Why is it that chicken must always be cooked well done but duck is cooked in restaurants at medium rare?

I don't understand the difference between duck and chicken when it comes to the preparation. Recipies for Duck and Duck dishes (particularly duck breast) specify medium rare. I eat it medium rare and prepare it that way. I have for years, yet I never understood the difference in the two birds and why one is OK on the rare side and the other isn't.

Why is it that chicken must always be cooked well done but duck is cooked in restaurants at medium rare?
It has to do with the differences in the chickens' and ducks' eating habits. Chickens, whether they're commercially raised or privately raised, eat off the ground. They're not very neat about it, either. The food gets scattered, and the chickens happen to poop anywhere they feel like it. The food makes contact with the poop, and any salmonella is spread that way. If one chicken carries it, they all do.





Ducks, on the other hand, whether farm-raised or wild, usually forage for their food (on land or in the water). Their poop usually doesn't come into contact with their food supply. Thus, even if salmonella does exist within a community of ducks, transmission between ducks is unlikely.
Reply:It's just as risky eating medium rare chicken breast as it is eating medium rare duck breast. The only difference is that well done duck breast is like a piece of rubber. The FDA and USDA recommends that all poultry be cooked to an internal temperature of 165F. We just take risks to enjoy our food. The chances of actually getting salmonella from chicken or duck is actually pretty slim. Look at you and me: we've been eating med-rare duck for years and haven't gotten sick. It's just a matter of "should I or shouldn't I?". Restaurants are required to have warnings on their menus if they serve undercooked food.
Reply:Duck is drier than chicken, cooking it well makes it very tough. Chicken have more fat, so are jucier and don't toughen up with extra cooking