➡ Quail Hatch Along🥚

[Nabiki]

We tried about 5 different pairs of kitchen shears and I even went and bought some branch trimmer shears. They all suck.
Well we thought it would cut it right off but it didn't you still have to tug a little. Be prepared to tug. It will make sense once you actually do it.

I learned that with the chicks that I had to cull. I'm not looking forward to butchering the adults. I keep thinking of a passage from a book I read as a child. Where the Red Fern Grows, I think. He was talking about watching his dad butcher a deer, and wondering how something could go from making him nauseous to making his mouth water. I don't want to do the butchering, but I do want to do the eating.

 

[sarabeth485]

Like @Texas Kiki, I am actively involved in the process but haven’t actually done it myself. Not a big fan of cone except with turkeys. We have gone to “cervical dislocation” with quail and the head pops of easily. we also scald and pluck vs spatchcock. so basically I choose the quail to be dispatched and carry 2 bags....hubby dispatches the bird and deposits the head in one bag and allows the Twitching response and bleed out to occur before depositing into the 2nd bag. we then scald and pluck, remove feet, gut, and then cut up both sides of backbone. we have packaged whole, breasted out, etc but mostly package halves. I rest in fridge for 24-48+ hours prior to freezing either packaged or in salt water solution. entire process takes about an hour per dozen. spatchcock method is quicker and allows to retain feathers but we like to keep as much intact skin as possible on the bird.

Great info. Thank you! Do you withhold feed for 24 hours. Any benefits to this?

 

[Kiki]

I have not ever with held feed...I don't warm them that they are going to die.

 

[sarabeth485]

U dont need him ma'am, i do every bit of it on own.

I am such a wimp though!

 

[mixedUPturk]

Great info. Thank you! Do you withhold feed for 24 hours. Any benefits to this?

The benifit is the lack of food in the crop it makes a bigger difference with other types of poultry but not so much for these tiny things

 

[sarabeth485]

I have not ever with held feed...I don't warm them that they are going to die.

But also

 

[Kiki]

I am such a wimp though!

Join the club.
It's ok.

 

[mixedUPturk]

I am such a wimp though!

No ma'am its not suposed to be Easy to take a life, especially a life that you Nutured to the best of your ability

 

[mixedUPturk]

Difficultly doesnt change the fact its still the right thing to do.

 

[muddy75]

I have not ever with held feed...I don't warm them that they are going to die.

it’s amazing how quiet things get when we start the process I start choosing based on extra males crowing!