We hatched out about a dozen ducklings about a year and a half ago. 4 pekin females, 6 runner/Rouen/pekin cross males and 2 cross females. In the 18 months since, we’ve lost one of the pekin females and one of the cross-females, but all the males were strong and hardy.

Now, anyone who keeps any form of livestock or fowl will attest that too many male animals is a problem. They tend to be aggressive to each other, and they eat a great deal while not providing anything but manure in return.

Monday, our extra male ducks and our rooster -who was both human-aggressive and not doing his jobs as a rooster- met their appointment at the processors. While we can and have killed our own fowls before, it is not something that we particularly enjoy, so if someone else can and will do it for us, it is worth the money.

I returned to the processor yesterday to pay for and pick up our birds

A young duck, in the store, sells for about $36/ea. This cooler is 6 ducks and 1 chicken, none being under 5 lbs, for $68.50. Not bad. Now that does not, of course, take into account the money we have spent on feed over the course of their lives, but I havent kept track of that.

They were all destined for the freezer, but my eldest has been sick for three days now in the manner that requires being close to a toilet at all times, and I have not been able to get to the grocery store. As a result, one duck will comprise the main course of our meal this evening. I’ve not cooked duck before, so we shall see how it goes. Even if the worst-case scenario is true -we absolutely despise roast duck – then I will cut apart, debone, and can the meat, and we can add it to stews and sauces in the years to come. It will not go to waste, regardless.