Few more questions....

[Berlena]

Ok so I have the 3 Coturnix Jumbo Brown hens...they are laying like champs and all.... so how long do they remain productive? I got them 2 months ago and they were supposedly only like 2 months old. What do you do with them once they get "old"? Can you eat them?

I am going to hatch my first batch of quail soon.... I really would love to try to process them myself. I've never done it before but I think I can! I've been trying to read the threads and watched a few videos...but nothing shows exactly how you bop them in the head. Can someone explain how to do this? Thanks!!

 

[Robo]

They will lay for all of their lives, but production decreases every year. You can process them when they get older and they taste great. At the end of their second summer they are processed. I don't bop them on the head, I either ring their necks or use bolt cutters.

 

[JJMR794]

Hold The Bird In Hand With Its Head/ Neck Sticking Out And (sorry This Sounds A Lil Brutal..) Just Bop Their Head Against Something Firm Really Hard And Fast--- Careful Not To Whack Your Own Knuckles Doing So..

 

[Berlena]

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Thanks! Pretty much like it sounds. I'm excited to try but I need a bunch of new quail first!

 

[Rainwolf]

I use very sharp shears, give em a hug and snip.

 

[Berlena]

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That sounds super simple too. Is there any mess from blood?

 

[Rainwolf]

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That sounds super simple too. Is there any mess from blood?

a little.. I just snip and hang by feet on a rack thing I made.

Just make sure your shears are very sharp! You will be a mess if it only maimed and not snipped. I know I would be

 

[95yj]

quail are the easiest bird to process, just make sure you hit the head hard enough and have scissors right next to you, my first time i lost them in the grass and tried to use my wikid dull pocket knife before the poor thing woke up, not a fun experience, but after that it was really easy. I usually knock them out on a stump and then hold there heads against the stump to get leverage on the scissors, after that i just hold them, they bleed out in like 15 seconds, aim away from yourself and its 100% bloodfree.

 

[Fishman43]

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Like a pair of cigar cutters? Or more like chicken shears from the kitchen.

 

[Robo]

Bolt cutters or lawn clippers work good for this, you can even use a butcher knife.