Large Butler Quail, large eggs, good meat

[lukem5]

Hey I am really interested in these large (20 oz +) butler quail. Is there any way to make them lay year round? With artificial lighting and temperatures?

Looking for big quails for meat/eggs production.

Which quail lays largest egg?

 

[Ozarkhomesteader]

Subscribing...i am interested in these too.

 

[lukem5]

This is what I know so far. Butler's can reach biblical sizes of 30 OZ but it is rare something like 3% or less of them, most weigh in at ~20 oz (still great size!) Another con is they take 6 months to reach this size and apparently they keep slowly growing all the way up to 2 years or so? To get 30 oz + i'm sure this would take years.

They only lay from approx. march - august and I assume their egg size isn't very impressive despite their size because nobody who has them seems to mention it. They are hard to artificially stimulate with lighting to lay, unlike other bobwhites which can be stimulated with relative ease.

They are also aggressive birds, bite humans very hard (think chunks of flesh) and will literally kill each other. They need more space thank standard bobwhites.

The tradeoff for all these problems? Big, meaty delicious bobwhites! And imo thats worth it.

 

[Ozarkhomesteader]

thanks for the info. i knew so of, but some i didn't

 

[dc3085]

You have to take the talk of extra large quail with a little skepticism where the internet is concerned. The growth curve is a basically a way to determine at what point an animal has gained as much weight as is financially sensible to feed it. Every animal has a growth curve and when you are talking maximum size of quail you should be talking max size at the peak of the curve. Beyond that they are gaining weight but when you process them you'll see it's mostly fat. The growth curve on most bobwhites peaks between 18-24 weeks. After that they won't gain enough weight for feeding them to be financially beneficial.

You can't make bobs lay more than two 3 month cylces per year or you'll kill them. Even then they will die much sooner than they would otherwise. Forcing production shortens lifespan.

If you light them you could get up to 200 eggs per year but that's the max and you're mostly likely going to end up with less.

 

[Fat Daddy]

Yes there are butlers around that get as big as you have heard.... Yes they are rare and most that you see for sale just are not up to par. Even in the best lines most will top out at 14 oz or so at 24-26 weeks..... I didnt usually butcher them till 30-36 weeks... This was to allow the ones that were going to be huge, stand out..... if you butcher butlers at 24 weeks, they will all be 14 oz or so birds.... you just cant tell which ones can be huge till they have a chance to well.... get huge! Its slow and feed cost or your time cant be a factor you care about. Butlers simply grow too slow for this mind set....These are truly a bird for "Bob freaks"....someone who just loves bobs.... A adult hen of good stock will throw eggs in the 15-16 gram range on average.... laying season is what any other bob is, cant change that much without a trade off of fertility or lifespan.... Overall condition of hens will drop and winter will be harder on them.

You seem to be interested in eating big bobs quick and getting lots of nice eggs. I agree with you on the taste of Bobs over cots. Dont think this can be argued by anyone who has eaten both side by side.... Cots just suck beside a bob on the the table...

If you are looking for great on the table, big birds quick, nice eggs and long laying season, Think about chukar.... They lay longer and lay bigger eggs, about 20-22 grams on average.... They hatch easy and can be colony raised in any growout pens that work for bobs...Same for breeders, trios usually work, same pens as you'd use for bobs.... ready to butcher at 16 weeks. Hens will run 20 oz and cock birds will be 21-22 oz.... I have cooked them in the same skillet as bobs and with exception of the size, you cant tell the difference in taste..... I raise them as my game bird "meat bird" and put 50 to 100 in the freezer every year..... They are pretty, out of the ordinary, and make a range of awesome sounds.....

If you truly just dig bobs, I know a breeder that raises nice butlers. He sells a limited amount of eggs and live birds. He no longer posts here and I wont expose him to the emails and questions this site can bring. But I will give you contact info thru PM if you choose to walk this path... But I truly feel simple chukars will better fit your needs.... Bill

 

[lukem5]

If chukars weren't so **** loud I would have been raising them years ago, superior birds really....

Fatdaddy great advice as always. I am really after big, nutritious eggs and tasty tablefare from a large, quiet bird. The 16g avg bobwhite eggs sound great, the largest I can get jumbo cots to lay is ~12-13g avg.


DC3085 great info as well, the point about adding fat is very true.

 

[dc3085]

I've found one chukar is usually causing all the noise. Eliminate the one that's bothering everyone and you can almost forget they are there. I used to raise 10-15 at a time all through the year and I live in the city with neighbors all around. I just eat or sell the ones that cause the ruckus until I have a manageable group of birds.

 

[lukem5]

I've found one chukar is usually causing all the noise. Eliminate the one that's bothering everyone and you can almost forget they are there. I used to raise 10-15 at a time all through the year and I live in the city with neighbors all around. I just eat or sell the ones that cause the ruckus until I have a manageable group of birds.

Really? I guess Chukars are pretty smart, when they see their noisy friends disappearing they probably figure it out pretty fast.