Major changes in the pecking order

I had not realised that the ducks had a very established pecking order. Now that three drakes are in the freezer there is a power vacuum. This has been increased by the introduction of the four new ducklings into the flock.

There was quite a commotion at the duck-house door this evening as the brown drake seemed to make a bid for the throne. Hopefully they will sort this out among themselves over the next few days.

Dw i'n wedi lladd hwyaden cyntaf heddiw.

Well the deed has been done. I killed the first of the ducks today. I created a killing cone out of an old traffic cone and attached it to a large oak tree in the woods near the duck meadow. The hatchet, from France, was sharpened until it was razor sharp and in one thud it was all over. Death seemed to be instantaneous and I feel happy that the duck felt no pain.

Plucked

The plucking was easier than I had anticipated. There are conflicting pieces of advice of whether to go with, or against, the grain. In the end I went with what seemed natural and the fastest.

I found a good site which gave advice on how to prepare the duck for the freezer. This guide from the Girl's Guide to Guns and Butter is an excellent aid to the task of butchering the duck and preparing it for the freezer.

I found an old bagging machine and we used this for the final freezer preparation. In addition to the bird, we have kept the gizzard, liver and giblets (neck and heart). The gizzard is the base for Salad de Gesier and ideal for lunch, I hope to make duck liver parfait as well.

There are four more to go later in the week and the freezer will now start to earn its keep. Overall an unpleasant task, but less distressing than I had anticipated.