Can we discuss culling?

[Emilys3guppies]

Hello all!

I don't have my birds yet...I have their home and equipment though. I'm moving in 29 days to our forever home and will be getting them soon after that. YAY!

Anyway, I want to raise coturnix for meat, occasionally, as well as eggs. We love quail. We're lucky to have an asian market near our current home, but once we move we won't have that luxury anymore.

Anyway, I've found lots of posts and video about processing an already dispatched bird but only a few on the actual dispatching.

What are your preferred methods? How do I know if I have enough muscle to do the head-pop-off method? I'm an average size woman, I guess. I like to think I have muscles...but I do err on the skinny side. Do you prefer kitchen shears? Poultry shears? If you've done both, how do they compare?

Indoors or outdoors for little quail?

Also, and this might be a silly question, but can I cull the dozen I need for dinner and THEN process them all. Or does it have to be processed immedietely before the next bird is done? I've never kept birds for meat before so this is new.

Thanks so much for your help! I really enjoy these forums.

Emily

 

[monarc23]

Quote:

 

[macnugget]

Hi Emily welcome to BYC !'

' doing the deed is easy just pull the head off with a quick jerk and then hold the bird over a bucket. I after its no longer moving I bend the leg at the joint(where the feathers start) and then cut them off. I then cut the wings off at the last joint(there is no meat there. Then just pull on the breast skin until it tears and you more or less undress the bird. Hint I found the skin under the wing easiest to tear so start there hope you enjoy your birds

 

[monarc23]

I did the head pulling off method the other day i really dont reccomend it for newbies because if you dont pull hard enough the bird is still alive and in severe pain (yes it happened to a few) you ahve to pull like you're trying to fight a door knob to make sure the head tears off completley....i think that'd be pretty traumatizing for a first timer IMO lol

 

[Steve_of_sandspoultry]

This is the best tool we have found for removing the head cleanly

http://www.grainger.com/Grainger/items/4A860

Works every time with a clean instant cut.

Steve in NC

 

[Emilys3guppies]

Quote:
Thank you! That analogy helps. On one hand, I'd want to pull hard enough to get the deed done, but I don't want to pull so hard that I throw my shoulder out. LOL.

Those cable cutters look promising...thanks for the link!

I definately want to figure out which method I will use. I get the idea that raising poultry means being ready and able to cull birds from the flock whenever necessary...injury, illness, food, ect. I want to have all the tools necessary before I get the birds.

Thanks for the help!

Also, what's the oldest bird you've ever eaten and how did the texture compare to the younger birds?

 

[Steve_of_sandspoultry]

On quail we have eaten year olds and I didn't notice any major difference - the older ones had more flavor of course.

Steve

 

[justpete]

I use a pair of kitchen shears that I bought at Walmart.

Strong and they fit well in my hand.


Peter

 

[farrier!]

Usually I cant answer these questions but...

So far the only thing I have killed is a quail!
I had a nice guy show us on one and I did the other. I was shown a twist and pull. Very strange feeling feeling the neck give, there was a moment in there when I realized I needed to pull harder. It was really easy then because I did not want the bird just hurt.

My hands are small and do not have the grip strength when fully expanded to use shears. Removing the head was very fast and surprisingly easy. The hesitation was my problem from never being able to kill anything before.

So for my daughter and I using our hands will be the way to go. Now we just need more quail for breeding!

5 hatched so far today!!!

Edited to add.. Sharon, who wears kid sized garden gloves

 

[saddina]

I have one of those infomercial pruning cutter tools (I'll work on the name) and tiny 4 inch hands. I'm pretty sure either billy mays or bob villa sold them in the late '90's.