What to to with extra male Coturnix??

[Bearded Farmer]

I picked up 11 chicks that are now about 5 weeks old and its looking like I only got 2 hens out of all of them from what I can tell. So today I just bought 11 more that are about 6 months old with 4 known laying females. That brings my hen total up to 6 and I would like to keep 2 Roos. Does this sound like a good ratio? Only problem is now I will have 14 Roos to get rid of. What do I do woth them all? Do people actually buy males if I try to sell them?

 

[NYREDS]

Eat them, they're delicious.

 

[Bearded Farmer]

I dont know if I have the testicular fortitude to cull a healthy bird.

 

[Fat Daddy]

Eat them, they're delicious.

PLUS ONE!

But to answer your queston. There is no real market for roos with exception for eating.you can always give a add on Craigslist a shot. Ending a bird is not pleasant.While its never gets fun, it does get easier after the first few. Do it alone. End them quickly. Its the cycle of life if your a carnivore farmer!!

 

[LovePolish]

I would say sell them for real cheap if you don't want to eat them...

 

[WallTenters]

I am backordered at $5 a bird live for eating. :/ Go figure.

BUT they are so good I am partial to keep as many as I can. I just put quiet a few in a chicken tractor that was built too heavy so it's been "broke down" and just sitting for several months. It's 4x8 and so overgrown with grass and weeds they hardly know each other's there and there hasn't been any squabbles (I think it helps I added so many at once). I put in a gallon waterer and a lot of feed down and hope they will be fine for many days at a time so low maintenance.

Someone told me to use scissors and I agree much easier that way - the big kitchen scissors are perfect for processing these guys.

 

[AZ Birds]

i put a ad on craigslist for 2 weeks to sell my males and nobody wanted them just kept calling to see if i had any females to sell. so today i ended up butchering them and will eat them tomorrow. hope farm raised quail taste the same or better then the gambels quail i hunt every fall and winter here.

 

[Fat Daddy]

They will not taste like the "new world" birds your used to eating. New world quail has white meat breast. Old world birds, coturnix, do not... But they are plenty tasty, just a bit different. Best I can discribe it would be a mild dove flavor... Taste just like coturnix thou! Bill

 

[GrannysRoost]

i put a ad on craigslist for 2 weeks to sell my males and nobody wanted them just kept calling to see if i had any females to sell. so today i ended up butchering them and will eat them tomorrow. hope farm raised quail taste the same or better then the gambels quail i hunt every fall and winter here.

Guaranteed they will taste better as they don't eat what those guys you hunt do! At least mine are better down here in Casa Grande! We waited quite a few months before doing the deed on the extra roos, then we got a taste and I don't think gamey at all, and now with our nasty heat the fertility rate is down...so until fall

 

[AZ Birds]

ate my 4 coturnix males tonight. fried them in some butter and onions. they were good but dont think they were any better then the gambels i hunt. i guess they must be eating some good stuff where i hunt them in tonopah. will compare them at same time when quail season starts again though i could be wrong as i havent eaten a gambel quail since last year. one thing i noticed though is there thighs are the best part.