Quail, Feathers, and Respectful Death: The Unfiltered Truth About Homesteading

Scroll through any homestead Instagram and you’ll see golden-hour goat kisses, fresh eggs in vintage baskets, and garden rows as neat as spreadsheets. But here? At On Our Own Homestead, we don't always have time to curate chaos.

Because homesteading isn’t always pretty. It’s cracked eggs, surprise turkey fly-bys, and the occasional chicken brawl so dramatic it could earn a Daytime Emmy. It’s losing favorite animals. It’s making hard decisions with love and grit.

And sometimes, it’s recognizing that farm-to-table isn’t just a charming phrase - it’s a reality that includes the respectful death of animals we’ve raised, cared for, and appreciate deeply for the nourishment they provide! Please know this blog includes Graphic images of the process so please know that if you can not handle animal processing details, this may not be the blog for you.

Learning By Doing: Our Morning at Sweet Baby Farms

This morning, we had the chance to attend a hands-on quail processing class at Sweet Baby Farm, right here in Flagler Estates and it was an unforgettable experience. Jamie at Sweet Baby Farm poured her heart and knowledge into this class, walking us through each step with kindness, transparency, and the kind of real-life wisdom that only comes from doing this work day in and day out. We got to roll up our sleeves, ask questions, and get a deeper understanding of what it means to process animals with respect and care.

It wasn’t just a demo, it was an invitation to understand every step of what it means to harvest respectfully, from raising Quail, dispatching to packaging. Getting hands-on experience gave us so much insight into the importance of humane technique and calm energy

So much gratitude to Sweet Baby Farm for welcoming us into their space and sharing their expertise. This kind of community education is what makes local farming strong, connected, and sustainable.

Quail

The Emotional Weight of the Work

One of the biggest mental blocks for new homesteaders, ourselves included, is the act of taking a life. It’s heavy. It’s humbling. And it doesn’t get easier just because you’ve done it before. That hesitation, that moment of emotional pause before dispatching an animal... that’s human. It’s what keeps the process grounded in respect. But for those of us committed to raising our own food, that moment is also part of the transformation: from consumer to caretaker, from passive to present. It’s hard because it should be. And when done with reverence, it's worth it.

The Respectful Process: Harvesting Quail

Quail are a great introduction to backyard meat birds.. small, manageable, and relatively low-drama. But harvesting any animal is emotional, and should be done with intention and respect.

Backyard Quail Processing Steps (for Table or Freezer)

⚠️ Note: Always check your local laws and regulations before processing animals on your property.

1. Prepare Your Station

   • Clean surface (table or cutting board)

   • Sharp shears, knife, or scissors

   • Gloves (if you want them), bowl for feathers, waste disposal

   • Ice water or fridge-ready container for meat

   • A bucket for the feathers

   
   

2. Stunning and Dispatch

3. Choose a humane, quick method to minimize stress. Two common options:

   • Cervical dislocation (breaking the neck swiftly and cleanly)

   • Scissors method: Hold the quail securely and use sharp scissors to sever the head quickly and cleanly at the neck. It’s fast, effective, and approachable for beginners and it is how we learned today. This is also the method we watched being demoed at the Homestead Convention in June.

   
   

   

   Quail Dispatching

   ⚠️ Note: Stay calm and focused, your energy sets the tone.

   
   

4. Scald and Pluck (optional)

   • Quail feathers come off easily without scalding, but a quick dip in warm water (not boiling) helps.

   • Or skip this and skin the bird entirely, it’s faster and less messy. This is what we did today.

Removing Feathers & Skin

1. Evisceration

   • Cut along the backside, on each side of the spine remove entrails carefully.

   • Save liver and heart if desired (they’re nutrient-packed treasures).

   • Rinse thoroughly with clean water.

   
   

   

   Processed Quail

   
   

2. Cooling and Rest

   • Place in ice water or fridge for 12–24 hours to allow the meat to rest and tenderize.

   • Then freeze, cook, or cure to your liking.

   
   

Quail in Ice Bath Resting

Closing Thoughts: Grit, Grace, and Gratitude

This life isn’t curated....it’s cultivated. Every hard choice, every peaceful sunset after barnyard bedlam, every messy moment, it all adds up to something real. Homesteading is heartwork. It’s muddy boots with meaning. And in the end, when you sit down to a meal that your land, animals, and soul all contributed to, that’s not just nourishment. That’s legacy!

Chris and I will 100% be adding Quail to our Homestead as an additional meat source along with Rabbits next year and we're already looking to get the structures in place.