Can Antibiotics and Hormones Be Used in Raising Duck and Goose?
No hormones are allowed in U. S. duck or goose production. The Food and Drug Administration strictly prohibits the use of hormones in these birds. Very few drugs have been approved for ducks and geese so antibiotics are not routinely given and are not useful for feed efficiency. If a drug is given — usually, through the feed — to cure illness, for example, a “withdrawal” period of days is required from the time it is administered until it is legal to slaughter the bird. This is so residues can exit the bird’s system. FSIS randomly samples poultry at slaughter and tests for residues. How Are Duck and Goose Down Obtained? When these birds are slaughtered, they are first stunned electrically. After their throats are cut (by hand, for geese) and the birds are bled, they are scalded to facilitate removal of large feathers. To remove fine pinfeathers, the birds are dipped in paraffin wax. Down and feathers, a very valuable by-product of the duck and goose industry, are sorted at another fa
