Slaughtering ducks: at what age can you cut and how to slaughter at home

Ducks are one of the most popular birds for home keeping. They are characterized by unpretentiousness, rapid growth and weight gain. Duck meat has a specific taste, a high content of useful trace elements. In order to maintain the commercial quality of the carcass and the taste value of the meat, it is important to properly slaughter the duck. Be sure to consider the right time and follow the step-by-step instructions.

When can duck be slaughtered?

In total, more than a dozen breeds of these birds have been bred. Ducks are grown before slaughter both in private yards and in large farms.Among the most common breeds are Peking, Musk, or Indochka, Moscow White. Moulards deserve special attention - interspecific hybrids of the meat direction.

Slaughter begins if the duck is at least 56 days old. The optimal average terms are 60-75 days. During this time, individuals gain sufficient slaughter weight, their body is overgrown with a small layer of he althy fat. The turkey is slaughtered when its weight reaches 2-2.5 kg. A carcass of a mulard must weigh 3 kg, and a Peking duck must weigh at least 2.5 kg.

If the purpose of breeding ducks is to obtain meat, it is important not to delay the timing and timely slaughter.

At the age of 3 months, the growth of individuals slows down, the change of plumage begins - molting. Immature and young feathers coarsen, become stiff, hemp or tubercles appear on the skin of ducks. Qualitatively plucking the carcass after slaughter becomes problematic. The meat of an “overripe” domestic duck acquires an unpleasant aftertaste and becomes dry.

Preparing the bird

This is the first stage of the upcoming slaughter. The taste and type of meat, the commercial properties of the duck carcass depend on the quality of the preparatory actions. It is recommended to start preparation in the evening, as the most suitable time for slaughter is in the morning.

Be sure to perform a number of actions:

1. Put the selected duck in a cage or a separate paddock.
2. The room should have a slatted bottom so that the duck does not peck at the ground and its droppings.
3. Do not feed 10-14 hours before slaughter (skip evening feeding).
4. Leave water, provide free access.

Leave electric lights on all night before slaughter. This provokes disorientation of the body. Leftover feed is digested faster, and water helps to more effectively cleanse the intestines and stomach of the duck.To speed up the process, it is allowed to give a 2% solution of Glauber's s alt to provide a laxative effect.

Required tools and materials

To the place where the ducks are slaughtered, a number of sanitary and hygienic requirements are put forward. The main ones are cleanliness and availability of water supply for washing processed duck carcasses, dishes, tables and tools. The scorer's clothing must be changed.

Preliminary preparation of inventory is required - scalding or disinfection.

Equipment and tools required for slaughter:

1. Wall with duck hooks attached.
2. Cone for fixation.
3. Blood pot.
4. Basin or waste bucket.
5. A sharp cleaver or knife.
6. Cellophane wrap.
7. Rope or tape to secure the wings.
8. Evisceration table.
9. Boiling water for scalding duck carcasses immediately after slaughter (so that there are no stumps on the skin).

How to kill a duck?

Several methods have been developed for killing domestic birds. The general condition is to drain all the blood from the slaughtered duck. With insufficient bleeding, partial or complete reddening of the skin occurs. Also, the remaining blood is a favorable environment for the emergence of pathogens. The breeder chooses the specific method of duck slaughter based on personal experience.

Artery dissection

The duck is hung upside down by its paws, the wings are firmly fixed with a rope or tape. The second option is the complete fixation of the duck in a special cone. The bird's neck is then pulled back and the artery cut in one sharp motion. At the same time, the knife is not held perpendicular to the neck, but with a slight forward inclination. You can prick in this way no more than 1-2 ducks at a time, since the preparation is quite long.

1. No labor effort. 1. You can only slaughter 1-2 ducks per day.

Pros	Cons
2. The "purity" of the process. 3. No open wounds on the body.	2. Preliminary preparation (binding, fixing). 3. Knowledge of the anatomical structure of a duck.

Using an ax

This is a traditional and common way to slaughter birds at home quickly and easily. To kill a duck, it is placed on its side on a log or chock. One wing becomes pressed against the chock, the second is held by the farmer himself. They cut off the head with one blow of the ax, in the next 2-3 minutes they hold the duck until the death convulsions are completely gone. An ax or cleaver completely cuts the windpipe and blood vessels, the bird dies instantly.

1. Speed and fast effect. 1. There are open cuts on the neck.

Pros	Cons
2. Simple technology. 3. Ability to slaughter a large number of ducks in a short time.	2. Risk of rapid meat spoilage. 3. Violent near-death convulsions.

Cutting Tips

The domestic duck can be cut according to the developed algorithm. The first step is to carefully cut off the neck, leaving a piece of skin to mask the cut/wound. Then they work with the legs and wings of the duck. The paws are cut off at a distance of 2-4 cm from the heel joint, the wings are cut off at the first joint.

Next, cut the belly, remove all offal. The stomach, lungs are washed, stored separately. Be sure to cut off the abdominal fat and the coccygeal (sebaceous) gland in the back.These elements often spoil the taste of duck meat when cooked. The goiter and esophagus are removed through an incision at the bottom of the neck. After that, the duck is thoroughly washed and dried, the carcass is ready for storage.

Duck slaughter is an important process, the technology of which should be familiar to every bird breeder. Slaughter begins when the individuals are 60-70 days old. At this time, their meat is tender and dietary, there are no fatty growths.

If you delay the timing, the quality of the carcass will deteriorate: hemp and stiffness of the meat will appear. The most popular duck slaughter techniques are chopping off the head or cutting the artery.

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