7 replies to this topic

[hobbitmeadow]

Can anyone give me an idea of what age is best to cull ducks for meat

Many thanks

Mark

[meekle]

depends on the breed and the crossing.

If breeding aylesbury type ducks then you want to do it before their first moult, around 10 weeks as otherwise the feathers are that bit harder to pluck.

Some muscovy or muscovy cross may be a little older, but really it all depends on your personal choice.

A good aylesbury type should get to table weight easily by around 10 weeks if you start on crumb, then to grower pellet at 3 weeks and then onto finisher at about 6 weeks and allowed to roam for slugs etc.

a very good table bird can be had by crossing the muscovy to an aylesbury. The result will by a vigorous fast growing bird but it will be infertile as Muscovy ducks and any of the call duck derived breeds are two separate but closely related species. The cross is one favoured in oriental markets as it produces a rich flavourful duck of a very good size suitable for chinese cooking.

hope that helps

Mike

[hobbitmeadow]

Thanks for that Mike

We have just got a loads of Aylesbury / Runner Bev is a soft touch and could not resist them.
Better start warming up the BSA.

[meekle]

are they true aylesbury or aylesbury type? the reason i ask is that true aylesbury are actually on the RBST watch list as a rare breed as their bloodlines have been dilluted so much for commercial reasons that a true aylesbury might be worth more to you sold at a specialist sale as breeding stock that a commercial strain that would be best on your plate!

A true aylesbury has a pink to white beak and walks with a low keel. Most commercial white "aylesbury" ducks have a yellowish beak and walk slightly more upright and are based on a cross between the british aylesbury and american pekin duck - which is also a good table bird. If they are the cross, they do indeed make a fine table bird and dress out very well with good growth rates.

If you have a true aylesbury, check it against breed standard and you may find that it would be a much more profitable method would be to breed them and sell as pure strains to a specialist market.

[hobbitmeadow]

Thanks for that as we are planning Aylesbury but at the moment we have Aylesbury X Runners.

[meekle]

aylesbury x runner - interesting cross. You should get a reasonably good meat to bone ratio with a more upright stance and couple that with if you cull the drakes for meat and let some of the ducks run on as adults, they should lay a plentiful supply of light blue eggs - especially in the winter months if they follow their runner duck heritage. if the maternal line follows from the aylesbury you should get white eggs

Runners were part of the genetic base that made up the khaki campbell, which is a reknowned egg layer, can almost rival commercial brown hens with some recording up to 300 eggs a year. Good luck with them and let us know how you get on.

[bramblebasher]

i am pretty interested in a flock of ducks, what kind of profit margin is there on a meat bird if you have raised it yourself and sold direct to customer, like an Aylesbury duck?

[meekle]

at christmas we sold ducks at £4 per kilo dressed.

we can buy in aylesbury ducklings for around 80p each at market, and they can be ready by 8 weeks. The key to remember is that ducks need plenty of water - and i dont mean to swim in, i mean to drink. they drink gallons. without access to plenty of water you will lose them.