However, I was happy with the price. Sign up for Honest-to-Goodness Homesteading Information and get my new eBook 'Secrets to a Weed & Pest Free Homestead' for FREE! Not only will Pekin ducks provide you with a great source of meat, but they are also good layers. I’ve been wanting geese. For more information about the habits and care of ducks, consult our free duck articles library for free duck information. Thanks for sharing your duck experience! Our ducklings grew very fast and were ready for processing at 7-8 weeks of age. How to Make Money and Save Money on Your Homestead. But I think about the health care costs that we might incur someday if we continue to eat pesticides and I’m ok with the extra cost now. Electrolytes and probiotics are also a very good supplement when added to their water to give them a healthy start. Me too! (I do not receive a commission from Schlecht.) Again, an important factor in the health of the meat is the health of the duck, which is grown with the food made available. No meat birds here, except if the foxes ended up getting them. Raising ducks for meat is an easy, efficient way to raise your own meat. I’m Lisa Lynn and this is The Self Sufficient HomeAcre. That will give me about 2 weeks of peace until the ducklings come! Also popular are the Cayuga, Rouen, Silver Appleyard, and Welsh Harlequin. I ordered my ducklings from Schlecht hatchery in Iowa. Although I do enjoy raising chickens, I’m having lots of fun keeping a few ducks…so y’all get to read about them! Which is why learning how to raise ducks can be a useful skill. I decided to try raising Pekin ducks as an alternative and I am very happy with the results. I began raising broiler chickens for meat and I like freezing them for winter. If you disable this cookie, we will not be able to save your preferences. Other breeds are most suited for meat production. What is your favorite breed for a dual purpose goose? That is on par with the Cornish X meat chickens for speedy growth and tender flesh. One Farmer’s Guide to Raising Ducks for Meat. The problem is the males can get to 10-12 pounds, but the females only get to about 6 pounds. 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. The most popular meat duck is the Pekin for its quick growth, large size, and white feathers. But they all live by instinct and I can’t blame them for that. Learn how your comment data is processed. Pekin ducks produce a lot of flavorful, moist, dark meat and at around 6-8 weeks are ready for butcher producing a dressed out carcass of about 5 pounds. Selective breeding has developed breeds of ducks (e.g., Campbell and Runner) that are excellent egg producers. I am ordering more chickens soon and am considering adding a few more ducks. The pink colored bill is an easy way to tell an Aylesbury duck from a Pekin duck. As an Amazon Associate, I earn a commission from qualifying purchases. There are many breeds of ducks to choose from. (#ad). TOP 10 DOMESTIC MEAT DUCKS FOR BOTH THE ADVANCED AND NOVICE DUCK OWNER Pekin . So, I am not sure we will continue in the meat bird production. We are using cookies to give you the best experience on our website. We answer why we have ducks. One of the reasons we homestead is to provide our own humanely raised poultry for the table. Best wishes with getting the little broiler chicks out of the house. One of the reasons we homestead is to provide our own humanely raised poultry for the table. In general, a Pekin is a big, white duck with an orange beak that is a hearty, friendly bird. Ducks can be raised for both meat and egg production. Some duck breeds are kept … They can grow to be 10+ pounds in a matter of 3-4 months. Can You Feed Ducklings Medicated Chick Starter? Although ducks do make noise, they are sometimes far less noisy than chickens … especially if a rooster is included in your backyard flock. It does not take long to have a viable meat source from ducks if that’s what you’re looking for. 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 raise Pekin ducks for meat? The Rouen is second to the Pekin with its flavorful carcass. This gland is not fully functional until they are at least 6 weeks of age. Of course, I’ve only tried the Pekins. Of course, when they are older that won’t make them tender. Such as the Muscovy Duck Meat type which is good when you want to start selling ducks for meat. 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. That’s awesome that you were able to re-home them. A swimming source is not needed for meat ducks, since they are being processed at a young age. Or is there another breed that you recommend? Information on raising ducks for either meat, eggs or just as backyard pets. I skinned it instead of plucking, because their down is so hard to remove when they get older. You can let them hatch their own eggs. Disclosure. I have only found one exception to this…Cornish X meat chicks. Too much money goes into them. Any breed can be butchered, but you’ll have the highest meat yields from the heavy and medium weight ducks. Most places will give you a lower price per bird if you buy more than a few at a time. They are much more tender when processed at 8 weeks. Glad to hear that you appreciate the duck info! Hi Katie, 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. They all live in a retirement home. Any self-sufficient farm would go for white duck meat which it can produce on its own and serve as part … If they come from a hatchery, incubator, or non-water fowl surrogate mother, they won’t have this natural protection. We got that early morning call – like 3 AM – and had to rush downtown to get them. I started this blog to share my adventures in homesteading and self-sufficiency. When we first put them in a little tupperware bin with water it was so adorable. Some keep ducks for breeding, others keep ducks for the meat or duck … The young roasted duck was delicious too…but there is a lot of grease. I also found it a little bit more difficult at first to kill my ducks, in comparison to chickens. Ducklings should have a bit more space and it is recommended that you provide them with a special starter feed for ducklings. So it could be up to 2 weeks less of growout time for the ducks! When you butcher, be sure to let them rest in the refrigerator for 24 to 48 hours. 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