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i have 2 ducklings ... actually i have 2 flipping loud flipping S***ting huge ducks and want to know when to kill them to eat .... they are currently bigger than pingu, and she's grown into a big girl .... but they are only 9-10 weeks old aylesburys .... so what age is the right age?
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Seymour recommended 10 weeks (I think, might have been 8 weeks, but I think 10) as that was when you could avoid 'hard to pluck cleanly' feathers.
Looks like you will be having roast duck for Sunday dinner!Flowers come in too many colours to see the world in black-and-white. -
Aah, Hilary B, fount of all knowledge!
Seriously though Hilary (at the risk of muscling in on Lynda's thread
), when are Geese considered too old to eat? My Dad keeps eyeing them up!
All the best - Glutton 4 Punishment
Freelance shrub butcher and weed removal operative.Comment
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ooooooooo how exciting ... though one is going in the freezer for crimbo dinner
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when they die of natural causesOriginally posted by Glutton4... View PostAah, Hilary B, fount of all knowledge!
Seriously though Hilary (at the risk of muscling in on Lynda's thread), when are Geese considered too old to eat? My Dad keeps eyeing them up!
... muscle away ... may go for goose next year lol
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We were given a couple of "older" geese a few years ago for the freezer. I have to say, even cooked long and slow, they were tough as hell! I would now go for the young ones every time.Comment
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I can't see a duck without licking my lips - or a lamb.
I don't think they're ever too young to eat - but they can get too old to be tasty.
I would go for it. Enjoy.
From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs.Comment
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Am considering raising ducks for the table maybe next year. My lot love roast duck and we keep the fat and use it for roast potatoes - gorgeous!!!
Will see how I get on with the boy chicks first. Have worked out they will be old enough for culling sometime in November. Just need to double check best age - is 20 weeks too old?
EDIT: been searching the threads and it looks as though I'd be doing them too early if I went for 20 weeks!! Maybe Dec or Jan instead.Last edited by kirsty b; 16-09-2009, 10:13 PM.Kirsty b xx
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well buttercup met his end about 18 weeks, and there was plenty of meat on him enough for 4 people easy, and it was delicious and tender and yummy and *droolssssssss and he was nowhere near full grown, basically was a couple of weeks after he started proper crowing
well have decided ... tomorrow is D day and it appears i gonna have to do the deed myself this time ... eek
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Good luck Lynda! Hope they taste nice
My girls found their way into my heart and now they nest thereComment
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We once camped on a farm and bought a 'duckling' from the farmer. It was huge and the only way we had to cook it was a two burner gas-stove or the barbie. We opted for the barbie. OH and number one son decided to cook it on the barbie's spit... it took 5 hours, with them manually turning it all the time.Last edited by bluemoon; 17-09-2009, 08:29 AM.Into each life some rain must fall........but this is getting ridiculous.
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There are loads of things I don't know, but I don't talk about them<g>Originally posted by Glutton4... View PostAah, Hilary B, fount of all knowledge!
Seriously though Hilary (at the risk of muscling in on Lynda's thread), when are Geese considered too old to eat? My Dad keeps eyeing them up!
I do tend to remember things I have read (occasionally with a crossed wire in there, until I re-read the original)
It depends how you cook them<g>
The normal age to eat geese is for the Christmas after they hatched in Spring (although one might be a treat at Michaelmas, Seymour again).
My ex-neighbour used to shoot wild geese for eating when he could get one (we had wild goose for Christmas a couple of years, after I lost one of my pair, and the replacement was useless). There is no knowing the exact age of those, but I suspect some were 3 years or more, and could have been more.
Goose needs to 'hang' a bit like game, up to 3 weeks even for a home grown 'this year' one.Flowers come in too many colours to see the world in black-and-white.Comment
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How long did they 'hang'? Older poultry (especially goose) needs treating like game, and hanging long enough to develop flavour and tenderise, and it still needs long slow cooking. I would tend to casserole or steam-roast older goose.Originally posted by RichmondHens View PostFlowers come in too many colours to see the world in black-and-white.Comment
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Flavour increases with age (but so does toughness, answer is to 'hang' it like game).Originally posted by Alice View Post
I prefer good quality mutton to lamb any day!Flowers come in too many colours to see the world in black-and-white.Comment
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