Duck & Goose - Focus On

What are Duck & Goose?

• Broiler Duckling or Fryer Duckling - a young duck (usually under 8 weeks of age) of either sex that is tender meated and has a soft bill; ducklings classified as broiler-fryers weigh from 3 to 6 1/2 pounds.
  Roaster Duckling - a young duck (usually under 16 weeks of age) of either sex that is tender-meated and has a bill that is not completely hardened; they usually weigh from 4 to 7 1/2 pounds.

Mature Duck or Old Duck: A duck (usually over 6 months of age) of either sex with toughened flesh and a hardened bill; these ducks are usually too old to lay eggs and their meat is used in processed products.

Young Goose or Gosling: May be of either sex and is tender meated. A gosling weighs about 8 pounds; a young goose weighs 12 to 14 pounds.

Mature Goose or Old Goose: May be of either sex and has toughened flesh. A mature goose is usually a spent breeder and its meat is used in processed products.
Gander - a male goose.

How are Ducks & Geese Raised?

• Almost all ducks are raised indoors to protect from predators and to manage their manure, which is collected and used elsewhere selectively as fertilizer. Most ducks are now raised in Wisconsin and Indiana since land on Long Island, N.Y., where most ducks were formerly raised, has become increasingly too valuable for farming. Ducks are fed corn and soybeans fortified with vitamins and minerals. Most feed contains no animal by-products.
  
  Geese are raised under cover for the first six weeks of life. Then they are put on the range 14 to 20 weeks where they eat available grass and some grain. California and South Dakota are the main geese-raising states.

Can Antibiotics & Hormones Be Used in Raising Duck & Goose?

• No hormones are allowed in U. S. duck or goose production. The Food and Drug Administration strictly prohibits the use of hormones in these birds.
  
  Very few drugs have been approved for ducks and geese so antibiotics are not routinely given and are not useful for feed efficiency. If a drug is given -- usually, through the feed -- to cure illness, for example, a "withdrawal" period of days is required from the time it is administered until it is legal to slaughter the bird. This is so residues can exit the bird's system. FSIS randomly samples poultry at slaughter and tests for residues.

How Are Duck & Goose Down Obtained?

• When these birds are slaughtered, they are first stunned electrically. After their throats are cut (by hand, for geese) and the birds are bled, they are scalded to facilitate removal of large feathers. To remove fine pinfeathers, the birds are dipped in paraffin wax. Down and feathers, a very valuable by-product of the duck and goose industry, are sorted at another facility.

Are Duck & Goose USDA Inspected & Graded?

• All ducks and geese are federally inspected. Grading is voluntary and a plant pays to have its ducks or geese graded. The presence of the USDA Grade shield, usually Grade A, on these products is an indication of quality. USDA Grade A ducklings are the highest quality available. They are plump, meaty and have skin free from cuts, bruises and tears. There are no broken bones, no missing parts and few pin feathers. Grade B and Grade C ducklings are not usually found in supermarkets.

Additives
Additives are not allowed on fresh duck or goose. If the meat or giblets are processed (such as in paté or smoked breast, for example), any additives such as MSG, salt, or sodium erythorbate, must be listed on the label.

Fatty Deposits
Ducks and geese swim, and they have a fat layer beneath the skin that keeps them buoyant. Before cooking a whole bird, the skin should be pricked all over with a fork to facilitate the fat rendering out. This fat layer must have melted and disappeared for the bird to be done.

The fat is not "marbled" into the meat so it can easily be removed from the surface of a raw duck or goose if deboning the meat before cooking.

Retail Cuts of Duck & Goose

• Whole duckling, gosling or goose including giblets and neck.
• Bone-in parts such as whole leg, breast quarter and breast.
• Boneless breast, skin-on or skinless.
• Giblets (liver, heart and gizzard) sold with whole birds but much liver exported to France.
• Tongues and Feet (delicacy mostly exported to Hong Kong but some used by Asian Americans).
  Processed products such as smoked cooked breast, sausage and hot dogs.
• Some cuts may be used mainly for food service and restaurants.

How Much Duck & Goose Are Consumed?

• Today Americans consume about .34 (1/3 pound) of duck per person yearly, down from .44 pound in 1986. Consumption of goose is less.

Quantity to Buy
When buying whole duck or goose, allow about 1 to 1 1/2 pounds of raw weight per person. Raw boneless meat yields about 3 servings per pound after cooking. Estimate 3 to 4-ounces per person for fully cooked products.

Are Duck & Goose "Red" or "White" Meat?

• Duck and goose are poultry and considered "white" meat. Because they are birds of flight, however, the breast meat is darker than chicken and turkey breast. This is because more oxygen is needed by muscles doing work, and the oxygen is delivered to those muscles by the red cells in the blood. One of the proteins in meat, myoglobin, holds the oxygen in the muscle, and gives the meat a darker color.
  
  Chickens and turkeys stand a lot but do little if any flying, so their breast meat is white and leg meat, dark. Game birds, however, spend time flying so their breast meat may be as dark as leg meat.

What is the Flavor of Duck & Goose?

• Because all the meat on a duck or goose is dark, it has a stronger flavor than chicken breast meat--and even chicken leg meat.

What Does Natural Mean?

• All fresh meat qualifies as "natural." Products labeled "natural" cannot contain any artificial flavor or flavoring, coloring ingredient, chemical preservative or any other artificial or synthetic ingredient. All products claiming to be natural should be accompanied by a brief statement which explains what is meant by the term "natural."

What Foodborne Organisms Are Associated With Duck & Goose?

• As on any perishable meat, fish or poultry, bacteria can be found on raw or undercooked duck or goose. Bacteria multiply rapidly at temperatures between 40° and 140° F (out of refrigeration and before thorough cooking occurs). Freezing doesn't kill bacteria but they are destroyed by thorough cooking of any food to 160° F.
  
  Salmonella is often associated with shell eggs and poultry. It may be found in the intestinal tracts of livestock, poultry, dogs, cats and other warm-blooded animals. This strain is only one of about 2,000 Salmonella bacteria. Freezing doesn't kill this microorganism but it is destroyed with thorough cooking of any food to 160° F.
  
  Salmonella must be eaten to cause illness. Raw poultry must be handled carefully to prevent cross contamination. This can occur if raw duck, goose or their juices contact cooked food or foods that will be eaten raw such as salad. Salmonellosis is a foodborne illness characterized by stomach pain, diarrhea and nausea.

Irradiation: Irradiation has not been approved for duck or goose.