Sacrocystis or Rice Breast Disease

I shot a nice drake wood duck this AM. When I went to clean it I first thought it was full of maggots. After some research I found it had what is known as Sacrocystis or rice breast disease. Apparently, it is a parasitic infection. When ducks get it they apparently don't look or act sick as I can attest from this bird. The cysts occur in the skeletal muscles.

Yepp I have seen it a few times. Grosses me out

Hard core duck hunters eat that.

If you fish the coast, check the next trout you clean. Most of them have worms that look like that through the fillet. Doesn't bother me in fish though, just ducks.

See it a few times a year in North Texas birds

First green head of the season had rice breast

For reference, don't think you can feed it to the dogs.

Just protein

Ive had a few this year as well in east Texas

seen it many times and can't bring myself to eat it

Is it crayfishseason yet?

Dang nugget

Yup. All ducks are subject to it but diet makes pintails, teal, and shovelers more susceptible to it.

I have seen a lot of it in GWT from a particular lake a few years ago. Seemed like a third of them had it. I know it isn't harmful, but...

Common you guys, do not throw away that meat, that is wanton waste. Some say those little parasites don't taste good, but they just don't know how to cook. The key is to not overcook them, or they get chewy and get stuck in your teeth. Cook'm rare to med-rare... when you bite down on one and it pops, you know you cooked them just right.

yup. I'll fry a trout fillet full of worms but when I see that in a duck it just creeps me out.

I ain't eaten worms....fish, duck, pig, babe, etc, if it has worms, I ain't puttin my mouth around it.

Sashimi thin cut with razorblade

Yum! Sounds delicious.