How to Pluck a Duck

Wild ducks are best cooked with the skin on. That means you’ve got to pluck their feathers, which can be a tedious and time consuming task. The most straightforward way to pluck a duck is by tearing off the feathers until the skin is clear and clean. However, there are better methods, especially if you have a bunch of birds.

Try this wax-plucking method I learned while hunting specklebellies with Jonathan Wilkins of Black Duck Revival. He demonstrated the method on specks, but it works just as well on ducks or any waterfowl. The best thing about this method is that it allows you to use all the meat from the bird.

“Why put in all that work only to take the breast meat?” Wilkins said. Here’s Wilkins’ process, adapted from a traditional Louisiana method, for plucking a duck.

Steps to Pluck a Duck Using the Wax Method

As with any cleaning method, wax-plucking ducks has its pros and cons. It’s a bit messy and a lot of work for just a few birds. But if you have a pile of geese or ducks to process, it’s surprisingly efficient. Wilkins can turn a whole goose into something worthy of a butcher shop in just a few minutes. It’s also satisfying to remove feathers and reveal a beautifully-plucked goose. Here’s a quick overview of each step:

1. Prepare your workspace
2. Pluck key feathers
3. Dip the bird in melted wax
4. Remove excess wax
5. Ice the bird
6. Peel off wax
7. Clean the bird

Supplies You’ll Need

To pluck wild or domestic ducks and geese, you’ll need a few essentials:

• Wild birds (geese, ducks, etc.)
• Paraffin wax
• Gas burner stove
• Deep pot, with lid
• Stirring stick
• Cooler
• Several bags of ice
• Cutting board
• Sharp knife

Prepare Your Workspace to Pluck a Duck

It will take a while for the water to heat and the wax to melt, so be sure to start this in advance. Set up a burner outside with a big pot, and use broken-down cardboard boxes to cover your workspace for easier wax cleanup. Fill the pot ¾-full with water, then add the paraffin wax as the water warms. Wilkins used about five boxes of paraffin wax (1 lb. apiece) in the pot pictured below (about 30 quarts), and added more wax as we worked. He recommends a ratio of one part wax to two parts water. Remember, you’ll need space for both the wax and dunking the bird, so don’t overfill the pot.

While you’re waiting for the wax to melt, fill the cooler with ice and hose water, and grab a trashcan for the feathers. Once the liquid is hot (don’t let it boil), it’s time to start removing feathers.

Pluck Key Feathers

Pluck the tail feathers, a line of feathers up the front and back of the goose, and the wing feathers up to the first joint. Natalie Krebs

Yes, the whole point of waxing the birds is so you don’t have to pluck them, but you’ll still need to remove feathers in a few spots. Resist the urge to go too crazy here, Wilkins advises. You only need to pluck enough feathers to give the wax purchase on the goose’s skin.

Start by removing the tail feathers, then pluck a rough center line through the downy feathers up the front and back of the bird. This line should run vertically from the tail to the chest, and between the wings on the back. This seam only needs to be as wide as the feathers you can remove in one pinch. Finally, pluck the wing feathers closest to the body, down to the first joint.

Wax-Dip the Bird

When dipping the goose in the pot, hold it by the feet and the wings and neck for a good grip—and to avoid wasting wax on parts that don’t need to be plucked. Natalie Krebs

Gather the partially-plucked duck or goose’s feet in one hand, and the wings and the neck in the other. Lower the bird gently into the simmering wax, submerging the body as best you can. Lift it out, flip it over, and repeat. You only need wax on the body, so don’t waste wax on the wings, the head, and the feet. If you have lots of birds to dunk, keep an eye on how much wax you’re using. It you start to run out, add more to the pot as you go. Too little wax on a bird won’t create the hard shell you need for easy feather removal. Keep track of this by watching the wax you squeegee off the bird (see below) and the thickness of the wax coating on the feathers as you remove each bird from the pot.

Remove Excess Wax

Use the stirring stick to firmly squeegee the excess wax and water off the bird before dunking it in the ice bath. Natalie Krebs

After you dunk the duck or goose, hold it above the pot and use the stirring stick to squeegee the excess wax and water from the feathers. This usually takes several firm strokes down each side. You might be tempted to skip this step, but sloughing off extra wax keeps you from wasting wax and dripping it all over your work space.

Ice the Duck

Immediately dunk the bird in the ice bath. Try to keep the wings above the water, if only because it’s less slippery (and warmer for your hands) in the next step. Keep the bird in the ice bath for up to five minutes. It’s okay if the goose sits longer in the water while you’re working on other birds; you just need the wax to fully harden into a cool shell before you can remove it.

Peel Off the Wax

Peeling away chunks of the wax-hardened feathers. You can see one scrap already below the feet, and the feather-free skin underneath the waxy feathers. Natalie Krebs

Once your bird is done cooling in the ice bath, remove it from the water and smack it on a hard surface a few times, just like a bag of gas-station ice. Pin the duck or goose by a wing, and use your other hand to dig away at the hardened feathers. The waxy shell should come apart in large chunks, peeling away to reveal the feather-free skin. Work carefully around any shot holes in the body, as the fragile skin there tends to pull away with the wax and expose muscle below.

Clean the Bird

A quick singe from a propane torch will remove the pesky pin feathers. Note that wax-plucking works best on head-shot birds. Natalie Krebs

Remove the wings at the first joint, then use a propane torch or the burner on your stove to singe away the pin feathers. Use a knife and cut around the bird’s tail to remove the oil gland and cloaca, while also creating a hole to extract the innards. Cut through a few vertebrae, and avoid slicing through the intestine. Once the tail is removed, you can reach into the body cavity and remove the guts. Consider saving the hearts, gizzards, etc. until you have enough for future dishes.

Bonus Tips for Plucking a Duck

If you need to transport the bird, be sure to follow the regulations in your state. You can cut the legs off, but there’s a handy trick to remove the feet and leg tendons. After wax-plucking, snap the leg sideways at the joint and give it a strong twist to remove the foot with the tendons intact. Wilkins throws the feet, which have collagen, in with bird carcasses for making stock.

FAQs

How to pluck a duck without wax?

If the idea of melting paraffin wax and setting up an ice bath sounds like a lot of effort for just a few birds, you can simply pluck your ducks by hand. This is time-consuming and messy. Pluck your ducks outside with a trash can handy for the feathers, or pluck them in an area of the yard where you don’t mind feathers flying everywhere. Simply grab fist-fulls of feathers and pull from the base to remove them at the quill. Take care not to tear the delicate skin, particularly around shot holes. If you have lots of birds to pluck or plan to regularly pluck ducks, consider investing in a duck plucker.

How to pluck a duck fast?

There are plenty of gadgets on the market designed for plucking feathers off everything from chickens to wild ducks and geese. A good duck plucker works well and lasts through seasons of hard use, but there are cheaper contraptions like drill attachments that also work. Just be careful and follow all safety protocols when using industrial-strength pluckers.

Will a chicken plucker work on ducks?

Yes, a chicken plucker will work on ducks. The drum-style chicken pluckers still require some hand plucking, but they can help remove stubborn feathers and make quick work of a larger batch of ducks.

Final Thoughts on How to Pluck a Duck

No matter the method you choose, learning how to pluck a duck takes time and effort. The process is worth it since wild ducks taste best when cooked with the fat and skin on. Bask in the post-hunt ritual of plucking ducks or cracking a beer while breaking out the wax pot. You’ll thank us later.