SC - Chocolate: An Indian Drinke

[James F. Johnson]

Date: Mon, 21 Feb 2000 14:17:46 -0800 (PST)
From: Dana Huffman <letrada at yahoo.com>
Subject: Re: SC - quail eggs

Did the deli mention what the minimum quantity is?  If
it's not too large, maybe you could still get them and
just have some extras with which to try something else
- - -- that pickled egg recipe that's been posted recently
wanders through my mind.  Or would it work with
smaller eggs?  Just an idea...

Dana/Ximena

- - --- Glenda Robinson <glendar at compassnet.com.au> wrote:
> D##n!!!!!!!!
> 
> After all that, the gourmet deli just rang me and
> said that the quail-egg
> supplier won't send them the eggs, because the
> quantity is too small!
> 
...

It would take about 4 months to start getting eggs, but have you considered
trying to grow your own quail eggs?  The season for ordering baby quail is
upon us, and there are a couple of hatcheries that send me catalogs, one of
them has an online web site: www.mcmurrayhatchery.com  

There is also another web site that has a whole list of various hatcheries
around the US (and maybe Canada?) that you could try to order for a lower
price.

http://www.cyborganic.com/People/feathersite/Poultry/BRKPoultryPage.html

The Feather Site also has tons and TONS of information about raising
poultry, and pictures of all the breeds that ... exist I think!!!  It is
very informative!
Coturnix quail (the ones that would produce the most eggs for you I think)
are very well adapted to living in captivity.  The Japanese raise them in
cages indoors, and do quite well with them,  The males make very loud
Cuckoo kind of a sound that... when in closed quarters gets to be rather
annoying.  They do breed readily, but they do not raise their own eggs very
well.  To hatch babies (for another generation of egg layers) you would
need to get an incubator... if you enjoyed the experience well enough that
you thought you needed more and wanted to try producing your own.
Generally quail are kept in trios, two females to a male.  I'm sure there
is some variation to this.  Anyway, I have thought about raising quail for
the delicate eggs several times (the shells are a DICKENS to crack
though!!) but so far have not taken the plunge.  Just thought I would
propose this idea to those of you who cater feasts and such on a regular
basis and would find the investment of your own quail worthwhile!  I have
heard they are pretty good to eat too?  So you would have a use for the
cockerels that you didnt keep for breeders.

- -Laurene