Reptile & Amphibian Forums

After discussing feeders in the post below, I had the realisation that I have wild-shot wood ducks as a possibility for feeders.

My family (not including me) goes shooting, and normally end up with a crapload of ducks which they end up giving away.

What are people's experiences with feeding plucked duck?

Cheers,
Aaron.
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Happy Herping

Hmm...I have a couple of ducks in my freezer also...hadn't thought of them as feeders though...I would suspect that anything in the way of parasites would be destroyed by freezing?? But maybe not...
And why pluck'em? I'm anxious to hear other opinions...I've had the same thoughts about squirrels as feeders...no, I don't have any of those in my freezer nor do I eat them. I suspect that those with more experience will surmize that it's probably not worth the risk. Rats are pretty cheap man....
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JOHN H in NH

Then there's the "shot" issue...it's no longer legal to use lead shot but even a few bits of steel shot could be harmful if ingested...you know this chat probably qualifies us as rednecks...my friend said recently..."if you have more than one snake in your house, on purpose...you might be a redneck"...I guess that's me!!
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JOHN H in NH

I thought plucking just to ease digestion.

The reason I ask is that jumbo rats cost around $6.00 each, and when you need 5 or 6 of them per week, along with countless other smaller rats and mice, it becomes quite expensive.

I'll start breeding my own rats soon.

Cheers,
Aaron.
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Happy Herping

Holy cow! Six bucks...you need to find a source for frozen feeders...check out rodentpro. Large rats are around 1.50 ea...jumbos are around 1.80...At $6 , you're paying "pet" rat prices. Are there any herp shops near you? I live near a good one...they're able to sell frozen for a reasonable price...Good luck!
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JOHN H in NH

Ahh the joys of mass produced feeders. I'm in Australia. There are no huge scale breeders of feeders. In fact, the largest breeder of rats here in Vic has jumbos at $6.80 each, frozen.

So one might be able to see the advantages in free duck... i just worry about the pellets...
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Happy Herping

I see. Well, time to breed your own rats then! I've just started on that path myself. I have 2 females that appear to be close to giving birth. I'm keeping them in my barn. Raising them in the house didn't make sense to me...one of the upsides to keeping snakes is the lack of nasty odors etc...a pair or two of rats can stink up a room in a hurry even when tended to regularly. Lots of ammonia...It would be great if you could raise them in a shed or garage or even outside some how if you're in the right climate...
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JOHN H in NH

It begins to heat up a bit here over December to Feb, so the plan is to breed enough rats to last the year out. I have a semi-enclosed decking I will breed them on... cats/birds cannot get to them then.
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Happy Herping

I've fed ducks before, as they have more meat than chickens, and are not as messy, plus the beak/head is not as pointed. Always freeze, but I also would be concerned about the lead shot. If you live in the country, try and find your local livestock auction. You can buy hand raised ducks or rabbits cheap. I currently pay about $1-1.50 for a one pound or larger rabbit. That's PER ANIMAL, not per pound. I freeze rabbits , especially before Easter when the prices go nuts for bunnies. My carpets and Black Heads are eating small rabbits, thawed. My olives eat larger ones.

Sounds like you need to find a new source of feeder rats. If you can them to take frozen/thawed rodents you can order them online for MUCH cheaper than that and I find it much more convienient that purchasing live.
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