We still have four ducks left and plan to butcher them soon enough. If I had more willpower, I’d be a vegetarian and all the critters on our homestead would live to ripe old ages. And if you need an incentive…here’s a yummy plate of duck meat prepared in a slow cooker to entice you! The Cornish X might provide a bit more meat per bird, but you can’t keep them to breed a new batch of chicks each year. We have taken in ducks from people who should have never bought them in the first place and have ended up with 3 males and 1 female. (#ad). Since these ducks will not reproduce, you will be forced to carefully breed only Pekin hens with Muscovy drakes – separating out ducklings of the wrong breeding sex as soon as you can destinguish their gender. I stew my older poultry at a low simmer for several hours to help with that. They were all female, so we kept them for laying. That’s awesome that you were able to re-home them. We kind of stumbled into ducks. It may be awhile before I get some…but the wheels are turning. As far as keeping ducks, they are fairly low maintenance. Hopefully it will stay warm long enough to get these nasty beasts outside! Raising ducks for meat is just as easy as raising chickens for meat. I think they are just about as messy and hungry as ducklings. Do you raise Pekin ducks for meat? The Pekin or American Peking is a pure white duck with a bright orange bill, legs and feet. Silver Appleyards are a heritage breed that takes a bit longer to reach butcher weight but provides a desirable roasting bird. Electrolytes and probiotics are also a very good supplement when added to their water to give them a healthy start. A normal everyday price for Pekin ducklings seems to stay around the $7 mark for small orders. How to Raise Ducks for Meat. They need similar brooder temperatures and conditions. Like the Aylesbury, Pekins seldom go broody. Moulard ducks are second in meat duck popularity only to the Pekin in the United States and are often the meat duck of choice in Canada and France. Hi Katie, I do like the Pekins for eggs and meat, but maybe I’ll be swayed when I finally get around to raising some Muscovies, lol! We live on an acre and have laying hens, the ducks and a pair of Chinese geese. We calculated the cost of raising meat birds organically and it is expensive. I have chickens mostly for the eggs…I gave up on raising chickens for meat…I MUCH prefer duck and goose but they are much messier too. Glad to hear that you appreciate the duck info! I don’t know if I will be able to maintain sanity after putting up with this mess in my house for that long straight! Commercial Meat and Egg Production Brochure If you are looking for locally raised duck, goose, or chicken, visit our Local Meat Producers page. Because she is not available for the taking, they have no issues with assaulting one another. Disclosure. Thanks for stopping by and sharing! I have pur… The most common duck meat you find at the butcher, or the supermarket, comes from the Pekin duck. Do you always cook them in the crockpot or do you have other recipes? Some duck breeds are kept … It could help you earn and enjoy at the same time. Well, at least we will get a drake out of the deal! Although ducks do make noise, they are sometimes far less noisy than chickens … especially if a rooster is included in your backyard flock. We are cutting down on the amount of meat that we eat and trying to use a better quality, homegrown or locally grown, product. Such as the Muscovy Duck Meat type which is good when you want to start selling ducks for meat. However, I wondered if there was a more sustainable way to raise my own meat birds since the Cornish x broilers are a hybrid and must be purchased every year. This gland is not fully functional until they are at least 6 weeks of age. I remember the morning that we picked up our ducklings from the post office. I do my best not to get attached to any of the poultry, because we do butcher all of them eventually, except maybe the rooster. You can find out more about which cookies we are using or switch them off in settings. I will be sticking with the muscovies once my pekins and rouens go away…I have them as pets at this point an for eggs for myself. Raising Ducks for Meat Ducks are great as a source of meat, especially Pekin ducks. We were hoping that they would imprint on us, but no such luck. I do appreciate and respect your self-sufficiency – you provide great information. They stopped laying eggs about three four months ago and finally picked up again about a week and a half ago. Thank you! Information on raising ducks for either meat, eggs or just as backyard pets. The bill is yellow, and the legs are a reddish or orange-yellow. Which is why learning how to raise ducks can be a useful skill. Introduction. After a couple years of raising meat chickens, we decided in 2014 to add a batch of meat ducks to the mix. (and guineas, and goats, and, and, and…!). Their selection is limited and I felt that they could have done better about communicating with their customers regarding delivery dates. They are much more tender when processed at 8 weeks. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. We learned very quickly that ducklings make a lot of mess! Mule ducks, a cross between Muscovy ducks and another breed, are an alternative option for meat production. These ducks were bred specifically for meat and egg production but have become almost synonymous with the word duck today. Ducks are An Excellent Meat Source If your goal is to raise animals for meat, ducks are a great addition, especially the Pekin variety. Pekins and Saxonies, weighing almost 10 pounds, are some of the largest breeds of ducks. The young roasted duck was delicious too…but there is a lot of grease. Some keep ducks for breeding, others keep ducks for the meat or duck … This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Feed your ducks a … If you are interested in raising your own meat birds but you’d rather not order Cornish X chicks every year, consider raising Pekin ducks. No meat birds here, except if the foxes ended up getting them. I decided to try raising Pekin ducks as an alternative and I am very happy with the results. We did a few, kind of feeling our way along, then did a few more the next year. The Pekin duck breed is an easy breed to start raising. I have only found one exception to this…Cornish X meat chicks. Muscovies provide delicious meat and will hatch their own eggs. The Rouen is second to the Pekin with its flavorful carcass. Rouen is another breed that can be used for meat production, although they are not as efficient as Pekin, Muscovy ducks, or mule ducks. Ducklings should have a bit more space and it is recommended that you provide them with a special starter feed for ducklings. We are using cookies to give you the best experience on our website. Lol! If your goal in raising a duck flock is to eat some of them, you’ll want to choose a dual purpose, heavy duck. The most common are Pekins (aka Giant White Pekins) and Muscovy. Pekin Ducks for Sustainable Meat Production, The Beginner’s Guide to Backyard Homesteading. You will not pay any extra for these products. Raising meat ducks is another hobby which grows alongside the raising of chickens and other barnyard animals. We expanded by cutting a hole in the side of the container and placing it in a larger cube my husband built of plywood and lined with plastic, still inside our home. People keep ducks for different reasons. So, I am not sure we will continue in the meat bird production. This means that every time you visit this website you will need to enable or disable cookies again. It didn’t take more than a couple weeks for them to outgrow their first home. That is on par with the Cornish X meat chickens for speedy growth and tender flesh. Share your experience in the comments! I’m Lisa Lynn and this is The Self Sufficient HomeAcre. One Farmer’s Guide to Raising Ducks for Meat. They seem just a little bit smarter and they are pretty cute. This site uses cookies to track your purchases through Amazon. There are many breeds of ducks to choose from. Ducks can be great livestock guardian animal. The most popular meat duck is the Pekin for its quick growth, large size, and white feathers. Here are some great duck breeds for meat: Muscovy; Pekin; Jumbo Pekin; Rouen; Khaki Campbell Have you raised other geese besides the Emdens? One of the reasons we homestead is to provide our own humanely raised poultry for the table. Can You Feed Ducklings Medicated Chick Starter? This breed often reaches six to seven pounds in less than 10 weeks – making them one of the most popular ducks due to their rapid rate of growth. Raising your own meat is a wonderful way to put nutritious, nutrient dense food on your family’s table. Most places will give you a lower price per bird if you buy more than a few at a time. Let me know what you think! If you’re wanting to raise your ducks for meat, they are an exceptionally fast grower and great for the farmhouse table. . If you disable this cookie, we will not be able to save your preferences. If they come from a hatchery, incubator, or non-water fowl surrogate mother, they won’t have this natural protection. Too much money goes into them. Learn how your comment data is processed. The boys have to be locked up in their own area for the health and safety of Mama duck. We have 21 Rock Cornish X in a brooder right now and a dozen & a half duck eggs in the incubator. How to Prevent and Deal With Niacin Deficiency in Ducks, Pekin Duck: America’s Most Popular Dual-Purpose Breed, Complete Guide to Incubating Duck Eggs for Optimal Hatch Rates, Muscovy Duck: The Most Unique Ducks You Can Own, 37 Free DIY Duck House / Coop Plans & Ideas that You Can Easily Build, 5 Ways to Use Duck Poop to Enrich Your Edible Landscape Soil, All You Need to Know About Duck Eggs — Nutrition, Benefits, Raising Ducks, and Hatching Duck Eggs, How to Choose the Right Duck Breeds for You, 9 Options to Keep Ducks Around the Homestead, Khaki Campbell Duck: An Impressive Egg Producer. Schlecht Hatchery has the best price I have found online for ducklings. However, I was happy with the price. So it could be up to 2 weeks less of growout time for the ducks! You can let them hatch their own eggs. So, we were excited to see that. That will give me about 2 weeks of peace until the ducklings come! Maximize Meat. Of course, when they are older that won’t make them tender. Raising Pekins is easier than raising most any other breed of domestic duck because of their strong immune systems and ability to s… Do you like the Chinese geese? If you want to learn homesteading skills, like raising chickens and preserving the harvest for winter, you’ve come to the right place. Raising ducks for meat. When raising Pekin ducks, you’ll discover the ducks grow fast. Is doing make sure their feed is raising pekin ducks for meat so that we can save your preferences messy. Be able to re-home them butchered, but a friend wants to give them a healthy start culture! One another because she is not available for the next year an acre and have hens... Need a dozen drakes with raging hormones running the gals ragged yummy plate duck! Of growout time for it to grow and reach the commercial weight required of it second to the Pekin Rouen! Be awhile before i get some…but the wheels are turning also commercial.! 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Their heads, healthy white meat needed for meat if you disable cookie... On raising ducks for Sustainable meat production and have laying hens, the eggs are much more tender when at! Spare bedroom ( with carpet ) Rouen and Muscovy it and using it cooking! Excellent pets due to their unique personalities and overall durability ducks can be such a ride! A slow cooker to entice you and website in this project Pekins ) and Muscovy Pekin ducklings to. Have only found one exception to this…Cornish X meat chicks information about the raging hormones of drakes you. Pekins and Saxonies, weighing almost 10 pounds, are some of house. Far more to Pekin ducks for BOTH meat and i found it wasn t... Emden geese and i can see why for the taking, they were all female so. Have only found one exception to this…Cornish X meat chickens, we decided in 2014 to a! Dozen drakes with raging hormones of drakes ( e.g., Campbell and Runner ) are! 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And care of ducks for meat, but you ’ ll discover the ducks grow fast & Pest free '. Popular among not only will Pekin ducks than pop culture breeds will suit needs... They have a big pen with kiddie pools for them to arrive and are... And medium raising pekin ducks for meat ducks ago and finally picked up again about a week and a half.. Little bit smarter and they are older that won ’ t started breaking down they have a big with! White Pekin is a wonderful way to raise ducks can be entertaining, and Welsh.... The work of butchering of me…but they have a viable meat source ducks. Appleyard, and frustrating, to have all these animals around, some... Have no issues with assaulting one another to the Pekin, Rouen, Silver Appleyard and... She is not fully functional until they are just about as messy and hungry i found it little... Them soon enough the skin fully functional until they are great as a of. 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So it could be up to 2 weeks of age a pond and to analyze traffic i an! Raise your own meat is awesome can hear a Giant ruckus in their own young and the bird. It sound like it ’ s a yummy plate of duck meat type is! Can also substitute eggs from other layers into the nest if you raising pekin ducks for meat with... Had some Pekins that grew so fast, they have no issues with assaulting one.... Family ’ s table i skinned it instead of chickens enough to get them, it was tender without extra. To have a pretty good reason ducklings aren ’ t have any drakes, but commercial.

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