people, who against all odds survive in one of the poorest
metropolis in Latin America, frequently complementing
their monthly income with fruits, herbs, spices, medicinal
plants, and all sorts of animals, cropped or raised in
front and backyards, in idle public and private plots,
existent either within the urban tissue or in the wider
peri-urban areas." Posted September 24, 2002
. A favourite book on quail which I'd recommend is
entitled Quail, Their Breeding and Management by G.E.S.
Robbins.
Preparing the birds for the dinner table
The usual method of slaughtering the birds is to sever
the head in one quick movement. The most effective tool I
have found are a pair of sharp pruning shears. The bird is
then placed in a plastic pail with cover and allowed to
bleed. After preparing enough for a meal, which for our
family consists of a dozen birds, I take the bucket inside
the house. The bled birds are immersed in scalding water
(148 deg. F) for five seconds and then put in a large
bowl. After being scalded, the bird is skinned starting
from the neck down to the wings and the legs. Cut the
wings and legs just below the joint. To gut them, a pair
of scissors is used to slit the bird down the back. Don't
slit the breast because that's where the bulk of the meat
is located. Once gutted, with the neck cut off close to
the body, the birds should be chilled. I normally dump
them into a large bowl filled with cold water and some ice
cubes. After I have skinned and gutted all twelve birds
and left them in the bowl to be chilled, I pick each one
up again and give it a thorough cleaning picking off any
pin feathers left behind or any organs that didn't come
off during my initial gutting. I then either put them in
the fridge, freeze them, or prepare them for a meal. There
are all kinds of quail recipes available. The thing to
remember is that the meat has almost no fat so that if the
birds are roasted in the oven it is important to wrap them
in something like bacon.
The feathers and guts are taken to a local veterinary
clinic and incinerated for a nominal fee.
A favorite recipe of ours is to put a dozen birds in a
slow cooker with a couple of sliced onions, salt and
pepper and the whole thing topped off with water. Leaving
the birds to cook overnight or during the day while you're
at work allows the birds to produce and cook in their own
broth. Cooked this way, the birds are very tender and
absolutely delicious. We also use the broth for making
soup and as a base for fish chowder.
The eggs are consumed fresh. After they've been
refrigerated for a couple of days, use a steak knife to
saw through them and cook a dozen or so for your kids for
breakfast on the weekend. Quail eggs have long been known
as a good substitute for people who cannot eat eggs from
poultry and for people with allergies. They can be hard-
boiled and pickled also.
List of suppliers
Berry Hill Limited, 75 Burwell Road, St.Thomas, ON N5P
3R5.
Tel. no.:1-800-668-3072
Cutler's Pheasant and Poultry Supply, Inc.
1940 Old 51
Applegate, MI 48401
Ph: (810) 633-9450
Fax: (810) 633-9178
E-mail: cutlers AT greatlakes.net
Web page:http://www.cutlersupply.com
G.Q.F. Manufacturing Company, PO Box 1552, Savannah,
Georgia, USA 31498.
Tel. no.: (912)236-0651
Ranch Cunicole G.L.R. Inc., 515, Rapide Plat Nord, St
-Hyacinthe, Quebec.
Tel. no.: (514)799-5170
Seven Oaks Game Farm and Supply, 7823 Masonboro Sound
FeathFancQuail.html
For those wanting specifics on hatching Bob White Quail
eggs:
1. Eggs take 21 to 23 days to hatch.
2. Temperature: 99.5f., turn down to 99f. the last 3 days
3. Humidity: 85%, raise up to 95% the last 3 days.
4. Turn eggs twice daily.