Duck parts question

[Paul12]

So I have been hunting for many years now and never knew or wondered this question until recently. Inside of a duck and goose there is an organ that looks like a closed Steamer clam covered with mussel. What is that organ?

[billc_sbio]

Ya mean the Gizzard?

That's what they have instead of Stomach.

If you ever cut one open, yes there are incredibly powerful muscles, and attached to them are a couple of round hard disks of a sandpaper like cartalige that their food passes between.

The waterfowl go "gravel" picking up small pieces of rock, about the size of pea gravel, which acts as grinding media, especially when they're eating hard grains, like corn.

Those sandpaper-like disks in the Gizzard grind up the grains, rock and everything else and then their bile system goes to work and adds the chemicals needed to digest this slurry.

[GSD]

Originally Posted by billc_sbio

Ya mean the Gizzard?

That's what they have instead of Stomach.

For a more detailed look inside a goose: (Goose Guts)

[billc_sbio]

Oops! Looks like they DO have a stomach! :blush:

Geez, guess I never realized that that wide spot in their esophagus was considered that.

[Wingmaster]

bill, you were spot on about the gizzard. The crop is basically just a storage pouch, the gizzard grinds (makes up for the lack of teeth), and the proventriculus (glandular stomach) adds moisture and acids.

[duckboy]

That is one of the cheif anatomical differences in the Dabbling ducks and the divers.

If you have ever cleaned a bluebill or a scoter, you will notice that they have a gizzard about the size of a tennis Ball, maybe even bigger.

When you bust them open, you'll find clam shells all smashed to smithereens.

[Threemuch]

Originally Posted by billc_sbio

The waterfowl go "gravel" picking up small pieces of rock, about the size of pea gravel, which acts as grinding media, especially when they're eating hard grains, like corn.

Isn't this the main reason we have to use steel shot? So waterfowl aren't picking up lead poisoning from eating lead for their gizzard?

Most of the gizzards I see have much smaller rock than pea gravel, more like #2 shot.

I eat the gizzards (and livers and hearts) of a bunch of the waterfowl I kill. I don't usually cut them open on divers (stinky), I just cut the lobes of muscle off each side of the grinding pouch. Cutting them open on dabblers can give you good info on what they are feeding on, and might help you select your next hunting spot. Gizzards and hearts are really good diced up with mushrooms (chanterelles preferred), garlic and onions in a saute. I usually eat this right away when I get home from a hunt. I usually share the leftovers with the dogs (sans onions and garlic.)

The livers get saved for a pate, made in with cognac, cream and shallots. I get a batch of this every few limits. Good stuff for sure.

[Teton]

Originally Posted by Threemuch

The livers get saved for a pate, made in with cognac, cream and shallots. I get a batch of this every few limits. Good stuff for sure.

Kurt, you can have all my birds' livers if you want.

[billc_sbio]

Originally Posted by Threemuch

Isn't this the main reason we have to use steel shot? So waterfowl aren't picking up lead poisoning from eating lead for their gizzard?

Most of the gizzards I see have much smaller rock than pea gravel, more like #2 shot.

Threemuch,

Back in the days when the Lead Shot "debate" was going hot 'n heavy (and the Lead shot shooters KNEW they were being sold a bill of goods about "the performance is the same, just go up 2 sizes" ) that was one of the issues.

Lead poisoning (called "Plumbism") isn't uniform across all terrains and all of the time. It really is much more prevalent during periods of extreme cold, when the waterfowl are feeding on "Hot Food", i.e. primarily Corn, and their Gizzards are working hard, grinding up all that corn and rocks and SHOT (that they picked up as "gravel").

By itself, and often when they weren't eating hard grains the Lead shot passes right through them without much in the way of ill effects. It's when it gets ground up into a PASTE that the strong acids in their digestive systems is able to react with and create soluable Lead compounds that then enter their bloodstream.

In many ways the mandating of Non-Toxic shot was more of an enforcement thing, making things the same everywhere. Some areas, like big, open fields don't pose much threat to birds picking up Lead shot.