As you can see from this chart on felinenutrition.org, wild duck contains more protein, significantly less fat, and less kcal per pound. These number variations hold true for most wild prey vs. their farmed counterparts because they eat a species-appropriate diet and are allowed ample exercise. We should always be feeding as close to what Mother Nature intended as best we can, and feeding purely farmed meats is not going to do that. However, don't get me wrong, feeding a raw diet consisting of mostly or all farmed meats is going to be wildly healthier than what you'd find in commercial pet foods...so don't beat yourself up if you can't source anything better. This is just something we should all strive to achieve for our animals. Thanks to my good friend Veronica (@lfk.ferrets) I was able to get some images of a farmed dressed duck to compare to my wild dressed duck. Size & Price As you can tell from their exteriors, the left duck (farmed) is much larger. It's also paler in color than my duck. Now, there are many breeds of duck, all of varying sizes, so keep that in mind when shopping for duck. Both ducks were priced at ~$15.00USD Flesh Color My favorite part when prepping newer meats is seeing what color it is! Darker, more red meat = more nutrients. On the wild duck, you can see why wild prey/free range meats are often considered red meat. The farmed duck has a color more similar to chicken. You can also see the rest of the duck parts in the background, all a very pale, "chicken-like" color. The main difference in these photos is color. On the wild duck, flesh is darker and the skin on the feet is as well. One of the biggest differences was the neck! I actually have quite a few commercially raised duck necks in my freezer, so I was able to thaw one to compare. The left neck (farmed) is much larger and thicker with more fat attached. While the wild duck neck is thinner and dark in color. Notes Wild vs Farmed Duck
The purpose of this post was to show you visual comparisons of wild game vs it's farmed counterpart. Not to make you feel guilty about sourcing your meats from your local grocery. For me to obtain this wild duck regularly, would mean an almost 3 hour drive roundtrip. While I adore my ferret crew and want to provide them with the best, it's just not always feasible. My motto with raw feeding is to do the best you can and learn wherever possible!
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