgirl Sister #273 |
| Karrieann |
Posted - Jan 20 2012 : 06:32:21 AM
...duck is tasty but really greasy, so when cooking it use a rack to have the grease drain off it. Duck eggs are richer in taste and the shell are harder. so for hard boiled eggs at all would be very difficult. Just some tips.
Karrieann ~ Farmgirl Sister #766 (29 Sept 2009)
My Blog: following my heart, dreams and Jesus ~http://karrieann-followingmyheartandjesus.blogspot.com/
My Etsy: Yesterday's Scraps, Tomorrow's Treasures ~http://www.etsy.com/shop/2TomorrowsTreasures |
| homsteddinmom |
Posted - Jan 20 2012 : 04:44:50 AM
I have never had duck but the eggs are way more rich than a chicken egg. I hear about how good duck is but i have never butchered one or bought one at the store, its pricey to buy its runs about $20 for a 5lb duck..lol
Homesteading Mom in East Texas. Raising chickens, Rabbits and goats here on my farm! |
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