Killing quail for consumption

[Reedgirl20]

I put mine in two layers of ziplock baggies and haven't had problems. I usually have them eaten within two months though.

 

[veggiecanner]

We are going to put ours in plastic, either ziplock or saran and put 5 per wide mouth canning jar to freeze them. That should stop the freezer burn.

 

[dc3085]

They get a little freezer dust if you use regular baggies, so I bought a $99 vacuum sealer and not only did it make my frozen poultry of all types taste better, it is really handy around the kitchen. I have been processing my whole life from deer to livestock to poultry. After trying several different "best ways" I went back to what seemed to kill brain function the quickest in poultry which is wringing. Just hold the head tight and spin the bird by it until you feel it separate from the spine, on 8-12 week old birds the heads usually come right off the bird so do it over grass and not gravel so they don't get all bruised up ( don't wear good shoes you are probably going to get some blood on them). Don't feel bad about processing, if you eat meat someone is killing it. At least you know you raised it right and processed it humanely. If you use scissors (garden shears are better) please be swift and firm with them, you will feel the spine and its going to gross you out and you might stop or drop the bird before you sever the spine and thats no good. I hope that wasn't too graphic, but its good to understand what is going to happen.

To me processing is sort of sacred. It is a part of life that too many people are too far removed from. I have never once "enjoyed" it, however you can take a lot of pride in being able to provide your own food that you know is really quality.

 

[DoubletakeFarm]

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No, not too graphic. Actually, that's the kind of advice I'm looking for so that I'm prepared. Wanna give a description on head twisting? Of course it all comes down to "just do it and do it quick".



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I didn't even think of canning jars. My vacuum sealer has an attachment that will suck the air out of a canning jar. 5 per jar though??

 

[jellybellyx6]

We have not butchered our quail yet but I know what you mean because it was difficult to do it when we butchered our first rabbit. The first one is always the hardest to do. Just remember if you were the bird you would want it done quick and with as little pain as possiable.

 

[dc3085]

If you are just pulling off the head- hold it in your left hand with its legs pinched between your fingers and really hold it hard with your forefinger and thumb around the base of the neck. Then turn your right hand upside down so your thumb and forefinger from your right are just above your thumb and forefinger from your left and wrap them firmly around the base of the skull and under the beak then either make multiple rotations of the head or just twist and pull. This is the method I also use for euthanasia of chicks since the bones in their necks are still soft you have to remove the head to stop brain function humanely. On adults its kind of difficult to do it really quickly if you arent prepared, but if you have strong hands you can literally just pinch their heads off without much effort. You just have to prepare yourself to commit to the act, which you are doing now. The one thing you will notice is the carcass will not expel very much blood, they are actually relatively clean as far as game goes. Someone else here mentioned it being less dramatic than chickens, and that is a really good way to explain it.

I don't know how you plan to clean it but unless i'm cooking something special that needs the skin on I just lop off all the extremities with kitchen scissors, peel the skin by hand, then cut the spine down both sides with scissors and pull the neck, most of the entrails will come out with the neck then just trim the fat around the rear end off and your done. Watch out for bones if you stew it or cook in a crock pot, after it starts falling apart its kind of like eating fish with those little bones.

 

[Quailsong]

Chicken-Farmer, I had forgotten about butter/milk to soak in. That would work wonderfully, yes. I'm tempted to try it w/ kefir one day. With goat's milk it has a very nice buttermilk taste to it.^^

I didn't even think of canning jars. My vacuum sealer has an attachment that will suck the air out of a canning jar. 5 per jar though??

Canning jars are wonderful! When I boil down an entire chicken I separate the white, dark & fats then put them in jars to freeze. I can stretch one chicken for a whole month's worth of meals (many side-dishes/sandwiches/etc) The freezing lasts a long time (months easily), stacks nicely as cans & they don't get freezer burn. The jars also come in diff sizes so it's easier to portion them out based off your family size/needs.

This is my personal method for boiling down a whole chicken, without gizzards/guts, I bet you can do the same with quail.

Step 1 - Cooking: Put dressed bird(s) in a big pot & fill with clean water. You can add fresh veggies & spices now if you like, but not needed. Boil everything till meat is ready to fall off bones*. Should take an hour. Take bird out quickly & let cool a couple minutes on a plate to debone (it's easier to de-bone when it's still warm). Keep stock on stove.

Step 2 - Prepping the Meat to Freeze: Once the cooked meat is put in proper piles (light/dark/fat), put into jars & cool further in fridge. Freeze when cool. Leave a tiny bit of head room, put a disk of freezer paper on top of meat.

Step 3 - Boiling bones & Finishing Stock: Put all the bones in a fresh pot of water. Add a bit of ACV to pot. Boil. This draws more flavour from the bones. Boil down & add to first boil's stock. Simmer down another hour or two till desired strength.

Step 4 - Drying Bones: Spread bones out on cookie sheet & either dry in the sun or in the oven on low (as you would dry herbs) for a day. Once bones are 'bone dry' (pardon the pun) you can crush them w/ a hammer (cover bones w/ cloth so no flying shards) or a grinder (use an old one or one just for bones/eggs). You can now use this as bonemeal for your garden.

* I know some people can eat the rib bones on the quail as it's so soft. I've never cooked quail so you may need to de-bone first & put the bones in Step 3 pot instead.

Enjoy!

 

[Anniekins]

I use kefir all the time for this and pretty much everything. works great. I also add kefir whey to my feed which is always wet to keep the quail from wasting it.

 

[Quailsong]

I use kefir all the time for this and pretty much everything. works great. I also add kefir whey to my feed which is always wet to keep the quail from wasting it.

Awesome, yeah that stuff has so many uses.