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 Shelf life of whole uncleaned ducks... 
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Post Shelf life of whole uncleaned ducks...
What do ya think?


Tue Dec 06, 2011 10:22 am
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Post Re: Shelf life of whole uncleaned ducks...
Immediately frozen whole?

If they aren't cleaned within a few hours of death I really don't mess with them.

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Tue Dec 06, 2011 10:32 am
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Post Re: Shelf life of whole uncleaned ducks...
not frozen....


Tue Dec 06, 2011 10:42 am
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Post Re: Shelf life of whole uncleaned ducks...
You can age your duck. Many do this by hanging assuming it's not gut shot... You can hang your duck in your fridge (below 40) for 3-4 days even longer. This is perfectly fine. Some hang geese up to 2 weeks.

However most of us would get placed in the dog house if we left a duck hanging in the fridge for the wife or GF to find.

My personal rule is 24-48 hours after death I really don't age my duck nor do I give it the chance to spoil. Skin is the last to go. I just clean mine. If you want to age then why not clean the bird & let it age without all the guts & feathers?

Beef & other products for human consumption are all aged however they are usually gutted & quartered prior to being aged. Something to think about.

Personally I wouldn't want to smell dead duck each time I went to grab a beer or make a sandwich :lol:

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Tue Dec 06, 2011 10:43 am
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Post Re: Shelf life of whole uncleaned ducks...
not TRYING to age them....just hunt in a very remote area with limited
access to refrigeration


Tue Dec 06, 2011 11:07 am
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Post Re: Shelf life of whole uncleaned ducks...
You can clean your birds in the field, you just have to leave on the head and/or 1 wing utill you get home. Why not bring a small ice chest with a couple cold packs?


Tue Dec 06, 2011 11:38 am
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Post Re: Shelf life of whole uncleaned ducks...

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Tue Dec 06, 2011 12:03 pm
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Post Shelf life of whole uncleaned ducks...
Breast em with 1 wing attached and bring an ice chest.


Tue Dec 06, 2011 12:08 pm
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Post Shelf life of whole uncleaned ducks...

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Tue Dec 06, 2011 12:19 pm
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Post Re: Shelf life of whole uncleaned ducks...
Back in the market hunting days they never had refigeration and the ducks were fine. A lot of old timers I know would hang ducks for days at the camps. I've seen birds whole,field dressed or skinned with a wing on in an ice chest or fridge for days. I have seen whole birds frozen as is. I only worry about the smell,if it stinks I'm not fooling with it.

Some folks age thier birds by hanging them until you can walk by and remove feathers with no effort.

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Tue Dec 06, 2011 1:20 pm
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Post Shelf life of whole uncleaned ducks...
And outta left field we have a holocaust joke. lol


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Tue Dec 06, 2011 1:29 pm
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Post Re: Shelf life of whole uncleaned ducks...

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Tue Dec 06, 2011 1:34 pm
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Post Re: Shelf life of whole uncleaned ducks...
Clean them with a head/wing and put on ice They will keep many days like this.

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Tue Dec 06, 2011 1:37 pm
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Post Re: Shelf life of whole uncleaned ducks...
Boondocks...


Tue Dec 06, 2011 1:41 pm
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Post Re: Shelf life of whole uncleaned ducks...
Bring an ice chest if your worried about it.

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Tue Dec 06, 2011 1:54 pm
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Post Shelf life of whole uncleaned ducks...
If its cold outside and not in sunlight like someone said you're fine for several days. If it starts warming up you better get some ice

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Tue Dec 06, 2011 8:11 pm
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Post Re: Shelf life of whole uncleaned ducks...
Thanky for the info....


Wed Dec 07, 2011 5:47 am
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Post Re: Shelf life of whole uncleaned ducks...
I don't think it's an issue. Even with this heat these things are fine until days end. I usually have a solid 10 hours inbetween harvest time and cleaning. In that 10 hours they sit in the bottom of the boat. Hadn't had an issue yet. like others have said if you're worried a cooler will be your friend.


Wed Dec 07, 2011 12:09 pm
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Post Re: Shelf life of whole uncleaned ducks...
Alot of times i will have ducks in the fridge for 2-3 days before they are breasted out. IF I am going to pluck it then I will clean the bird later that day, usually after my nap.............. :lol:

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Thu Dec 08, 2011 6:58 pm
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Thu Dec 08, 2011 7:06 pm
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Post Re: Shelf life of whole uncleaned ducks...
I was told by a huge cattle farmer (and believe him) that you need to let the meat cool down and all the rigamortis settle before you remove the meat from the bone. It makes the meat more tender. I always leave my ducks in the shop fridge for 2 days before cleaning. My wife and I did a comparison between fresh killed and cleaned teal vs teal that cooled for two days and there was a noticeable difference.


Thu Dec 08, 2011 7:28 pm
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Thu Dec 08, 2011 8:39 pm
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Post Re: Shelf life of whole uncleaned ducks...
In the market hunting days, barrels full of ducks were shipped up north to market from here, unrefrigerated though in the winter. It took like a week to get there, and they never went bad.

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Thu Dec 08, 2011 9:18 pm
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Post Re: Shelf life of whole uncleaned ducks...
I have aged ducks in a shop fridge for as long as 25 days before, either hanging by the neck or laying(turning birds over daily) feathers on, guts in. Plucked some, skinned some whole and breasted some and it was perfect. No noticeable sour smell or taste and noticeable more tender.

I discovered this method from Chef John Folse and at a minimum age all my fowl for 7 days prior to cleaning and usually longer.

Chef John also said that at the end of your 25-30 days aging process, if you do not feel like cleaning them, you could take the fully feathered, inards intact birds and put them in the freezer for up to another month, thaw and clean with no ill effects.

Take it for what it is. :D


Fri Dec 09, 2011 2:02 pm
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Post Shelf life of whole uncleaned ducks...
Aging 25 days seems too long for me, especially with the guts in.

I'm a sooner than later sort of guy, but have gone a few days in cold weather before without any ill effects.

If you think it's questionable, just clean them, cook them, and feed to your friends. Save the fresh ones for yourself.


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Fri Dec 09, 2011 3:56 pm
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Post Re: Shelf life of whole uncleaned ducks...
Every duck and goose me and my partners shoot after about November 15th is aged 7-10 days in the shed. It stays between 30 and 35 degrees in there. The breats turn out so much better. We usually have a cleaning "party" once a week where we drink beer and eat a lot of the breasts flash fried and then doused with a little garlic salt. Cleaning only once a week is a lot easier too. This doesn't work if you pluck your birds.

If it happens to get real cold and they freeze, then we justset the heat to 35 for a couple of days and they are ready to clean.

We read an old article about Chicago restraunts that aged the ducks for 15 days back in the market hunting era. Thats when we started it and never looked back. Tastes better and is easier for sure.

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Mon Apr 28, 2014 4:37 pm
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Post Re: Shelf life of whole uncleaned ducks...
Never done that but I've put them in the refrigerator for a day or so till I kill a few more.


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Mon Apr 28, 2014 7:05 pm
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Post Re: Shelf life of whole uncleaned ducks...
I put mine in the fridge whole, not gutted. I am not comfortable with anything past 8 days though. Same with doves

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Post Re: Shelf life of whole uncleaned ducks...
I clean mine when get home depends on how tired I am I would throw mine in frig clean next day

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Post Re: Shelf life of whole uncleaned ducks...
Most ive went is a week...no problems and they taste the same no difference..


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Sun Jul 06, 2014 6:43 pm
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