Commercial Duck Farming--Marketing

On commercial duck farms, the business consists mainly of producing large quickly grown ducklings which are marketed before they are mature.

Because of this immaturity, the ducks are quite commonly termed green ducks. The business has also become so highly specialized on Long Island and this is such a center of the industry, that the birds are commonly quoted on the New York market as Long Island ducklings.

_Proper Age to Market._ It is important that the ducklings be marketed as soon as they have reached the proper age and stage of development.

When the ducklings are about 10 to 12 weeks old they begin to shed their first growth of feathers. This is apparent first on the neck and breast, giving them somewhat of a rough appearance. The ducklings must be marketed within one week after they begin this moult. If they are allowed to go longer than this they will begin to get thin and as it will take them 6 weeks or more to grow a new crop of feathers it will be a considerable period before they get back in market condition again and any additional weight which they may attain will not be sufficient to pay for the feed eaten during this period.

_Weights at the Time of Marketing._ Well grown ducklings should average in weight from 5 to 6 pounds at 10 to 12 weeks of age when they are ready to be marketed. A majority of the ducks will weigh closer to 5 pounds than they will to 6. The vast majority of ducklings are marketed at this age as it does not pay to keep them past the time they reach prime market condition. On commercial duck farms practically the only ducks which are marketed at an older age than this are the breeders which are turned off at the end of the laying season and the ducklings which by reason of their being crippled or less thrifty are not in suitable market condition at this time and are held longer until they are in good condition. The ducklings are marketed from early spring until late fall. The time at which ducklings are first available for market in any quant.i.ty depends upon the earliness with which the breeders begin to lay and the end of the season depends upon how late the breeders continue to lay at a profitable rate.

_The Last Feed for Market Ducks._ It is important in order to have the dressed ducklings appear to the best advantage and also in order to insure their keeping qualities as much as possible that they should have no feed in their crops when they are killed. This means that if they are to be killed in the morning, which is the usual practice, they should be fed for the last time the previous night. If, however, they are not to be killed until afternoon they can be fed lightly in the morning.

_Sorting Market Ducklings._ When a pen of ducklings which are being fattened are deemed ready to be killed they are driven up to the killing house and a few of them at a time driven into a small pen where it is easy to catch and examine them. Each duck as it is caught is examined to make sure that it is in proper market condition. The examination consists of feeling of the duck's body to see that it has a good smooth breast so that the breast bone cannot be readily felt. If it is in that condition it is ready to kill. Ducks which do not show this condition are thrown out and returned to the yards where they are fed for a longer period unless it is desired to ship them alive.

At the proper season of the year when breeders for the next season are to be selected, suitable birds for that purpose are picked out from the market lots as they are examined. In any lot of ducks there will be found some cripples. It is common practice to sort these out and group them together in a pen by themselves where they are held until they are in suitable condition for marketing. It is doubtful whether it pays to hold these cripples as they are hard to get in good condition and in many cases are probably kept and fed at a loss. Some ducklings will show twisted wings but as a rule they are thrifty and will fatten readily and be in good market condition.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 39. Awaiting slaughter. The fattened ducklings are driven into these catching pens. (_Photograph from the Bureau of Animal Industry, U. S. Department of Agriculture._)]

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 40. Carrying the ducklings from the catching pen to the killing place. (_Photograph from the Bureau of Animal Industry, U.

S. Department of Agriculture._)]

_Killing._ As the ducklings suitable for killing are selected, 10 or 12 of them, depending upon the capacity of the killing room, are hung up by their feet, the head being fastened down by means of a hook or else weighted down by means of a blood can hung from a hook inserted through the bill. By means of a long, narrow bladed sharp knife the veins in the throat just beyond the skull are severed so as to cause free bleeding.

The blood flows either into the blood can or into a trough above which the birds are hung. The birds are not stuck or brained unless it is desired to dry pick them nor are they as a rule stunned by hitting them on the head before bleeding. In some states, however, the law requires that all birds bled shall first be stunned in this manner. The bleeding of the ducks causes their death and they are allowed to hang until they are thoroughly bled out. They are then taken down, the blood washed off of their heads and placed on a table or on the floor convenient to the pickers, other ducks being hung in their places.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 41. The ducks are hung by the feet and the veins in the neck cut from inside the mouth to cause free bleeding. (_Photograph from the Bureau of Animal Industry, U. S. Department of Agriculture._)]

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 42. After the throat veins are cut, the ducks are allowed to hang until they are well bled out. The blood is caught in the trough below. (_Photograph from the Bureau of Animal Industry, U. S.

Department of Agriculture._)]

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 43. Ducks which have been bled, ready to have the blood washed from their heads and mouths before they are picked.

(_Photograph from the Bureau of Animal Industry, U. S. Department of Agriculture._)]

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 44. After they are bled and washed, the ducks are laid in the picking room ready for the pickers. (_Photograph from the Bureau of Animal Industry, U. S. Department of Agriculture._)]

_Scalding._ The picker selects a duck from the table where they are placed after being taken down and carries it to a large kettle of water which is maintained at a temperature just below boiling. They are thoroughly soused in this water holding them by the head and feet so as to allow the water to penetrate into the feathers until they can be readily plucked. The picker tests the readiness with which the feathers come out by plucking a few from the breast or body and thus determines whether the scalding is sufficient or whether more is required. Care is taken not to dip the feet or head in the water as this might discolor these parts. Practically all market ducks from Long Island are scald picked at the present time. Dry picking which is demanded in some markets such as Boston makes a somewhat better looking carca.s.s and also increases the value of the feathers, but is generally considered too slow and too highly skilled a process for use on the average duck farm.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 45. Holding the head in one hand and the feet in the other, the picker dips the duck in water heated nearly to the boiling point and souses well to work the water into the feathers until they pluck easily. (_Photograph from the Bureau of Animal Industry, U. S.

Department of Agriculture._)]

_Picking._. After scalding the picker starts removing the feathers. In doing this the duck is held either on the lap or on a board nailed to the side of the feather box. The feathers on the breast are picked first, then working down toward the tail, pulling the feathers with the grain. The soft body feathers as plucked are thrown into the feather box, the coa.r.s.er feathers being thrown on the floor. The main wing and tail feathers are left on as are likewise some of the feathers of the neck next the head.

The most troublesome part of picking ducks is removing the down. This may be removed to some extent by rubbing with the hand although care must be taken not to bruise the skin severely. In some cases the down is shaved off with a sharp knife. In some of the commercial packing houses the duck's body is sprinkled with powdered rosin and then dipped into the hot water. This melts the rosin so that the down and rosin can be rubbed off easily with the hand leaving the body clean. Pin feathers are usually removed by grasping them between the thumb and a dull knife.

In some packing houses, ducks are steamed before picking. Where this is done they are picked clean and the wing and tail feathers are pulled before steaming takes place. Six or eight ducks which have been bled are hung at the same time in the top of a steam box or barrel which can be made air-tight and the steam turned on until the soft feathers of the breast come off easily. The length of time to steam depends on the temperature of the steam itself and varies from one-half to 2 minutes.

In some cases the ducks are hung in a steam box with the heads outside so as to prevent the steam from coming into contact with the heads, possibly discoloring them.

On Long Island women are used very largely for picking and they secure for this service 6 cents per duck. A good picker should do 75 ducks or even more a day. The value of the feathers will slightly more than pay for the cost of picking.

Picking usually begins early in the morning about 6 o'clock and is generally finished by noon or soon after. Most duck raisers figure on doing their killing and picking during the first half of the week and do not like to kill if they can help it during the latter days of the week.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 46. Picking the ducks. (_Photograph from the Bureau of Animal Industry, U. S. Department of Agriculture._)]

_Dry Picking._ Where the market requires it, the ducks must be dry picked. In doing this the procedure is the same as in dry picking chickens. After the cut is made to bleed the ducks, the point of the knife is plunged through the roof of the mouth until it reaches the brain when it is turned to cause a paralysis of the muscles which enables the feathers to be plucked more easily. The duck is then struck on the back of the head with a club to stun it and make it easier to handle when picking. The picker seats himself by the feather box, with the duck on his lap, holding the head pressed against the outside of the box and held there by the picker's leg. He then proceeds immediately and as quickly as possible to pluck the feathers. It is necessary to accomplish this without delay, for the feathers soon set and are then much harder to pluck and are more likely to result in tears in the skin.

When removing the down, the hand is moistened when much of the down can be rubbed off. Pin feathers are removed by grasping them between the thumb and the edge of a dull knife and any which cannot be gotten in this way are shaved off with a sharp knife. After picking, the carca.s.ses are cooled in cold water the same as the scalded birds.

_Cooling._ After the birds are plucked they are thrown into cold water and are left there for several hours or until the body heat is entirely removed. It is most important that this be thoroughly accomplished for if any body heat is left in the carca.s.ses they are almost sure to become green-struck when packed. The length of time that they must be left in the water depends upon the weather conditions. If the weather is warm so that the water is not very cool it is necessary to add ice in order to hasten the cooling and to accomplish it thoroughly. Cooling in water also serves to plump the carca.s.ses somewhat.

_Packing._ After the ducks are thoroughly cooled they are removed from the water and packed. Long Island ducklings are usually packed in barrels. Forty-five ducks will pack in a sugar barrel and 33 in a flour barrel. The proper number for the barrel used is placed on hanging spring scales and weighed before being packed. The best method of packing is to lay the ducks on their sides. If they are packed on their backs or bellies, the ice used between the layers is apt to cause a cutting or bruising of the soft abdomens and injure the appearance of the carca.s.ses. Between each layer of ducks a scoopful of cracked ice is used although in cool weather it may only be necessary to use half a scoop of ice. After the barrel is packed it should be allowed to stand for a while to settle. Then the top of the barrel is piled up with cracked ice and covered with burlap. On the side of the barrel is marked the number of ducks and their weight. Later a card is tacked alongside of this showing the consignee's and the shipper's names as well as the number of ducks and their weight.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 47. Dressed duckling. The main feathers of the tail and wings and the feathers of the neck part of the way from the head to the body are left on. The rest of the body is picked clean. (_Photograph from the Bureau of Animal Industry, U. S. Department of Agriculture._)]

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 48. After thorough cooling a sufficient number of ducks to fill a barrel is weighed out and packed with or without ice depending upon the weather. (_Photograph from the Bureau of Animal Industry, U. S. Department of Agriculture._)]

_Shipping._ The barrels should be packed and shipped the same evening.

Shipping may be done either by express or by automobile truck. A good many of the Long Island ducklings are now shipped into New York City by truck.

_Cooperative Marketing a.s.sociation._ The duck growers on Long Island have formed a cooperative marketing a.s.sociation. This a.s.sociation maintains its own house in New York City and sells practically the entire output of Long Island ducklings, controlling probably 90%. During the year 1919 there were in the neighborhood of 800,000 head of ducks marketed through this house. Practically all of the capital stock of this concern is held by the duck growers and they are not allowed to sell any of their stock without first offering it to the a.s.sociation.

_Prices for Ducks._ Early in the season the ducklings bring the best prices, that is to say from March 1 to May 1. Then as the output of ducks increases prices gradually drop. The heaviest shipments occur in June, July and August. In September as the output of ducks begins to drop off the price begins to climb a little. The following prices as quoted in the New York Produce Review show the range from March, 1920, to June, 1921.

Long Island Ducklings--Fresh Dressed

1920

March 31 45c per lb.

April 21 45c " "

" 28 38c " "

May 5 35c " "

" 12 35c " "

" 26 35c " "

June 2 35c " "

" 9 35c " "

" 16 35c " "

" 23 35c " "

" 30 35c " "

July 7 35c " "

" 14 35c " "

" 21 35c " "

" 28 35c " "

August 4 36c " "

" 11 36c " "

" 18 36c " "

" 25 36c " "

September 1 36c " "

" 8 37c " "

" 15 37c " "