Butchering quail today!

[Wolf-Kim]

I think it depends on the type of quail.

I've heard that regular Coturnix are mature at 6 weeks, and full size at 8.

I have also heard that the Jumbo quail, sometimes take up to 10 weeks to max out.

I keep getting mixed reports. I'll know myself in a few weeks!

-Kim

 

[LilRalphieRoosmama]

ok - please let me know. I tried my hand at meat chickens but just don't have the room. These quail might be perfect for me.

 

[Mrs MIA]

If my husband would stop trading my quail for other things (we traded 9 babies for 150 strawberry plants!) we might just get a chance to try them ourselves! I have eggs from Sam coming this week... maybe I can mix some JUMBO genes in there...

 

[Ace_king_brahma]

Yeah Sam I found the same thing to be true. The dry pluck was going alright until the breast that is where the skin seems the thinnest. I can't wait to hear how it came out for you. So this is why you were asking all those questions about processing them hehe. I'm waiting on to see how many males I have in this next batch and try my first coturnix. I'm tempted to get some more Tennessee reds and keep them apart from the other quail since they were so beefy! I'm curious as to how the coturnix look as far as if they were pretty meaty?

 

[Wolf-Kim]

Quote:
I'll let ya know in a few weeks. LOL.. if we have enough extra males..

-Kim

 

[Ace_king_brahma]

LOL! Same problem here...I have a few weeks to go before my birds are big enough to be worth eating. I'm watching my bobwhites and coturnix closely and trying to figure out just how many of what coloration I want to keep and which are going to the grill.

I lifted some of my coturnix into a new cage and the jumbos feel a bit like normal standard size coturnix but the Texas AMs...man they are hefty! And at the same size they are like little broilers! Broadbreasted! I'm now looking into buying more!

I'm tempted to try putting some bobwhite hens in with a jumbo coturnix cock. I've seen Strombergs selling bob-birds a hybrid of coturnix and bobwhite that hunters use to train their dogs on or just plain eat since they are fairly big birds.

 

[Wolf-Kim]

Quote:

Glad to know I got the right kind!

-Kim

 

[SamG347]

OOO yah these guys are MEATY. I will post pics of the processed birds...maybe even way them. As for an age to butcher quail....I would say in my opinion the older the better. Not sure exactly on the age of these guys but they have been crowing for about 2-3 weeks. And the hens from the same clutch started laying. So I would say between 6-10 weeks old.

 

[Ace_king_brahma]

My reds were about 2 months old when I butchered them.