Tatanka Breeders Club: Meat Quail project with history, discussion, pictures and videos

[dt1958]

A few more from down south, we grow them bigin's here !

 

[dt1958]

Let's see what else we've had recently







Nice camo color here as well, ya know there's only a few that still care about this line of birds & are still working with them nowadays & I'm one of them ! Oh BTW ya'll boys ask your LA buddy how them Tatanka's he received from Juan Paco in the northeast division are doing ! Have a great evening !

 

[Sill]

I'm raising up a couple of batches of chicks and batch one is at 14 days today so I weighed them to see how they stack up against some of yours. Here are their weights.
71g, 78g, 87g ,89g ,79, 80g, 84g, 71g Only half made the target weight, a couple barely.

The second batch brooding right now are too young to weight yet.

 

[hardscaper87]

Ok so how do I go about some of your tatanks, I am in Topeka ks and they are fairly rare around here, atleast any with size, I want to adopt your standard of quality, can you guys lead me in the right direction as for cull weights at what times. Tia

 

[MobyQuail]

"Tatanka" raising the Standard...Jumbo Coturnix (Japanese Quail)

BEAK: slightly curved not flat.
EYES: expressive, green.
HEAD: large, wide. square when viewed from top.
NECK: thick, slight arch.
WINGS: fairly small
BREAST: prominent, full, well defined.
BODY: similar to other poultry meat birds, "like a brick" a fuller and longer fowl to increase egg-laying capacity and to produce a frame with more meat for commercial purposes.
BACK: breadth across the back is a desirable trait.
LEGS: well muscled thigh. strong to support weight.
FEET AND TOES: (4) evenly spaced, long toes
FEATHERING: rough feathering is common in larger specimens.

EGGS: greater than > 14 grams.


WEIGHTS: All birds male and female must weigh 280 grams by 42 days.

looks like these are the numbers we are shooting for:

Daddy, Digger & Moby Standards of Quailism

14 days ~80g
21 days ~130g
28 days ~200g
42 days = 280g+


Fat Daddy Clause
56 days ~350+

current colors:
Brown (Wild Type)

 

[dt1958]

Here's a couple of bowls of Tatanka eggs collected this past week, all from this winters hatching's. Girls are laying good. Will be pairing up birds soon for a spring hatch.

 

[dt1958]

A few Jumbo layers & some from the more consistent 15-16g layers.

 

[hardscaper87]

Sign me up for some of those eggs!

 

[La Condessa]

Here's a couple of bowls of Tatanka eggs collected this past week, all from this winters hatching's. Girls are laying good. Will be pairing up birds soon for a spring hatch.

Dt, what criteria do you use to decide on breeding pairs? I know your weight goals for all your breeders, but how do you decide how to pair up specific birds? Do you take generation into consideration?

Thanks.

 

[dt1958]

Some of my Tatanka eggs collected today, we have some big egg layers in this past winters hatch. Undesirable for hatching due to their large size but highly desirable for pickling & eating eggs (7eggs @ 153 grams = 21.85 average). Then we the desired egg size for hatching (14 eggs @ 218 grams = 15.57 average). Things are shaping up for a great 2015 Tatanka season here down south. Getting ready to set my first spring batch in the next few days. There's nothing special done here other than culling very hard & only keeping the best of the best as breeders. Been selling cull roo processed birds for 10.00 a pound here lately & those large eating eggs are really in high demand by many restaurants. I'm really glad I stuck with this line of birds as it's starting to really pay off now, I've tried a number of other breeders birds & culled them all in the long run as there's nothing better than a big ole Tatanka. Have a great evening ! Sorry guys & gals no birds or eggs for sale here. Sticking to the program & things are getting better & better !