Many farmers and hunters know how to quickly pluck a duck, but not everyone knows that it is not easy to carry out the procedure efficiently. There are various methods of carcass processing, each of which has its own characteristics. You can choose a plucking method based on whether you have some tools and resources at hand, as well as your own preferences.
Carcass preparation
First of all, you need to understand that there are criteria by which you should choose the period for slaughtering a duck. You need to focus on age. The best time for slaughtering a bird is 60-70 days.By this time, the ducks are fully feathered, but the flight feathers are not yet fully formed.
When they grow to a certain size, it is convenient to remove them. But you can’t wait any longer, because plucking will be difficult. In addition, stumps will remain on the skin, and this will worsen the appearance and taste of the meat.
It is important to slaughter correctly. This is the basis for subsequent fast and high-quality processing. The bird does not need to be fed before slaughter. The duck is deprived of food for 12 hours and kept separately from the flock. The bird is killed with a blow to the head, and then the throat is cut with a sharp knife. The blood should drain within 10 minutes, after which the carcass is considered ready for further action.
It is recommended to remove the carcass to a cold room. A place where the temperature does not exceed 5 °C, for example, a refrigerator or cellar, is suitable. This will allow the fat to solidify and the meat to acquire a characteristic aroma. After this, the bird carcass can be gutted and plucking can begin.
Required Tools
For the gutting procedure you will need the following tools and items:
- paper, fabric or film to cover indoor floors;
- bags, as well as boxes, for sorting plumage of different structure during processing, including down;
- running water;
- boiling water for the hot method;
- large saucepan;
- knife, scissors, tweezers or wire cutters.
Some methods will require wax and an iron. Regardless of the plucking method, you need to prepare a clean cloth and a container of water.
Plucking methods
There are many ways to pluck carcasses. However, it is important to choose a simple and effective one.You need to take care of the safety of the skin, otherwise it will be difficult to process.
Dry
The dry method is considered the simplest and most accessible. It is not for nothing that hunters have used it since ancient times, plucking still warm, freshly shot game. First you need to prepare the place by laying the floors. Cleaning the carcass begins with the largest feathers, gradually moving to the small ones. The procedure should be performed in the direction of feather growth.
Lastly, the neck and chest are plucked. The smallest and thinnest feathers are located there. Next, you will need to cleanse the skin of fluff. This is done in two ways - using a knife and flour or by lightly singeing. During the procedure, you must ensure that subcutaneous fat does not leak out.
After scalding
The scalding method can be used a couple of hours after slaughter. One of the rules is not to use boiling water for scalding. It often causes the skin on the carcass to burst, making further plucking impossible. You need to prepare in advance:
- spacious saucepan;
- kettle;
- knife and tweezers;
- bags for feathers, down or boxes.
Place the carcass in a container of suitable size. Heat the water in the kettle to a temperature of 80 °C. To pour the duck onto the skin, you need to lift the feathers to do this. As a result, the carcass should be completely covered with hot water.
Leave the duck for 15-20 minutes, then take it out and pluck it, moving your hand against the growth of the feathers. During the process, you need to ensure that the thin skin does not tear.Residual fluff can be singed.
Using a bag and an iron
To pluck a duck using this method, in addition to a bag and an iron, you will need a bowl of hot water. The processing algorithm is as follows:
- Soak the woven bag in hot water for 10 minutes, then wring out.
- Place the carcass in a bag and tie it tightly.
- Immerse it in a tank of hot water for 10 minutes.
- Preheat the iron to the highest possible temperature.
- Iron the carcass through a wet bag.
- Take out the duck and pinch the feathers in the direction of growth.
During execution, it is important to ensure that the carcass is completely heat treated with an iron.
singeing
The singeing method is used when it is impossible to remove entire feathers. In this case, you need to clean the carcass from the feathers, and singe the remaining feathers. A gas burner, dry fuel or other fire source is suitable for this. During singeing, you should stretch the duck, straightening the folds for better feather removal. There is no need to bring the carcass close to the fire - the feathers and down should only be slightly charred. It is important to perform the treatment quickly so that the skin does not burn and the fat does not leak out.
Using wax
This option for feather removal is used by hunters, but it is also suitable for home use. You need to stock up on a small piece of paraffin in advance. First, the wings are removed, then the feathers are pulled from the tail. Next, you should clean the largest feathers on the body.
Melt the wax in a saucepan. Place the duck there. The wax should completely envelop it. Then transfer it to a container of cold water so that the wax adheres to the skin of the bird. Pull out the duck and squeeze it with your hands so that the wax breaks. Carefully remove the carcass from paraffin and remaining feathers. The advantage of this method is that no further singeing is required.
Using a nozzle
In addition to manual methods, there are also mechanical ones. They can be used at home using various devices. Birds are often plucked using a drill and finger pluckers. However, they note that the quality of processing suffers greatly, since the plucking speed of the feather removal machine is high. It will not be possible to remove a feather without stumps.
Plucking in the field
The method is used by many hunters who need to carry out the procedure quickly and manually. The feathers do not need to be plucked; they are cut off along with the skin. It takes a minimum of time. But cooked duck will not have the crispy skin that game lovers prize.
Should fluff be preserved?
Natural duck down is of great value, so it is important to keep it in good condition. Feather and down are used for down jackets, blankets are sewn from it, but more often they are collected for pillows. You can get rid of dirt and grease on feathers using washing powder by soaking them in water.
After just 10 minutes, the feather can be washed and dried by placing it in a woven bag and hanging it in a well-ventilated area. The contents need to be shaken periodically. High-quality material has a long service life, it can be used for up to 10 years.
