Will my quail be tough now?

[chefchick]

I have a bunch of cotournix quail that I have been putting off butchering, mostly because hubby and daughter have been so busy, and I am happy to pluck, gut, wash and cook, just not the actual killing. They are almost 5 mos old- will they be tough now? They are strictly grain fed, and housed in rabbit hutch type cages on hardware cloth flooring in their small runs.

 

[James Marie]

I have a bunch of cotournix quail that I have been putting off butchering, mostly because hubby and daughter have been so busy, and I am happy to pluck, gut, wash and cook, just not the actual killing. They are almost 5 mos old- will they be tough now? They are strictly grain fed, and housed in rabbit hutch type cages on hardware cloth flooring in their small runs.

At that age they are considered Roasters...
we sell Roasters as 5 ounces of dressed meat and above...from quails that are more than 12 weeks old....
They should not be too tough....treat them as other types of roaster meats.....
you will notice much more fat on the meat at that age...I have Chefs who will buy nothing else but roasters...they love the extra fat in the meat...

 

[chefchick]

Thanks- Should I even try plucking or do you recommend skinning them? How many days do they need to rest before cooking? I would hate for them to be tough and dry after all of the work.