"pushing" meat quail

[monarc23]

Quote:
Thanks!

I will keep you updated if the birds gain weight by light deprivation. (geez it seems mean doesn't it).

I am leaving the door open during the day to give them something other than food and water. (geez it seems mean)

I sure hope they gain a pound or so..... (feeling guilty)

HAHA awh guilty concious much?

LOL Remember they are meat birds they are meat birds always tell yourself that. You're taking good care of them just they are in the dark (pun intended lol) about what's to come of them

 

[CARS]

Just a quick update. Without weighing the birds (how in the world would that work?), I have noticed a couple things.
They are going through much more food and water than the birds that get 14 hours of light a day. Egg production is tapering off too. The first days I got a bunch of eggs every day, now only a few a day.

So, in theory, more food intake should mean more meat. Or more poo I guess

They seem much calmer than the "light birds" too. I just open the door to their "dungeon" in the morning to let them have some residual light (and let me see what I am doing (kinda) and shut it at night.

 

[CARS]

Alrighty. We are at 2 1/2 weeks of darkness. Tomorrow is the day.

I am taking the afternoon off to process 30ish A&M's!

I am trying to memorize the processing technique and getting the guts up to do the deed... wish me luck!

I will tell you if they are much larger than the "daylight" quail.

 

[monarc23]

this is awesome!! cant wait to hear back from ya on this!

 

[Boyd]

 

[kingmt]

 

[CARS]

Well, I am at home and reading for the billionth time how to process quail.

Gonna eat some dinner and start the cutting!!!

I will take a few before and after pics but skipping the "during".
I'll post them later tonight/tomorrow morning because I think I am going to do a little "celebrating" after the dead is done

 

[CARS]

I just wanted to check in after the first 8. I need a break. It took me and my wife an hour to do 8. I think that is fine because the last couple went much faster than the first couple!

The largest dressed bird weighed in at 12 oz. So, I really don't know if light deprivation is worth it or not. (or even worked for that matter)

EDIT: I think my scale is really inaccurate. I took a bag of 4 and it only weighed a little over a pound

They are a little fattier than I thought they would be from looking at other pictures. Mostly a strip of fat behind the thigh and the neck area. Maybe other people clean them up for the photo op

Break over. Time to go out and grab another cage of quail!!!!

Edit:

Here are some pics for ya!

And the surprises that come along with processing!

Eggs of all sizes and development!!!


Well, round 1 of processing quail is complete. We quit after 20 of them. The sink is too low for me to stoop over all day and my wife has a back back. She isn't suppose to be doing anything repetitive for that long of a time.

Oh ya, speaking of time. The last 12 took an hour to do!!! They are resting comfortably in the fridge till morning where all but 4 are going into the freezer.

 

[CARS]

Now for some ramblings.

I really can't believe we did it!!! I didn't gag once. Last time I tried processing my chickens... didn't do so well. I was limited to axing and plucking. Couldn't take the squishy stuff

I would really like to thank Niki for the processing link in your quail "bible". It showed almost everything I ran into.

That still isn't a sticky yet is it

The eggs. Wow. I had no idea. In my wildest dreams I never would have imagined that you could have 3 eggs (or more... I wasn't looking all the time) one like a BB, one about the size of a yolk, and one with a shell in the same day. Pretty neat!!!

I did "knock them out". Well, kinda dazed them you might say. I had a hard time cutting the head off with them squirming around so I wrapped the noggin to make them sit still long enough for the snip.

Is it worth it for the amount of meat you get??? I guess I will find out when I grill some up Friday night!!!!

 

[tbone]

that big yolk with the red veins looks like it was starting to develop inside the hen thats crazy!!!!