I'm a first time "poster" and a self taught novice duck hunter who still has alot of questions. I have shot a fair share of ducks over the last three years but had a first this weekend. Shot a pintail drake and when I cleaned it it looked to have worms. Very similar to those found in a large mouth bass. Located between the muscle striations in the breast. Could have been fat deposits but I don't recall seeing anything like it in the past. Enlighten me por favor.

I remember a similar post last year along with photos confirming this. I believe the consensus was to chunk the bird.

It is a parasite, call rice disease.....
Not harmful to humans, nasty to look at......
Most throw it away and don't even eat it, but if cooked good, is not harmful...

http://www.dnr.state.md.us/wildlife/sarcocystis.html

catfish89,

First off, welcome to THF.

If you have free ranged chickens you don't eat, only harvesting eggs, don't even bother to cook it, otherwise toss it out in the yard "well done". Something will eat it... nothing goes to waste here. There is absolutely no reason to discard it without value!

At least throw it in a pot and let the larvae comingle with the rice as they cook..your dogs will love the protein and starches all the same, especially on cold nights.

Of course my dogs aren't hunting dogs though, so they get "Fowl Stew", especially in the winter.

At last recourse let the buzzards have it.

Ken

Rice Breast!!!! Mostly found in spoonies but I've found it in other ducks as well.

There okay to eat but it takes a little getting used to looking at the rice parasite befoe you fry them up.

It's been awhile since I've shot a rice breasted duck. Years, probably. Seems like I saw more of it in the late 90's, but part of that is probably that we were killing significantly more birds.

Yeah, Rice Breast is a specail treat, kinda like hot dogs that have cheese in them, but here it is rice and duck, all in one meal!

That is nasty , sorry but I would not eat it!! But that is just me!

Quote:

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That is nasty , sorry but I would not eat it!! But that is just me!

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just yesterday didnt you say that you always eat what you kill?

Yeah this thread is making me sick just thinking about it.

Ever wonder what the ducks you have shot been eating????

Look no further than the report posted above-

"In the primary host's intestine, the parasite matures and produces microscopic eggs. The eggs pass out in the carnivore's feces , contaminating the environment. Waterfowl ingest the eggs while feeding ."

Sarcocytis

We shot one thursday with it. So I looked it up. I definately wouldn't eat it. Read the last paragraph.

Description:
Sarcocystosis is a disease caused by organisms of the genus Sarcocystis. Members of this genus are unicellular parasites found in muscles and other tissues of mammals, birds and reptiles.
Uncertainty as to the exact classification of Sarcocystis has existed in the past with it being identified as a protozoan by some authorities and a fungus by others. In recent experiments it has been demonstrated that some species of Sarcocystis in cattle and sheep are the intermediate stage of coccidian parasites found in cats, dogs and humans.
There are some morphological differences between the Sarcocystis cysts of different animals. The sarcocysts found in sheep, rabbits, mice and ducks are macroscopic in size, whereas other mammalian forms (deer, moose and elk) are microscopic. In ducks the cysts are whitish streaks which resemble grains of rice, while the cysts in rabbits are thinner and more elongate.
There are numerous species of Sarcocystis in the literature with most of them being named with respect to the host in which they are found, i.e. S. rileyi (duck), S. cuniculi (rabbit), S. tenella (sheep) and S. miescheriana (pig). These parasites are not always host specific and it is possible that all represent a single species, S. miescheriana, the organism first found in a mouse by Miescher in 1843. Accurate classification will require further knowledge of the complex and varied life cycles of these parasites.
Distribution
Sarcocystis is worldwide in distribution. It is found in many species, including sheep, cattle, horses, swine, dogs, cats, rabbits, mice, chickens and humans. Many wildlife species have been found to be infected, including deer, moose, elk, caribou, ducks, seals and many others.
In Michigan, species identified with sarcocystis are mallard duck, black duck, redhead duck, common goldeneye, blue-winged teal, Canada goose, ring-necked pheasant, moose, cottontail rabbit, red-tailed hawk, cooper's hawk, sharptailed grouse, American woodcock and morning dove. Each year several ducks are diagnosed with the disease. Mallards and black ducks are the ducks most commonly reported with the disease. Occasionally rabbits are identified with the organism. A survey of 208 white-tailed deer from Ontario, Texas and Wisconsin showed 80% to be infected. Four of 16 white-tailed deer were found infected in a small survey in Michigan.
Transmission and Development
The mode of transmission from animal to animal is incompletely understood. For many years it was believed Sarcocystis was transmitted by ingestion of flesh containing sarcocysts. However, now another indirect method of infection has been proven whereby carnivores and omnivores pass an infective stage of the parasite in their feces. An animal is infected by ingesting material contaminated by the infected feces.
Clinical Signs and Pathology
In most animals Sarcocystis infections are not considered to be of any serious pathogenic significance. However, heavy infections have caused mortality in sheep, pigs and mice. A recent Oregon study reports infection and death in mule deer fawns experimentally inoculated with sporocysts of S. hemionilatrantis.
There are no recognizable signs of the infection in most living animals, and a diagnosis of Sarcocystis is almost always made after death. In heavy infections, lameness, weakness and paralysis have been reported.
Diagnosis
A diagnosis is usually made by finding the cysts in striated muscle after the animal's death. The large cysts found in ducks, sheep, rabbits and mice are easily seen with the unaided dye as grayish to whitish streaks, 1-10 mm in length, running lengthwise with the muscle fibers. In other animals the cysts are microscopic and can only be found by histological examination.
Other tests used in the diagnosis of Sarcocystis are complement-fixation and dermal sensitivity tests.
Treatment and Control
No effective treatment is known. Since the disease can be transmitted by the ingestion of feces containing sporocysts, good sanitation and hygiene are important in preventing the disease.
Significance
Domestic animals that are heavily infected may be condemned as unfit for human consumption. Ducks and rabbits are the species of Michigan wildlife that hunters and wildlife biologists are most likely to find infected with Sarcocystis. At this time so much is unknown about Sarcocystis that it is recommended that infected meat from ducks and rabbits not be used for human consumption or fed to cats and dogs.

Nice article...my eyes hurt now.

Yea i tried to post a link to the website, but it wouldn't work for some reason, so I just c/p the text.

Had a green head last week with rice breast