Shortly after buying our new house and moving in I bought quail and my hubby and I built a quail cage under $35 which I blogged about here http://thenewdaybringshope.blogspot.com/2014/04/diy-quail-cage.html
I bought the quail when they were supposed to be 8 weeks old and was told they should start laying any day. Weeks came and passed and not a single egg. I tried leaving them alone, then I tried changing their light, adding a sand box and toys. For weeks we would hear the rooster crow and yet the hens weren't laying.
From what I had read from numberous different blog posts, articles, and online comments quail were supposed to be a great all purpose solution for an urban homesteader or anyone looking to source their own food. Quail lay eggs, can be eaten like a chicken, are supposed to be quiet (one of my roo's was the other was VERY ANNOYING and LOUD), and they reach maturity (eating age) fast, and on top of all of that they have a small space requirement (1 sq ft per bird) so they can be kept almost anywhere, balconies of apartments, basements, garage, toolshed, etc.
After so many weeks of waiting for eggs 2 of our 4 quail went from the first picture to the last. The quail were the first animal I had every killed, being an animal lover. I had spent time before buying them looking for the fastest most humane way to kill them (wring their neck). After they were dispatched processing was relatively easy and fast, unfortunately we weren't really so much a fan of the finished product. I have heard its better grilled.
The other hen decided to lay the day we sold them and their cage. I went to grab them and saw a small egg sitting there by their sandbox! I had waited over a month for this egg and there is was, belonging to someone else =)
Quail huh?
They definately aren't for us, but if your interested by all means try them. Some roo's are quieter than others and if you like the meat then I can see how they could be great for a homesteader!
OMG how did you kill an animal? I could never do it, well I suppose if I was starving to death I could, but otherwise, no! Sorry but I won't be able to keep reading your blog as I don't want to read about killing animals, I thought it was a decorating/home type of blog. Maybe you could put something at the top of your page telling people so they don't click on an article like this in error? I honestly wasn't expecting it because I read one of your posts that pretty much said you weren't a country girl and couldn't kill your animals.
ReplyDelete@Angela, I'm sorry to hear that. I'm guessing your a vegetarian! Kudos! I personally eat meat and I try to educate myself so I know what horrible conditions and abuse the chicken/meat that is sold in stores endure. I tried to raise both quail, rabbits, ducks, and chickens for food because I love animals so my goal was to raise them humanely, give them a good life, then kill them humanely and quickly which is more than I can say for store bought meats.
ReplyDeleteThe quail are the only animal I would up being able to kill... they died quickly.
For me as an animal lover raising my own seemed like the best choice when considering animal welfare. Since I can't kill anything (quail are literally the only thing I've ever killed) I'm going to look for a local farm etc where the animals have a good living and are humanely butchered.
My blog is decorating/home but its also animals/environment and anything else I find pertinent.
Again I'm sorry you had a negative reaction, but unless your a vegetarian then you should spend just a minute educating yourself about where your food comes from... chances are the chicken you eat didn't have a good like unlike the quail..