rice breast

[Al Hansen]

This is the first time I have had a spoonbill with this condition. In the past I have shot mallards, Mexican ducks, and a gadwall with it .
Al

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[Paul Meisenheimer]

Shot one last year that was a lot like that. Do you shoot many shovelers in NM?

 

[george w]

if you don't skin them , you will never know--It's just extra protein, after all.
Y'all have a Blessed Christmas!

 

[noweil Mike]

I think that I have found it more in shovelers where I hunt than other ducks.

 

[Al Hansen]

Shot one last year that was a lot like that. Do you shoot many shovelers in NM?

Paul, so far this year I think I have taken 4. It all depends on where I hunt. This marks the first time since I began hunting 2 Duck Pond at the ranch that I have taken spoonbills. I began on Monday after Thanksgiving in 07.

 

[Al Hansen]

if you don't skin them , you will never know--It's just extra protein, after all.
Y'all have a Blessed Christmas!

Depends on how fat they are George. I shot a Mexican duck years ago that was very skinny. She was loaded much worse than this duck and you could see them under the skin. I sure agree about all that extra protein. Merry Christmas to you!
Al

 

[Al Hansen]

I think that I have found it more in shovelers where I hunt than other ducks.

Thanks for that reply, Mike. That is interesting. Here it has been the mallards/Mexican ducks, however I shoot more of them.
Al

 

[Tom Scholberg]

Protein or not that is NASTY. I suppose what you don't see won't hurt you but it still is nasty.

 

[Huntindave McCann]

I've eaten ducks and rice, but I prefer to add my own rice. Like Tom said, rice breast is just plain nasty.

 

[A Michael Chase]

What is it?

 

[Tom Scholberg]

It is a parasite that is supposed to be not harmful to humans if cooked properly. Ok, I still say nasty

 

[A Michael Chase]

Thanks. I've never seen that. Since I like my duck medium rare, I hope I never do.

 

[Al Hansen]

The scenario goes something like this if I remember correctly. Let's say that you wounded a duck that flew off some place and later on died. Along came an opportunistic coyote or skunk, found the duck, and ate it. Of course after a big meal, it had to go to the bathroom and its scat happened to fall into some shallow water. Later on some puddle ducks came along and were eating food in that area where the animal's feces had contaminated the water. The duck ingests the cysts (oocysts) and they get into the muscle structure. When the duck infested with the sarcocystis parasite is eaten by the animal talked about before, the parasite has gone full cycle. By the way, the parasite only lives within the intestinal tract of the animal.

As has already been talked about, meat infected with or infested with the parasite is not harmful to humans. However, I have never heard of anyone eating it when they knew that the bird had this condition. The infected bird is normally tossed.

If you look up rice breast or sarcocystis you will find some interesting reading and see the life cycle it needs.
Al

 

[A Michael Chase]

Thanks Al.

 

[Cody Williams]

Rice breast is particularly bad in shovelers that have spent time on the Great Salt Lake-not sure why but it seems especially prevalent in them. I don't shoot spoonbills usually as a rule but of the dozen or so that I've shot over the past few years (sometimes they decoy in so beautifully that I can't help myself) 2 of them have had rice breast. Maybe it's easier for them to get it because they skim the surface of the water when they feed? That's actually not that bad of a case of rice breast in your bird Al-one of the ones that I got had breast meat that was more white than red! I've never been brave enough to eat a rice breasted duck but supposedly you can......

 

[Carl]

I've seen rice breast in spoonies here too, but just a few. Also in the gadwalls. Don't think I have ever seen it in divers.


I don't pass on spoonies, the ones here taste just like any other duck we shoot. They are all feeding on the milfoil & eelgrass and what ever is living in it & on it.
All our ducks, puddlers and divers, have gizzards full of pieces of the little snails that graze on the grass & algae in our bays.

 

[Dani]

Carl your comment about shovelors tasting the same as other ducks made me laugh over a memory that comment brought up.

I've a friend who has only ever shot shovelors out of phosphate mine ponds. IMO even teal or blackbellies, both of which are in the top for delectable ducks, are NASTY from phosphate mine ponds. He says that shovelors are naaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaasty. I've always asked him how he figgers that when they eat the same thing teal eat and he loves teal. The response has always been along the lines of they just are.

So anywho, we were hunting central FL and I got into a pile of shovelors and I was gonna cook up some duck that night for dinner. Todd was like ooooohhhh I sure hope you're not gonna cook up those nasty disgusting shovelors. I told him that of course I would, and I'd bet him a six pack that he'd never be able to tell the shovelors from the teal. Thinking it would be an easy six pack for him, he took that bet. I cooked up the shovelors and teal seperate (as I told him I would) and didn't tell him which were which (again as I told him I would).

I sure did enjoy that "free" beer. And now he shoots shovelors when they come through.

 

[Carl]

People say the same thing about coots: NASTYYYYY".
Which means they probably never ate one!

 

[Al Hansen]

That free 6 pack of beer had to taste really good, Dani!
Al