Quail Springs Farm

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Open Water & Wildlife at Quail Spring Ranch
To begin with, one of the things that we find interesting about ranch is that there are a lot of birds that hang out their.  The birds are attracted to the open water and horse food around the ranch, just like you might see birds and animal near your backyard birdbath and feeders.  Anyway, we think this is quite cool!  The ranch is not exactly like "the Covington Preserve" in Morongo, but it is quite nice nonetheless.

Birds are not the only animals attracted to the Ranch.  I use to think that coyotes don't really like horses, until I saw on drinking from an open water source right next to a horse.  See Coyotes.  Anyway, we at the ranch think open water is a great idea and have numerous place around the ranch for our horses.   We also think it is beneficial to wildlife!!!
 

Desert Duck - "that a strange duck"
As strange as it may sound, at the Quail Springs Ranch, we we raise ducks, at least that what we are trying to do in conjunction with our fish raising operations.  We think ducks and fish growing up in man-made ponds and pools and areas around the ranch will enhance the appeal of the ranch, benefit wildlife and make a modest profit. 
 

History of Duck Farming

Ducks have been farmed for hundreds of years. They are not as popular as the chicken, because chickens have much more white lean meat and are easier to keep confined. Nevertheless, the duck is a popular and well known farm bird.

Ducks are farmed for their meat, eggs, and down, and to be health, ducks should be allowed access to water.  Hence, they They should be fed a grain and insect diet. I t is a popular misconception that ducks should be fed bread; bread has limited nutritional value and can be deadly when fed to developing ducklings.  Ducks should be monitored for avian influenza, as they are especially prone to infection with the dangerous H5N1 strain.

The females of most breeds of domestic duck are very unreliable at sitting their eggs and raising their young, and it has been the custom on farms for centuries to put duck eggs under a broody hen for hatching; nowadays incubators are usually used. However, young ducklings rely on their mother for a supply of preen oil to make them waterproof, and a hen does not make as much preen oil as a duck; and an incubator makes none.
 

More on Ducks and Duck Product
 

Ducks as Pets
Domesticated ducks can be kept as pets. They can be kept in a garden or backyard and will often eat insects and slugs. A pond or water dish is recommended although they will probably dredge out and eat any wildlife and frogspawn in a pond, and even swallow adult frogs and toads, as they have been bred to be much bigger than wild ducks with a "hull length" (base of neck to base of tail) of up to a foot or more. A coop should be provided for shelter, and for safety at night from predators such as foxes, as their size makes them unable to fly properly.

Ducks are also kept for their ornamental value. Breeds have been developed with crests and tufts or striking plumage. Shows are held in which ducks can be displayed.
 

The Term "duck"
The term "duck" refers to the meat of several species of bird in the Anatidae family, found in both fresh and salt water. Duck is consumed in many cuisines around the world.
 
Types of Duck for Food
The most common duck consumed in the United States is the Pekin duck. Because most commercially raised Pekins come from Long Island, New York, Pekins are also sometimes called "Long Island" ducks, despite being of Chinese origin. Some specialty breeds have become more popular in recent years, notably the Muscovy duck, and the Moulard duck (a sterile hybrid of Pekins and Muscovies). Unlike most other domesticated ducks, Muscovy ducks are not descendant from mallards.  According to the US Department of Agriculture, nearly 26 million ducks were slaughtered for consumption in the U.S. in 2004.
 

Duck meat
The meat of a duck is mostly on the breast and the legs. The meat of the legs is darker and somewhat fattier than the meat of the breasts, although the breast meat is darker than the breast meat of a chicken or a turkey. Being waterfowl, ducks have a layer of heat-insulating subcutaneous fat between the skin and the meat. Cooking methods for whole duck often are designed to let much of the subcutaneous fat melt and drain away; the fat may be saved for use in cooking as a a substitute for oil or butter.

Boneless duck breast is also called "magret" and can be grilled like steak, usually leaving the skin and fat on.

Internal organs such as heart and kidneys may also be eaten; the liver in particular is often used as a substitute for goose liver in foie gras.

A duck has less meat than a roasting chicken of the same overall size. Cooks when portioning roast duck should give a quarter of a duck per portion. Attempts to get more portions out of a roast duck tends to result in some portions having a fair amount of meat and other portions being mostly skin and bone.
 

Duck fat
Duck fat is used in cooking many dishes, and particularly confit de canard.
 

Duck Dishes
Duck is used in a variety of dishes around the world, most of which involve roasting for at least part of the cooking process to aid in crisping the skin. Notable duck dishes include:
  • Foie Gras: a pâté which may be made from the liver of a duck but usually from a goose
  • Peking Duck: a Chinese dish, where a roasted duck is served with pancakes and Hoisin Sauce
  • Turducken: an American dish that comprises a turkey, stuffed with a duck, which is in turn stuffed with a chicken.
  • Pressed duck: a complex dish originally from Rouen, France.
  • Confit: duck legs that have been cured (partly or fully) in salt, then marinated and poached in duck fat, typically with garlic and other herbs. The French word confit means "preserved," and the French name for duck confit is "confit de canard."

 

Quail Springs Farm

  

 

Mile 3.0 miles up Park Blvd/Quail Springs Road
On the way to the main entrance to the park
Joshua Tree, CA 92252

 
Quail        
Coyote Ducks Fish Greenhouses Water

1.8 miles from the

Joshua Tree National Park - Main Gate