When do you guys process your quail? And remove supplemental heating?

[Oregonbeek]

I did a quick Google search but came up with limited and conflicting information.

Assuming it gets cold at night, when is it safe to move quail to "grow-out pens" away from a heat lamp?

And when is the "standard" time for butchering quail (cuturnix)? 6 weeks?


Thanks!

 

[Quailsong]

I believe after 5 weeks with heater off they should be fine. The general rule is to reduce the heat by 5 degrees till it matches the temp outside. But make sure to still provide cover from rain, sun, winds, etc. Cots can take colder temps, but they may need some help in -10C or colder weather.

I've not any quail yet but I'd say after 6 weeks is fair game for culling. It would depend on the gender (if I've extra roos), any undesirable feature in a quail (not sickness, just ones that won't be breeders), loud crowing, etc.

 

[underground chickenman]

Regular cots are at market weight at around 6 weeks. Jumbos closer to 8 weeks.

 

[Oregonbeek]

Thanks for the replies!

It was 32 degrees F in my barn last night where the quail are so I figured I should keep the heat lamp going for a bit longer anyway. They are 3 weeks old and certainly feathered out nicely so I wondered if they were old enough to go without the heat lamp or not. I suppose I'll wait another week or two

 

[Anniekins]

I was told to check under the wings because they feather there last. Sure enough when I checked my chicks they needed more time but some are ready now so they go out to the barn tomorrow. I cant take the crowing anymore. Mine are 5 weeks old tomorrow.

 

[ColleenC]

I'm new to quail so I'm no expert, but my quail will be 4 weeks this weekend and I've had them off of a heat lamp for a few days now. They're still inside, but we've had some warm temperatures lately and they were way too hot with the heat lamp on (but they've always preferred the temp to be cooler than it's "supposed" to be). I turned it off and they're happy. I've left the window open in the room even overnight, so their average temp right now is probably about 60 degrees. I'm hoping to move them outside into their coop sometime next week, where they wont have a heat lamp and nighttime temps will be in the high 40s to 50s.

When they rise up and flap their wings to show off, I see that under their wings has plenty of feathers, so I think mine are already mostly feathered up.

 

[Quailsong]

I'm new to quail so I'm no expert, but my quail will be 4 weeks this weekend and I've had them off of a heat lamp for a few days now. They're still inside, but we've had some warm temperatures lately and they were way too hot with the heat lamp on (but they've always preferred the temp to be cooler than it's "supposed" to be). I turned it off and they're happy. I've left the window open in the room even overnight, so their average temp right now is probably about 60 degrees. I'm hoping to move them outside into their coop sometime next week, where they wont have a heat lamp and nighttime temps will be in the high 40s to 50s.

When they rise up and flap their wings to show off, I see that under their wings has plenty of feathers, so I think mine are already mostly feathered up.

Sounds like it, Colleen. Best of luck!

 

[Sycamore27]

I'm going to process our 'extra' male tonight. Planning on using the 'butterfly' technique to snip out the spine and gut that way and just tossing the skin rather than bothering with plucking. They're about ten weeks old. Hoping my little kitchen scale is decent enough to get an accurate live/dressed weight comparison.
He's going into an ice bath with a little salt and will sit in the fridge to rest until I get time to cook a quail supper (with big portions of sides and probably a chicken breast to pad out the meal) tomorrow night.
Wish me luck!

Jessie

 

[Sycamore27]

Well, it wasn't as bad as I expected.
In the future I think we will use a cleaver and cutting board in the sink for dispatching, even my freshly sharpened scissors were more clumsy than I liked.
I got cold feet at the last second and made my boyfriend do the deed, then cleaned it myself.
Do any of you withhold feed before processing? And if so for how long? I pulled him into a separate cage for the day with just water, but I didn't swap the bedding from the last time they were in there for a cage clean so apparently there was food scattered in it. Very full crop when I was processing and I was paranoid I would rupture it.
Still haven't eaten the fruit of our labor, but I'm excited about it.
Cheers,
Jessie

 

[Quailsong]

Well, it wasn't as bad as I expected.
In the future I think we will use a cleaver and cutting board in the sink for dispatching, even my freshly sharpened scissors were more clumsy than I liked.
I got cold feet at the last second and made my boyfriend do the deed, then cleaned it myself.
Do any of you withhold feed before processing? And if so for how long? I pulled him into a separate cage for the day with just water, but I didn't swap the bedding from the last time they were in there for a cage clean so apparently there was food scattered in it. Very full crop when I was processing and I was paranoid I would rupture it.
Still haven't eaten the fruit of our labor, but I'm excited about it.
Cheers,
Jessie

My personal thoughts: A cleaver would mean that you'd need 3 hands to cut the bird. One to hold the body, one to hold the head & one to hold the cleaver. Their heads/necks are so small unlike chickens, that I feel it'd be risky trying to solo fiddle w/ a big cleaver & fast reflexes of a quail.

However, my thoughts are just that; I've yet to raise quail, let alone cull any yet. Although I do intend to when I move in a month. My way to cull will likely be getting super sharp scissors built for clean cutting heavy things like cables or bones. Not some garden or fabric shears.

Another idea I have is to make a small set of killing cones so that it's easier/faster to cull a few at once. I think it would also be much cleaner as the bird's weight is put in the cone & it's less likely to twitch or fly out - much like how the chicken cones work. And of course like you tried, I would let my birds be off food the day before but keep them as hydrated as possible. As a twist, you could feed them a little bit of garlic for part of their last meal, would make the processing much more pleasant.

Sycamore, great job at your first co-op cull. With time it'll get easier to do the job (in skill, not just emotion). Best of luck with your tasty bird, let us know how that went.