Processing Quail for the Dinner Table w/ vid

in #homesteading7 years ago (edited)

Starting up a meat breeding program at home can be intimidating to many, but the benefits from this far outweigh any downsides associated. Even if you are not raising poultry for the sake of meat, the skillset for dispatching is one that I see every breeder should be required to have. Whether you have a bird that becomes injured/ill or you have one that has some loose screws and continually attacks the rest of your flock (even after multiple attempts at corrective action), the day will inevitably come that you need to dispatch a bird. If that day has not come for you yet, it will eventually come – it’s not a matter of IF, but a matter of WHEN. This process is not something that you should ever take lightly, and should always be done with the utmost respect for the animal being dispatched. While the process will never get “easier” over time, it will certainly become more normalized to you along with helping you gain a better level of respect for the animals that you are raising.

Some people raising gamebirds, or other animals with the intentions of meat usage, choose to use a processor to assist them. Unless you are producing animals on a commercial scale or you are physically unable to meet the demands of the process (e.g. – you raise cows and don’t have the heavy equipment to move the carcasses), I will always advocate for the breeder to do their own processing at home. Among the many reasons that I have for this, I believe the most important reason is that this is the most honorable thing you can do for the animals being reared, along with ensuring proper measures are taken with preparing and storing the meat before transitioning it to the dinner table. Sure, the processor appears to be there for both your and your animal’s best interest while you visit the facility, but can you really say for certain what goes on behind closed doors after you leave?

In this writeup, I will be focusing on the processing of quail; however, this same process can be applied to most other poultry as well (chickens, chukars, ducks, etc). The most important step to keep in mind while prepping for processing, is to ensure that you keep the bird/s as calm as possible in the moments leading up to dispatching. Not only will this make it easier on you, but also make it much easier on the animal that is giving their life so that you can nourish your own. When dispatching multiple animals at once, I like to setup my area so that the animals in the staging area are unable to see the processing table. This prevents them from seeing the process and working themselves up, releasing unnecessary adrenaline in their bodies which can adversely affect taste.


Above is a short video that I did in the past showing the process. I have also included of writeup of the process below.

My typical table setup consists of a trash pot/bag, clean pot, and a sharp set of shears (with emphasis on the sharp part). After selecting the first quail to be processed, I bring them over to the process table and hold them until they are relatively calm and unsuspecting of what’s about to happen. Even the most untamed of birds will eventually settle down while you are holding them.

Once you believe they are in a state of peace, grasp the bird with just one hand and place the shears in your dominant hand. With the shears FULLY opened, place the neck as far into the shears as possible, with the inner ‘V’ area of the shears at the base of the head. Without hesitation and in one swift motion, remove the head and allow the carcass to drain its’ blood into the trash bin that you have. Be sure to ensure that you have a firm grasp upon shearing, as the muscles will flutter for a few seconds – this is perfectly normal, don’t let it alarm you. Upon removing the head, the quail will be dispatched immediately, and all motion that you see afterwards is strictly just muscle reflexes. While going through the remaining parts of processing, you may bump a tendon that causes additional reaction, but they will be much less animated reflexes at that point – so again, don’t be alarmed.

On a small ground bird such as a quail, I choose to remove the wings and dispose of them; however, these can be saved if you wish to do so. Following this step, I skin the bird by ‘pinching’ the skin with both hands on the breast, and pulling back as if you are opening curtains on a window. Once the skin/feathers begin to come off, the rest will follow with extreme ease. If you wish to keep the skin intact for cooking, you can skip that step and pluck the feathers off instead. The next thing I like to do is remove the innards and gizzard. Taking the shears, enter one point between the spine and breast, and the other side on the back side of the spine (offset to one side of the spine). Cut down the full length of the bird and come out by where the tail feathers were, and repeat on the opposite side of the spine. With proper positioning of the bird, pulling the segment that you just cut out will bring all innards with it as well. Take extra caution not to rupture anything when making this cut.


At this point, you have a fully cleaned bird that is now ready for post processing. Now you want to rinse the meat very well, and place it in a pot. I like to soak it in a little bit of salt water for a few hours while refrigerated, but don’t oversoak them at this step. After a few hours, drain the water and place them into a Ziploc bag and remove all of the air and water (or you can go ahead and vacuum seal at this point). I feel this next step is the most important part, especially if you are dealing with an older bird or wild game. You now want to “rest” the meat for a couple days. You want to keep the meat cool, but not frozen for a couple days. This step is not required, but it will help tenderize the meat and bring out the full flavor profiles.

Now you’re down to the best part of the process. Cook and enjoy!

Hopefully this has been both helpful and clear with my wording. If you have any questions, feel free to post them below in the comments. Enjoy!

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When I first woke up, first thing I did was get chickens. And I insisted we learn to do the deed. "We" being my husband and son, of course. I will incubate them, brood them, feed them out and cook them up tasty as can be but that is where I am out. I do not ask for much help with the nurturing and caring part, the guys had to do that other end. Maybe it seems unfair to you, but the men I cooked for agreed, and butcher date came...
We learned. We learned a lot. We learned it was a damn lucky coincidence that we decided to butcher on the one day every 2 weeks the doctor was in our little town to stitch up my husband...
We learned that there is a family operated processing plant an hour or so down the road, they do great work and it is FDA approved so I can sell my chickens to stores and restaurants.
We learned that it is actually cheaper to use the processing people than to stitch up my husband.
We learned that if it ever comes to it we CAN, but we sure do appreciate those folks down the road... LOL!

That's great that you have a good processor not too far from you that you can use. I certainly don't condone those who do, and I think you did it the right way by making sure that you guys knew how to do it first. Everyone's life situations are different, and only you know what's best for you, and it sounds like you found out that the processor is best for your situation (being able to sell legally and reduce costs at the same time).

Kinda like the a twist on the old fishing saying, "That's why it's called fishing and not catching"; That's why it's called farming and not eating. Everyones got their own ways that work best for them.

I thought it was great that an account called @bobwhite, upvoted my post about my bobwhite quail, and their first post was about quail! Haha. I appreciate this great post. I'm still we greenhorn in all this, and can't yet bring myself to watch a video on it. So, I really like, and very much appreciate, that you took the time to also do a write up on it.

I look forward to learning from you! Thanks for sharing, and coming to my blog and starting this interaction!

Thanks for checking the post out, glad you liked it. It's going to be a fun process for you and you're definitely going to love raising quail.

I'm more than happy to help you along the way with any questions you might have come up and wish you the best of luck. I gave you a follow as well and look forward to seeing your posts as you come along with your quail venture!

I love the sounds they make, the bobwhite quail are so fun to listen to. Thank you for your offer! I am sure I will find lots of questions to throw at you! :)

Lots of people are not ready for this. It will be counted as cruel but many of those same people have no problem with cutting a human baby into pieces to perform an abortion.
Anyway, this was a good post and I upvoted it and will follow you. Thanks

Thanks for the support and follow. Its unfortunate that things like this can be such a touchy subject. I just hope that more people can one day understand the processes involved in getting food from the farm to the table, and appreciate tutorials like these as they would any other one.

I sent a follow back your way as well.

Wow great post on this tasty and nutritious bird.... I know the eggs are very nutritious too...wanna post on it...tks for sharing @bobwhite

Glad you enjoyed, thanks for checking the post out. They definitely are some great birds to raise - awesome food from both the bird and their eggs along with them growing extremely fast too.

I sent a follow your way too @kenhudoy

Thanks and good one once more...check my blog posts and find ways you can use eggshells for your benefits...

I most definitely will

Great as I updated today

Great post!

Don't sweat the haters. Life is too short for that.

Keep up the good work!

You're definitely right about that! Thanks for checking my post out

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Fantastic and informative article. Yes dispatching your own food is powerful in the fact you can make sure it was done in a dignified fashion. I love your statement.
"the processor appears to be there for both your and your animal’s best interest while you visit the facility, but can you really say for certain what goes on behind closed doors after you leave?"

I agree completely. As a hunter and having a farm and ranch moorings I appreciate your article. Thank you sir and God bless you!

Thanks for the support and glad you enjoyed it. It's always nice to meet likeminded people who can appreciate things like this!