For some reason I have less success cleanly gutting birds than I do on big game. Must be a matter of scale that fowls me up, heh heh heh.

Yep, the old hand crank method works pretty well on a wounded duck too. Better to use both hands on a goose, or else jerk them hard like you are cracking a whip.

When I was 9 I was helping Grandad do up a dozen chickens and he let me take a swipe with the cleaver. I forgot and left my thumb sticking out and took off just the tip. Of course, he laughed like he always did when I screwed up like that.