Two major phases

The production cycle of a duck that is aimed at producing foie gras includes two main successive phases:

• The stockbreeding phase, the longest period of the animal’s life;
• The fattening phase, which last for a short period of time.

 

Foie gras is obtained once these two steps have been completed.


The stockbreeding phase: a key factor in ensuring a successful fattening phase

The stockbreeding phase is divided into several steps:

• Starting the stockbreeding phase; 
• Monitoring the animal’s growth;
• Preparing the fattening phase.

The quality of the stockbreeding phase is crucial for ensuring that web-footed birds develop their own physiological capacities for the fattening phase.

For instance, during the fattening phase preparation, the animal is only fed once a day and will spontaneously develop a bulimic behaviour by eating large quantities of maize.

This instinctive reaction that one can observe in a newly born duck or goose will display 3 phenomena, essential to produce a good quality foie gras:

However, the pre-fattened liver as such does not yet contain the required taste and expected quality. It is only after the fattening phase that the animal liver will possess all the organoleptic qualities sought by consumers.

 

 

                        

Considered as a preparation for the fattening phase, this feeding method consequently enables the creation of favourable conditions for the fattening processes, as well as the reduction of the length of these processes.


The fattening phase: a very short stage in the animal’s life

During a complete life cycle of about 105 days, the fattening phase only represents about 10 to 14 days, which is between 10 and 13% of the lifespan of the animal.

Thanks to genetic selection and technical improvements, the length of the fattening phase for Mulard ducks has decreased over the past 20 years from 15.6 days in 1987 to 12.8 days in 2005.