➡ Quail Hatch Along🥚

[igorsMistress]

I was going to ask if it was strong like duck, good to know. Dark meat is good, I'll definitely have to try it when I can.



I guess I meant to say is there an actual taste difference? I would much rather know where my food was coming from and that it lived a good life beforehand, but since I've never personally tasted "fresh" chicken I haven't a clue if there is a true taste difference, or if it was thought up to be different due to knowing where it came from.

This makes me wonder... what if someone were to do a "blind" taste test of store bought and home-raised chicken. Would there be any difference? Would they be able to tell which was which?



That sounds delicious.

To me there is a taste difference. I find it a bit gamey and, in our case, there was far less fat.

 

[Kiki]

I'm sorry you went through that!

Thanks but I'm not....I'm chalking it up as a learning experience. I don't want to ever do it again but if it should happen I know what to expect.

 

[BReeder!]

It's been in the 40s to 50s. The past few days there was frost on the ground in the morning. Around new year's there was even ice on the water that was outside.

Quail is tasty dark meat, not as strong tasting as wild game though. I rest mine for about 2 days. I've been told it's possible to butcher and cook right away and not have rigor mortis, but I've never had that happen. Usually I get about halfway through the birds and the first ones are starting to get stiff. I probably need more experience for that not to happen. They don't stay stiff as long as a chicken or turkey though, but I still rest a full two days to be sure the meat won't be tough.

Coturnix will rarely go broody, but it's more likely to happen if the enclosure is set up like an aviary that mimics a natural landscape not in a wire cage. There's a few threads about broody coturnix here on BYC. As someone else mentioned, it would be easier to hatch a ton at once and then butcher and freeze.

This is good info! I didn't even think about resting the meat. I have never slaughtered anything but fish, which this was never an issue for.

 

[muddy75]

so we processed both turkeys and 3 silkie cockerels for a total of 36 lbs resting in the cooler. was hoping to do more including some quail but didn’t have the energy and we got tired of working in the rain.

 

[Crazydoglady99]

I separated my 2 little hens and my 4 roos. The roos are crowing their heads off, everyone cracks up laughing everytime (currently in the laundry as its scorching hot here, they go to their outside daytime grassy digs when it's cool enough).
Now we wait for hatch day to decide who stays and who goes

Got a new hygrometer/thermometer.. it tells me the humidity is a bit high in the incubator. Stressing out now my chicks are all drowning in there

Guess we'll see! Just proves once again that fertile eggs are only the start.. hatching has sooo many variables at play

 

[Kiki]

I separated my 2 little hens and my 4 roos. The roos are crowing their heads off, everyone cracks up laughing everytime (currently in the laundry as its scorching hot here, they go to their outside daytime grassy digs when it's cool enough).
Now we wait for hatch day to decide who stays and who goes

Got a new hygrometer/thermometer.. it tells me the humidity is a bit high in the incubator. Stressing out now my chicks are all drowning in there

Guess we'll see! Just proves once again that fertile eggs are only the start.. hatching has sooo many variables at play

Did you salt test this new thing?

 

[Kiki]

I think I'm going to take a sneak peek at a few eggs in my bator tonight.
Just to see if I can see anything yet.

 

[Kiki]

I looked at 6.
I can't tell anything yet.

 

[littleprairieheartsfarm]

I looked at 6.
I can't tell anything yet.

What fertility rate do you feel you’re going to have?

 

[Kiki]

50%