RE: Processing Quail for the Dinner Table w/ vid
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.