Roo violence.. head injury

[threeepeat]

Six weeks is big enough to eat. Wait for rigor to pass before freezing. 24 hours is the usual wait.

Have you read my article on how to process?

Okay good to know thanks. I just watched a video that suggested straight to the freezer after butchering but I wanted to double check. Glad I did.

Do you recommend brine? Is the purpose of brine in theory just to make the meat less tough, or is it to preserve it for longer freezer camps?

If your quail is dirty, do you consider cleaning it up before you start the processing? This is something I would do, but I'm just not sure if cleaning the bird is always part of the process.

 

[Nabiki]

Do you recommend brine? Is the purpose of brine in theory just to make the meat less tough, or is it to preserve it for longer freezer camps?

If your quail is dirty, do you consider cleaning it up before you start the processing?

Brining adds some flavour and I've heard that it helps tenderize, but I've never brined unless it's part of how I want to cook it.

I would consider cleaning it after it's been dispatched. If you try to wash it while still alive, the poor thing will just be stressed. I try to make things as quick and painless as possible. In fact, I do a lot of rinsing as I go. It's hard to be too clean when preparing food.

 

[threeepeat]

Brining adds some flavour and I've heard that it helps tenderize, but I've never brined unless it's part of how I want to cook it.

I would consider cleaning it after it's been dispatched. If you try to wash it while still alive, the poor thing will just be stressed. I try to make things as quick and painless as possible. In fact, I do a lot of rinsing as I go. It's hard to be too clean when preparing food.

Yeah that's a good point - after it's dispatched for sure. I was thinking that I'm putting a somewhat soiled poor quail in to my freshly sanitized sink, but ultimately the meat will be rinsed and cleaned at the end of the process, so there will be no contamination issue.

 

[QuailQueen3]

Is a 6-week old quail big enough to butcher for meat? This may be a dumb question. And secondly, after butchering, do you put the meat straight in to the freezer, or is there a delay required relating to rigor mortis etc.?

I personally would not eat a sick bird that is unable to walk. Just me.

I am just starting to learn about cooling the meat and timing of transferring to the freezer. The USDA website for processing poultry recommends freezing as quickly as possible and suggests “flash frozen” is even better. It seems that the faster it is frozen the lower risk of bacterial growth.

 

[Nabiki]

I personally would not eat a sick bird that is unable to walk. Just me.

I am just starting to learn about cooling the meat and timing of transferring to the freezer. The USDA website for processing poultry recommends freezing as quickly as possible and suggests “flash frozen” is even better. It seems that the faster it is frozen the lower risk of bacterial growth.

Flash freezing can work if you do it before rigor sets in. Quail go into rigor very quickly, though.

 

[threeepeat]

It's never easy. My very first cull was a chick whose toes were so curled that they were like little fists. I tried taping them, I tried physical therapy by stretching and working those toes for a few days.

I hated doing it, but that chick was never going to be able to walk.

I expected that to be difficult. It was even more difficult than that.

 

[Nabiki]

I expected that to be difficult. It was even more difficult than that.

I'm so sorry. It may get easier, but it's never easy. Life is something that you should always respect. I usually give a small thanksgiving prayer for the life they give that I might eat meat.

 

[threeepeat]

I personally would not eat a sick bird that is unable to walk. Just me.

I am just starting to learn about cooling the meat and timing of transferring to the freezer. The USDA website for processing poultry recommends freezing as quickly as possible and suggests “flash frozen” is even better. It seems that the faster it is frozen the lower risk of bacterial growth.

There was nothing to suggest that it was sick. It's possible I guess, but its symptoms were originally a result of injuries. On the other hand, if a bird is sick, that does raise a good question. I haven't yet been in that situation where I need to make that decision.

 

[threeepeat]

What are people doing with the offal etc. afterwards? Are people composting in secure composts, and/ or using black soldier fly larvae?

 

[QuailQueen3]

Flash freezing can work if you do it before rigor sets in. Quail go into rigor very quickly, though.

Thank you. Initially, I was letting them cool to room temperature, then in the refrigerator for 24-48 hours before transferring to the freezer. I then read this information on the USDA website about freezing quickly, even flash freezing, being the best to prevent bacteria. But now, I am reading more about the physiological post mortem changes to the muscle tissue (including going through rigor mortis).

I have a lot more to learn. Based on what I have now learned, it looks like cooling more slowly (even from room temp to ice) to avoid “cool shortening,” then transitioning to the refrigerator for at least 24-48 hours for “aging” (getting past rigor mortis) before freezing or cooking seems like a better approach for the most tender meat. Also, I read that any stress to the bird before death can cause a surge of hormones that can make the meat tougher. So, I will discontinue weighing them right before butchering them.