COTURNIX QUAIL
(Page 5 of 6)
GOURMET FEASTING
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Quail meat is considered a delicacy, and therefore commands a high price. In fact, frozen dressed quail sell for around $4.00 apiece! The meat itself, which is higher in protein than chicken, is tender and has a slightly gamy flavor that many folks enjoy. Producing quail meat for home use is not as economical as is raising chickens for this purpose, but you can make a nice profit by selling the dressed birds to restaurants, butchers, and specialty shops ...and live, fattened Coturnix can be sold to poultry markets.
Of course, you can slaughter and dress the birds yourself without much difficulty. Do so when they're between eight and ten weeks of age, or whenever egg production slacks off (usually after about one year). The live weight of a mature bird is between six and eight ounces ...dressed weight is equal to 75% of the live weight.
To kill and dress quail, you'll need a pair of sharp scissors, a knife, newspaper, and containers of hot and cold water. After snipping the birds' heads off with the scissors, allow the blood to drain out. Then drop each quail into hot water (148°F) for five seconds to loosen the skin and feathers (roast quail are more attractive if plucked, but plucking is extremely time consuming) ...remove the skin, entrails, and vent ...and cut off the legs at the middle joint. Finally, plunge the birds into cold water to dispel any body heat still remaining and prevent the growth of bacteria.
Quail can be prepared for the table in a variety of ways (check the sidebar for one possibility). Generally speaking, two birds make one serving.
SOURCES
Of course, one of the first things a would-be quail-raiser has to do is locate a source of the little wonders. Your best bet, if you want to purchase mature birds which have already begun to lay, is to check local suppliers or your county agricultural agent. It's a matter of simple economics: If you send for quail out of state, they'll be shipped air mail, and the charges-to say nothing of the required health certificate-will be reflected in the price of the birds. If you do purchase quail locally, however, be sure they are alert, large, and fully feathered. The cost should run anywhere from $1.00 apiece for nondescript stock (quail which are not selectively bred to maintain high quality) to $10.00 for a show-quality bird. Excellent quail stock can be obtained, usually, for about $3.00 apiece.
If you must order quail chicks through the mail, try to get some that are at least one week old (they're commonly called "started" birds), as they'll stand the rigors of shipping better than do day-old babies. Chicks will be sent parcel post to your home or the nearest post office.
As an alternative to buying birds, you might want to purchase fertile eggs and incubate them. They're usually sent by priority air mail or United Parcel Service, and sell for between 10V and 25d each (the shipping costs are often included in the price). Few quail farms will guarantee hatchability, since they have no control over handling during the shipping and incubation processes, but most outfits do enclose extra eggs to offset possible losses. It's not uncommon to get 90% hatches from eggs sent thousands of miles ...in fact, most of my flock are descendants of quail hatched from eggs sent over 3,000 miles!
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