butchered our first group

[rarebreedeggs4u]

Last week we butchered extra chicken roos, duck drakes and 57 Jumbo Brown Coturnix roos. I had sold almost all of the quail hens and kept these guys for butchering. The roos & ducks of course took quite a while. We did them first, then caged and sat DOWN to do the quail. It was SO EASY!!

We sat around, chatting and visiting, cut, bleed, skin & eviserate. It was SO fast & easy!!! I still have trouble (a lot) culling hurt chicks, so it was a bit of a revelation how EASY it was to butcher these guys. I love the breed's personality and friendliness, but it was easy and so fast!! We were down to about 3 minutes per bird by the time we finished. My husband and I had our first home raised quail meal a few nights later, curry wild rice & mushrooms baked with the quail and OH MY GOODNESS it was good!!! We're hooked big time!!! 1 1/2 birds each was MORE than enough for each of us and we are big eaters

I currently have 100 chicks 1-3 weeks old in the brooders and another 100 eggs in the incubator!

 

[pascopol]

Good for you!

Homegrown meat is excellent and healtier than commercialy grown.

Support our country, eat meat instead of soy beans.

Exporting all soy beans we can, lowers US budget deficit!

 

[joe125]

Sounds like Camp Kenmore, and Fort Grill got some fine new recruits!

I've never dressed out any amount of chickens or ducks, but quail (coturnix for me) are a pretty fast process....as long as it's not 200! Yes, I'm a lightweight compared to byc standards.

It also helps to do it in packs, the way y'all did it. That way, your weird uncle Joe can do the hard part

Just kidding. The grocery stores meat department hates you right now.

 

[GBov]

I usually do them in batches of 10 over a week so well done yourself for doing so many at once

They are wonderfully easy to do, arnt they? And soooooo yummy

 

[adorable]

Does someone have a link to process the jumbo Coturnix quail. I cant find nothing on them. The processsing part

 

[aprophet]

there is a you tube vid a guy is processing a bobwhite this is about the same way I process one

proceed with caution it is somewhat graphic

 

[ChickieBooBoo]

When gutting them is it about the same as a chicken? I have done chickens and ducks before, but never Quail. I'll watch the video when I get home.

 

[GBov]

Quote:
The guts come out much easier than a chicken, esp if you cut out the spine.

I dont cut the wings off though, just the tips. They skin out easy enough and there are at least three bites of meat on them. Havnt grown them to waste it lol. And dont forget the liver (dont eat the little green bit, just pull it off) and heart and gizzard. The gizzard is a bit fiddly to clean but I put it with the neck and spine I have cut out and simmer with a bit of onion. Is a small snack but a good un as is the fried livers and hearts. If you cut off the breasts and legs for quail nuggets put the carcass with the necks and gizzards. There is some good meat left on the bones you dont want to waste and the stock isnt to be sneezed at either.

Oh, and if the gizzard is too fiddly for you to clean and eat they make good fish bait

I saved all the livers and hearts of my last three batches so I can get a look in this time when I fry them. My kids discovered me eating them one day and WOW, talk about feeding frenzy

Just wish my dog liked the heads and guts but all she does is play with them

Still, buried in the garden they make good vegetables

 

[adorable]

Thanks.I am on dial up. So cant watch videos

 

[GBov]

Quote:
Bop on head, cut head off, cut legs and wing tips off, pull off skin and feathers, take scissors or hand pruners - I use the pruners because I can put the blunt end into the bird adn the sharp end cuts down into it so less chance of cutting innards - and cutting from the back tward teh front cut along both sides of the spine, pull spine off and then pull out the insides starting from the front end and working back.

Takes a bit of typing but about 3 min. to do.

Save out the liver, heart and gizzard if you are frugal like I am and enjoy a nice treat.

I even save the best feathers before skinning them to give to my kids school for art class, just put them in the freezer for a few months to kill any unseen buggies.