Muscovy Duckling
Sonoma County, CA
100% Certified Organic*, Free Range, Pasture Raised
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About
our Ducks
Muscovy Duck: Advantages Over Fast-Growing Breeds
What do "Free Range" and "Pastured" Really Mean???
Processing & Packaging
How to Order Direct
Restaurants and Stores
Our Other Products
About Our Ducks
Muscovy Duck: Advantages Over Fast-Growing Breeds
What do "Free Range" and "Pastured" Really Mean???
Processing & Packaging
How to Order Direct
Restaurants and Stores
Our Other Products
About Our Ducks
Our ducklings come from a top meat producing
line of Muscovies and arrive on our ranch as day old chicks. We raise
them in small flocks on
open pasture without hormones,
antibiotics or other additives. They spend their days sunning
themselves, playing in water and hunting for tasty morsels to eat and
are protected at night by our livestock guardian dogs. They
range
freely without being caged or otherwise restricted and have plenty of room to roam on our
400-acre ranch on the
spectacular Sonoma coast. We do not hurry their growth and they eat a
variety
of pasture grasses and weeds,
along with a vegetarian, locally produced certified organic feed
containing a 16%
protein mix of grain, minerals and vitamins. The difference in flavor
between
a pasture-raised, freely-foraging bird and one that has
been confined inside a barn its whole life and and limited to only grain is an experience well worth
trying.
Muscovy -
Advantages over Fast Growing Breeds
Native to South America, the Muscovy was domesticated by Native Americans by the time Columbus arrived in the New World and first brought to the kitchens of Europe by returning explorers. They are the only domesticated duck not derived from Mallard stock, are exceptionally tranquil and coo, rather than quack. Much slower to develop than the more common Pekin, Muscovies are not ready for market until 70-85 days of age, compared to 49 days for the Pekin, allowing for a rich, flavorful meat. Muscovies have 50% more breast meat (which is 99% lean) and 30% less fat than other ducks, making it a particular favorite among chefs and consumers worldwide. Check out this article from the New York Times about Muscovy Duckling. It also contains recipes.
What do
"Free Range" and "Pasture Raised" Really
Mean?
Did you know: Nearly all poultry sold in the US as "Free Range" merely satisfies the minimum USDA requirement for "access to the outdoors". They are barn-raised birds with doors open for part of the day to a tiny outside yard, usually smaller than the crowded indoor space where they spend most of their lives, fed and watered with automated equipment. Even most so-called "pasture-raised" poultry spends its entire life in small 10x12 ft moveable cages. Our ducks, by contrast, are free to waddle and forage unfetterd throughout large tracts of natural, organicially certified pasture 24 hours a day. They have access to shelter if they want it, but usually prefer the outdoors as they would in their natural habitat. At night they are protected from predators by our livestock guardian dogs (photo at right).
Native to South America, the Muscovy was domesticated by Native Americans by the time Columbus arrived in the New World and first brought to the kitchens of Europe by returning explorers. They are the only domesticated duck not derived from Mallard stock, are exceptionally tranquil and coo, rather than quack. Much slower to develop than the more common Pekin, Muscovies are not ready for market until 70-85 days of age, compared to 49 days for the Pekin, allowing for a rich, flavorful meat. Muscovies have 50% more breast meat (which is 99% lean) and 30% less fat than other ducks, making it a particular favorite among chefs and consumers worldwide. Check out this article from the New York Times about Muscovy Duckling. It also contains recipes.
What do
"Free Range" and "Pasture Raised" Really
Mean?Did you know: Nearly all poultry sold in the US as "Free Range" merely satisfies the minimum USDA requirement for "access to the outdoors". They are barn-raised birds with doors open for part of the day to a tiny outside yard, usually smaller than the crowded indoor space where they spend most of their lives, fed and watered with automated equipment. Even most so-called "pasture-raised" poultry spends its entire life in small 10x12 ft moveable cages. Our ducks, by contrast, are free to waddle and forage unfetterd throughout large tracts of natural, organicially certified pasture 24 hours a day. They have access to shelter if they want it, but usually prefer the outdoors as they would in their natural habitat. At night they are protected from predators by our livestock guardian dogs (photo at right).
Processing
& Packaging
To ensure the most succulent, tender meat possible, we harvest our ducklings between 10 and 12 weeks of age. They are custom processed at a California licensed USDA/Certified Organic facility without chemicals or preservatives of any kind and vacuum-packed to retain freshness. We harvest once a month throughout the year. The dressed weight of our drakes is approximately 6.0 lbs - 8.0 lbs and of our hens is 4.5 lbs. Ducks are sold whole or quartered in breast/wind or leg/thigh sections. Necks, livers, gizzards, hearts and feet are can be ordered separately by the pound.
How to Order Direct
E-mail or call us at (707) 876-1808 with your requirements.
We accept checks, money orders or purchase orders.
Delivery options include shipping, on-ranch pick-up or we can deliver to many local destinations, including along the US 101 corridor, between Santa Rosa and San Francisco .
Current Prices: 2009 Price List
Shipping:
We ship our ducks anywhere in the US, frozen in a reusable insulated container with 0 degree cold packs. We send them the fastest and most economical method possible, either via Fed Ex or Priority Mail. We use Next Day Air for destinations that would otherwise reauire more than 3 days of travel time.
Check out our 2009 Harvest Schedule
To ensure the most succulent, tender meat possible, we harvest our ducklings between 10 and 12 weeks of age. They are custom processed at a California licensed USDA/Certified Organic facility without chemicals or preservatives of any kind and vacuum-packed to retain freshness. We harvest once a month throughout the year. The dressed weight of our drakes is approximately 6.0 lbs - 8.0 lbs and of our hens is 4.5 lbs. Ducks are sold whole or quartered in breast/wind or leg/thigh sections. Necks, livers, gizzards, hearts and feet are can be ordered separately by the pound.
How to Order Direct
E-mail or call us at (707) 876-1808 with your requirements.
We accept checks, money orders or purchase orders.
Delivery options include shipping, on-ranch pick-up or we can deliver to many local destinations, including along the US 101 corridor, between Santa Rosa and San Francisco .
Current Prices: 2009 Price List
Shipping:
We ship our ducks anywhere in the US, frozen in a reusable insulated container with 0 degree cold packs. We send them the fastest and most economical method possible, either via Fed Ex or Priority Mail. We use Next Day Air for destinations that would otherwise reauire more than 3 days of travel time.
Check out our 2009 Harvest Schedule
*Certified organic by California
Certified Organic Farmers