Is this a good way to process?

[Whitehouse Quail]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pDgfYn2r0es

They basically just kill, cut off each wing and feet, skin, then slice up each side of the backbone and yank it out bringing the innards and scent gland with you.

I'm trying to work up the guts to process them, if I start producing the way I want to, there will be a TON of males to take care of, and I don't know if I have the guts to do it! I can watch it, and shoot a rooster, but I don't know if I can turn it into a little chunk of meat!AHHHHHH!

 

[_Randall_]

Yep, that's what I do. From the time I pop the head off, to putting the pure-meat bird under running water to rinse it off = 75 seconds. A regular pair of scissors will last through many, many birds when ripping up beside the backbone.

 

[TennesseeTruly]

Thanks for posting this! I thought it was going to be really difficult but that looks so simple. I just started raising quail and one day I'd like to enjoy a quail meal, even though my husband says he won't. Pfffft to him! LOL

Laurie

 

[FenDruadin]

Wow--75 seconds--that's great! I want to learn to be that fast. We just processed our first quail this past weekend and it was WAY easier than I thought it would be, both physically and emotionally. It was really just not that big a deal. We returned their little bird souls to the Great Spirit and their little meat bodies to dinner. It was quick and painless.

By the way--that's the same video I watched *after* my first processing session. I kind of just did it by feel--I knew to skin it, and I'd disemboweled many a fish as a kid, so I had a vague idea what I was doing, but even without any stronger guidance than that it went just fine. The first one was slow while I figured out what I was doing, but not bad at all. Now that I've seen that video, I hope next time will be even quicker and easier.

 

[Frugal Que]

I will be using this method from now on. Our current method isn't bad but this is much easier and faster. I love learning new things.

 

[missred871]

chop off head
hang upside down for a few seconds
cut off wings
skin it
cut open bird
run fingers inside and clean out all the insides
cut off feet
rinse bird
and rinse it again
PRESTO!

They are mighty delicious fried by the way!

 

[chickenwhisperer]

You can see my comment to him, Im frogfeeder on YT.
That was the best vid I found.

I did it this way yesterday for 2 male coturnix, and it was fast, efficient, and perfect.
Took me about 2 minutes per bird.

They seriously tear and peel so easily, like a over-ripe peach.
Cut out the backbone with a pair of scissors and the whole guts come right out.
I did have to scrape a lung on each.

They are soaking in the fridge getting ready for tomoro nights dinner!

Edit:

You can see where the backbone has been removed in the close one.
(sorry, phone camera)

 

[RainesRanch]

WOW! Im impressed by the meat on their lil legs! LOL Who would have thought! My DH is a avid hunter, so we eat alot of pheasant and he loves dove hunting. But then it comes to the dove we have always just breasted them out. Never really bothered with the lil birds legs. We do save the pheasant legs after we breast them out and when we get enough we have a BBQ with them as well.

 

[Toast n Jelly]

Thanks for the video. That's how I'll be doing it when the time comes!

 

[RainesRanch]

I noticed one posts says to chop off their heads, is that how everyone does it? I was figuring maybe folks broke their necks seeing as they are so much smaller then a chicken:/

BTW...my DH uses rose pruners to cut off the wings and feet on pheasants and doves...they work just as well