I’ve thought about it.Sorry if someone has mentioned this before as I haven't the time and patience to go through 5 pages of this thread..but have you thought about keeping quails for meat instead of chicken?
They consume very little feed and reach butchering size at 7-8 weeks old. The larger variety - Jumbo/Goliath Corturnix quails can reach up to 400 - 500 g (0.88 - 1.1 lbs). Their feed:meat conversion is as efficient as Broilers and you get 70% meat from one bird and the meat protein is denser than chicken (greater amino acid range/coverage) - so you feel fuller eating far less meat. The meat is also lower in fat, and higher in vitamins and minerals. They taste very much like chicken but with a slightly gamey aftertaste. They will also provide you eggs at butchering age if you were housing them for longer.
You can keep them in a small backyard and breed them without the worry of rooster restriction and if you're really keen you may be able to sell them for profit as they are considered premium meat. They are also very tough and can sleep out in the snow. The downside is you'll have to keep them in a run as they will not return to a coop like chickens do in the evening and also rodent-proof the run as rats and other predators love to eat them.
