Anyone raise ducks for meat?

Looking into Rouen or Pekin ducks , couple dozen to raise for ourselves, not to sell. Any input?

Thanks, John

I live in the epicenter of where LI ducks were grown, all Pekins.
They grow fast and are messy, you don't need water to raise them on, do fine on dry lots, they eat a lot!, thus the mess, and the smell of the big farms... lol
They had a special duck grower feed for them and it was cheap, we all fed chickens, pigs, whatever on it. Chicken grower should be fine and cheap by you.
You need to dress them before the pin feathers start, or you'll be picking pins forever. My grandmother used to pick ducks back in the day, it was all piece work, she could drive so she picked up the other ladies, all Italian immigrants, The legal kind,
The breeders layed eggs, but wherever they felt like dropping them, lousy mothers, I've rarely seen any set. Eggs were good to eat though.
The chicks used to be popular as easter "gifts" but when they got big they were usually dumped at the nearest pond, They managed to mostly survive but never reproduced...

We raise Muscovy. I had a friend who had a bunch get loose and have babies in there sub division. He called one night and said I could have all the babies we could catch. I think we got 22. They grow quick the moms are good and go broody so you will get more ducks without an incubator. The only real down side to ducks is there messy. About two to three times as messy as a chicken but besides that I'm happy we have meat walking around the backyard.

Those Muscovies can fly like eagles too, lol, like said, hardy birds that reproduce themselves, my grandfather had some, they lived in the pond he had and went into a shed when it froze, kinda free range, only way to harvest one was with a 22. might be a better choice than the Pekins

I raise Magpies but not to eat. I guess they're mostly pets. I just like seeing them on my pond. They're a decent sized duck so I think they'd make a good meat duck, if you can get past their personality... they're a trip to watch and while I have no problems eating any chickens or quail I raise I'd have a hard time eating my ducks because of their personality. They're decent mothers... they absolutely go broody but mine rarely hatch their whole clutch, usually only about 1/4 to 1/3 of it... I don't know why. A friend that I gave magpie ducklings to now raises them and he says his hatch out big clutches so not sure what my ducks' problem is. Mine are free range 100% of the time (on the pond) and I only feed them a pan full of cracked corn a day, besides that they're on their own and do just fine. I've been raising them about 8 years now.

Perkins for meat and egg production.

Muscovies for meat and egg production. They can fly and that may help get away from predators in a free range setting. Some say the best tasting duck. Quite birds.

https://www.chickensandmore.com/muscovy-duck/

https://backyardpoultry.iamcountryside.com/poultry-101/raising-the-best-ducks-for-meat/

Thanks for the info guys. I farm, and have grain tanks full of corn and soybeans. Thought about grinding feed myself , but would have to raise a bunch to pay off.

What is the length of time for Pekins to be butchered ( from day old to butcher ) ? Is it about the same for Muscovy?

If I remember correctly, Pekins are pushed hard and processed at maybe 7,8 weeks The commercial birds have a LOT of fat under the skin, over an open fire they'll flare up bad, Muscovys can go longer and are leaner.

raised both pekins and rouens and while I like the rouens better taste and texture wise, the pekins grow out a lot faster . . they free range, we have a creek, I only ever threw them a little bit of laying crumble every other day or so . . that said, I'm sure they'd be butcher ready sooner if you pushed the feed more

I've raised tons of meat ducks. I couldn't tell a big difference between those two for meat output. I know they have a large version of the hertiage pekin thats more geared for meat, but I wanted to be able to breed my own, so I stuck with the original.

That being said, we were just given a muscovy and it is MUCH larger than the pekin. Plus they can't quack so they are quiet. Additionally, I believe the muscovys can fly so that would/could help with predator issues. I've heard they are better foragers and hammer the flies.

My next batch of meat ducks may just be the white muscovys.

Raw soybeans, including the immature green form, are toxic to all monogastric animals.

FYI the great lakes mallard duck population is full of domestic duck genes from the ducks that "never breed or survive in the wild" and yes they don't thrive well and they suspect are passing along those non thriving genes to the wild population. Its a big study they are just starting to understand.

7 years ago, a female Muscovy with 4 littles ones washed down the creek and made my pond their home. Today, there are 13, lost 3 a few weeks ago to predators, they are ever repopulating. At one time there were 31 of them. They taste good and make a nice change to the menu.