# On ducks - Is "duckling" a culinary term for full-grown duck? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 30, 2006, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-ducks-is-duckling-a-culinary-term-for-full-grown-duck/342236 "2006-01-30T18:30:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2006, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-ducks-is-duckling-a-culinary-term-for-full-grown-duck/342236/1 "2006-01-30T18:30:37Z")
On a whim the other day I bought a whole duck to roast. The package is labeled “duckling” and I notice that many recipes use the word duckling in their titles. Yet this ‘duckling’ weighs five and a half pounds and looks at least as big, if not bigger, than the mallards you would see paddling about on the nearest pond. How big do these ducks get? Are they really not fully grown when slaughtered and processed for sale? ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2006, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-ducks-is-duckling-a-culinary-term-for-full-grown-duck/342236/2 "2006-01-30T21:24:08Z")
I don’t know, but I do not that I never see mutton in the stores, only lamb. I’ve often wondered if “lamb” has an upper age limit, and if so, what it is. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2006, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-ducks-is-duckling-a-culinary-term-for-full-grown-duck/342236/3 "2006-01-30T21:25:37Z")
…do \*\*note \*\* that… ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2006, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-ducks-is-duckling-a-culinary-term-for-full-grown-duck/342236/4 "2006-01-30T21:26:15Z")
> [@Dr. Drake](#): > > I don’t know, but I do not that I never see mutton in the stores, only lamb. I’ve often wondered if “lamb” has an upper age limit, and if so, what it is. Take that sheep out of this thread, you’re frightening all my ducks. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2006, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-ducks-is-duckling-a-culinary-term-for-full-grown-duck/342236/5 "2006-01-30T21:39:40Z")
It has to do with the age, not size, of the bird. [From here.](http://www.ams.usda.gov/howtobuy/poultry.htm) > [@](#): > > The class of poultry indicates the age of the bird. Age affects the tenderness of poultry meat and dictates the cooking method to use for maximum flavor and tenderness. Poultry meat from young birds is more tender than poultry meat from older birds. > > Young birds provide tender-meated poultry that is suitable for all cooking methods, especially broiling, barbecuing, roasting, or frying. They may be labeled as: > > \ > > Duck: duckling, young duckling, broiler duckling, fryer duckling, or roaster duckling. > > \ > Mature birds provide less tender-meated poultry that is suitable for moist-heat cooking such as stewing or baking, and may be preferred for use in soups, casseroles, salads, or sandwiches. They may be labeled as: > > \ > > Duck, goose, and guinea: mature or old duck, goose, or guinea. I can’t find the exact age cutoff, however. Even my _Joy Of Cooking_ (newfangled edition) fails me. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2006, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-ducks-is-duckling-a-culinary-term-for-full-grown-duck/342236/6 "2006-01-30T21:41:16Z")
[They are somewhat clearer on the subject of lamb, however.](http://www.ams.usda.gov/howtobuy/meat.htm) > [@](#): > > Lamb is produced from animals less than a year old. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2006, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-ducks-is-duckling-a-culinary-term-for-full-grown-duck/342236/7 "2006-01-30T22:41:10Z")
The lambs, having received their answer, retreat (sheepishly) from the thread. ---
**Author:** ![WotNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e19b73/32.png) [@WotNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WotNot)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2006, 9:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-ducks-is-duckling-a-culinary-term-for-full-grown-duck/342236/8 "2006-01-31T09:28:05Z")
> [@WhyNot](#): > > It has to do with the age, not size, of the bird. > > I can’t find the exact age cutoff, however. Even my _Joy Of Cooking_ (newfangled edition) fails me. _My_ cookbook (Good Housekeeping) says: “Commercial ducklings are killed at the second feather stage, at about 7–8 weeks.” Obviously there may be differences between the UK and the US (and elsewhere). ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2006, 9:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-ducks-is-duckling-a-culinary-term-for-full-grown-duck/342236/9 "2006-01-31T09:43:20Z")
> [@Dr. Drake](#): > > The lambs, having received their answer, retreat (sheepishly) from the thread. Ah, the silence of the lambs. ---
**Author:** ![Eleusis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Eleusis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eleusis)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2006, 10:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-ducks-is-duckling-a-culinary-term-for-full-grown-duck/342236/10 "2006-01-31T10:28:07Z")
> [@jjimm](#): > > Ah, the silence of the lambs. Yeah, but how does the lotion on its skin affect the tenderness? ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2006, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-ducks-is-duckling-a-culinary-term-for-full-grown-duck/342236/11 "2006-01-31T14:47:41Z")
> [@Dr. Drake](#): > > The lambs, having received their answer, retreat (sheepishly) from the thread. And become silent. ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2006, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-ducks-is-duckling-a-culinary-term-for-full-grown-duck/342236/12 "2006-01-31T15:43:44Z")
If you can buy duckling how come you can’t buy gosling? ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2006, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-ducks-is-duckling-a-culinary-term-for-full-grown-duck/342236/13 "2006-01-31T20:46:52Z")
So what would be the reason to butcher old ducks, at all? As long as they’re full-sized, the meat from the younger ones should be cheaper, since they don’t need to eat as much before they’re et. With sheep, there’s some economic sense, since you can continue getting wool from a sheep for its whole life, but I don’t think there’s any sort of continuing product from ducks. ---
**Author:** ![cher3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/da6949/32.png) [@cher3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cher3)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2006, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-ducks-is-duckling-a-culinary-term-for-full-grown-duck/342236/14 "2006-01-31T20:55:02Z")
Well, there’s other ducks. There’s also a modest market for duck eggs in places with a significant Asian population. ---
**Author:** ![teela\_brown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d9b06d/32.png) [@teela\_brown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teela_brown)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2006, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-ducks-is-duckling-a-culinary-term-for-full-grown-duck/342236/15 "2006-01-31T20:59:18Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > So what would be the reason to butcher old ducks, at all? As long as they’re full-sized, the meat from the younger ones should be cheaper, since they don’t need to eat as much before they’re et. With sheep, there’s some economic sense, since you can continue getting wool from a sheep for its whole life, but I don’t think there’s any sort of continuing product from ducks. Maybe they keep 'em around for egg-laying purposes, and then butcher them when they stop laying. I once bought for cooking a “duck” (not duckling), and used it for duck soup. Browned it in its own fat and simmered it for a couple of hours with red wine and garlic. Made good soup, but was in no way tender. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2006, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-ducks-is-duckling-a-culinary-term-for-full-grown-duck/342236/16 "2006-01-31T21:23:36Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > So what would be the reason to butcher old ducks, at all? As long as they’re full-sized, the meat from the younger ones should be cheaper, since they don’t need to eat as much before they’re et. With sheep, there’s some economic sense, since you can continue getting wool from a sheep for its whole life, but I don’t think there’s any sort of continuing product from ducks. To answer your question, I repeat the anecdote of my dear friend Margretl, a German immigrant to the US. Margretl went to a Trader Joe’s (or some other hippified store) and asked for a duck to roast for dinner. Nothing was in the front case, but the eager, hopeful clerk went rummaging around in the back room for a bit, then came out, triumphant. “Here! I found one, and it’s a young lean male duckling!” (For full effect, imagine this next part in German-accented English, with the Raised Eyebrow of Disdain that only my friend Margretl can do so well.) “Stupid boy,” she said firmly, “Every bit of that was wrong. If I’m going to cook a duck, I want an old, fat female! I want to \*\*taste \*\*it, not punt it!” (She went to Lincoln Square (Germantown) and got herself a “real” duck.) ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2006, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-ducks-is-duckling-a-culinary-term-for-full-grown-duck/342236/17 "2006-01-31T21:35:23Z")
> [@cher3](#): > > Well, there’s other ducks. Cold, even. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2006, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-ducks-is-duckling-a-culinary-term-for-full-grown-duck/342236/18 "2006-01-31T22:02:22Z")
> [@CookingWithGas](#): > > If you can buy duckling how come you can’t buy gosling? Or even goose? > **[Why is goose not eaten in the U.S.?](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=356653)** > > I’ve never in my life eaten goose. Never seen it on the menu, never seen one in the supermarket. I guess it’s just not popular in the U.S. Even though hunting of wild geese is popular (among hunters). Why is that? Is goose any good to eat? Also... ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2006, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-ducks-is-duckling-a-culinary-term-for-full-grown-duck/342236/19 "2006-01-31T22:03:36Z")
> [@Dr. Drake](#): > > I don’t know, but I do not that I never see mutton in the stores, only lamb. I’ve often wondered if “lamb” has an upper age limit, and if so, what it is. Why can’t you get mutton in the U.S.? I ran a thread on that question but got no satisfactory answer: [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=293673](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=293673) ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2006, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-ducks-is-duckling-a-culinary-term-for-full-grown-duck/342236/20 "2006-01-31T22:05:58Z")
Current USDA Definitions: > [@](#): > > §70.203 Ducks. > The following are the various classes of ducks: > (a) Broiler duckling or fryer duckling. A broiler duckling or a fryer duckling is a young duck (usually under 8 weeks of age), of either sex, that is tender-meated and has a soft bill and a soft windpipe. > (b) Roaster duckling. A roaster duckling is a young duck (usually under 16 weeks of age), of either sex, that is tender-meated and has a bill that is not completely hardened and a windpipe that is easily dented. > © Mature duck or old duck. A mature duck or an old duck is a duck (usually over > 6 months of age), of either sex, with toughened flesh, hardened bill, and hardened windpipe. [United States Classes, Standards, and Grades for Poultry AMS 70.200 et seq. Effective September 5, 2002](http://www.ams.usda.gov/poultry/pdfs/AMS-PYST-2002.pdf) (.pdf) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-ducks-is-duckling-a-culinary-term-for-full-grown-duck/342236.md?page=2)