Hello folks. A friend keeps “crowing” about his coturnix quail for eggs and meat. I’ve had such a hard time finding Cornish cross close to me in Seattle WA that it’s made me rethink how I’m going about meat. The recession, economic turmoil and fanatical run on chicks at local co-op has made me want a true breeding line for meat. I know im not the only one thinking it’s time to buckle down for hard times ahead. Since I live in the suburbs I can’t have a rooster. My friend has demonstrated how quail have advantages. They don’t crow, the coturnix in particular are quiet so a breeding pair can be kept in a coop! also, more and more people are breeding for big, 1 LB birds that grow out at a decent rate, not as fast as CX but much faster than dual purpose chickens.
The other night I went over to my friend’s house and he offered to demonstrate how easy his process is. We went out to his coop, selected one quill each, used scissors to quickly dispatch, draining right into the sink in his kitchen. Then scissored the skin and easily skinned them in under a minute, then spatch cocked with the same scissors, eviscerated and into the pan they went! Clean up was a synch, rinsed the sink, tada, minimal mess, done and done! Added garlic, onions, herbs and spices and voila, we had a gourmet meal, no plucking, no all day harvest set up, clean up, break down, no resting, no chilling. I wash shocked and intrigued at how simple the whole thing was, and it was as fresh as can be, no thawing, space in the fridge, no leaking of meat juice into the hydrator, etc etc. I came home with two dozen fertile eggs which are now incubating… I’m hooked!
So, my question then was, is there a jumbo version? My friend has been selectively breeding for weight and gotten up to a half pound. I looked on line and some are breeding up to a pound. I’m tempted to fork over the $$ for hatching eggs to begin a starter colony.
I’d love to hear from folks who have put the time and energy into this approach to meat production, especially if you have recommendations for best breed, best source of hatching eggs and anything about the type of ideal food for fast growth, but still quiet enough for suburban breeding.
The other night I went over to my friend’s house and he offered to demonstrate how easy his process is. We went out to his coop, selected one quill each, used scissors to quickly dispatch, draining right into the sink in his kitchen. Then scissored the skin and easily skinned them in under a minute, then spatch cocked with the same scissors, eviscerated and into the pan they went! Clean up was a synch, rinsed the sink, tada, minimal mess, done and done! Added garlic, onions, herbs and spices and voila, we had a gourmet meal, no plucking, no all day harvest set up, clean up, break down, no resting, no chilling. I wash shocked and intrigued at how simple the whole thing was, and it was as fresh as can be, no thawing, space in the fridge, no leaking of meat juice into the hydrator, etc etc. I came home with two dozen fertile eggs which are now incubating… I’m hooked!
So, my question then was, is there a jumbo version? My friend has been selectively breeding for weight and gotten up to a half pound. I looked on line and some are breeding up to a pound. I’m tempted to fork over the $$ for hatching eggs to begin a starter colony.
I’d love to hear from folks who have put the time and energy into this approach to meat production, especially if you have recommendations for best breed, best source of hatching eggs and anything about the type of ideal food for fast growth, but still quiet enough for suburban breeding.
