Meat Coturnix 516g/18.16oz (photo) - anyone breed giant meat quail like this in the US?

[Quail Whale]

From the looks of this photo, breeders can be successful at obtaining Giant and seemingly very healthy Coturnix. Are there any people here culling for size and getting results? It seems like the discussion about true “jumbo” sizes in the U.S. tops out at 14 oz. Also, most consistent meat lines seem to trace back to JMF. Are JMF meat birds simply topping out in size and in need of a well planned outcross to unlock the next level? Or, are we just not hearing about true “Giants” because most of the people that are breeding them don’t deal in the internet? Thanks for any comments, it would be great to hear from anyone that is trying to make the size increase now or has tried in the past.

 

[MarijuanadoctorMiami]

No one I've known talks about these in the US
I wonder if they ship live birds

 

[Quail Whale]

You’d have to go through a lot of hassel coordinating everything through, USDA APHIS with the breeder to import.

Perhaps, the genetics of the typical choice quail farm large coturnix foundation stock in the US is completely tapped out genetically for size and it is time to select for giant traits in less explored bloodlines.

 

[MarijuanadoctorMiami]

What less explored bloodlines?
And would importing eggs be an option and would it be easier?

 

[Quail Whale]

When I say less explored bloodlines, I mean unconventional (for example, not from CL or James Marie Farms stock) / less marketed or popular. Or perhaps even looking to selectively breed from “outliers” in standard size bloodlines or mutt lines and build from there. The Jumbo / Meat birds from places like James Marie seem to have hit a plateau in size. They advertise the same finish weights every year. In online discussions about adding size to JMF stock, the issue of bad joints or other health complications come up as a limiting factor. This does not seem to be an issue with Giant lines found outside the US. When it comes to shipping eggs, the same process with the USDA applies.

 

[MarijuanadoctorMiami]

I understand
And I wonder how it all works with customs. I had some live snails overnighted to me from Ukraine without problems. I would have thought it could be done with eggs too, no?

 

[Quail Whale]

Not for nothing my friend I am also in Florida (assuming that it is Miami Fl and not Ohio or somewhere else with a city called Miami) and looked into Heliciculture for escargot a couple years ago. I was pretty much told “no” outright by APHIS. Florida is actually really strict on importing stuff that could be detrimental to crops, especially snails. In the case of birds they seem to be focused first on diseases, especially avian influenza and then on potential pest / invasive issues. This conversation is purely speculative but if a person wanted to have eggs shipped over for consumption and then possibly incubate a few as a loophole, it won’t work to your advantage if you actually follow what the USDA wants. Under the USDA FSIS (food saftey inspection service) there is an entire laundry list of stuff you have to go through to import any egg or poultry products from another country. All that said, I have heard of people that have received live invertebrates in the mail from other countries or returned home on a plane with birds from Europe in their luggage undetected. That is not my mode of operation or interest personally. Mainly I was fishing for anyone in the know out there in the US with a breeding program that is putting on true size and figured that this would be a good place to ask. Guess people just avoid all the hassle and move up to chickens if they want something bigger?

 

[MarijuanadoctorMiami]

I got snails through. I'll try to get me some of those goliaths
And yes, Florida