Brandon and Lauren discuss 4 species of backyard birds for the smallholder: geese, turkey, chicken and especially ducks.

They consider breeds and husbandry and cutout right before discussing harvesting methods, which will be a full second part episode.  They consider supplementary topics such as foie gras, raising birds with a family and the advantages certain breeds have when feeding them becomes difficult.

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Topics Discussed

• Introduction & what Brandon’s up to today
• 3:30 Backyard Poultry. Meatsmith has maintained ducks, rabbits and pigs in their farmsteading lives.
• 7:30 Features to look for so you can still raise them even when everything you planned falls apart.
• 9:20 Ducks, they like the cool and wet. Muscovy are Brandon’s favorite breed
• 11:30 Ducks vs Chickens
• 14:45 Turkeys. When raising them, plan ahead
• 18:15 Geese- the pigs of the poultry word
• 22:20 Types of ducks: Mallard descendants and muscovy
• 31:45 Dual purpose poultry
• 38:50 Nutrition for poultry (mostly about ducks)
• 56:40 Gavage duck feeding
• 1:01:00 Foie Gras (end episode 3)
• 1:05:45 How to harvest Poultry
• 1:11:00 The non-kill cone execution method
• 1:20:00 Wax method & You are the authority on processing, not your customers
• 1:24:00 Butchering poultry the day after slaughtering & Charcuterie
• 1:34:00 Home harvest abundance, the intimacy and pragmatic death, and the decisive death
• 1:40:00 Books on the topic: Dave Holderread’s, the water fowl expert, book Stories Guide to Raising Ducks. Elizabeth Luard’s Old World Kitchen
• 1:44:30 French tradition of hanging chicken and the slaughterman traditions of Europe