Education
At Zero G Quail Farms, we believe knowledge is the true launchpad for successful, sustainable quail keeping. Our education program is designed to guide beginners, hobbyists, and growing homesteaders with clear, confidence-building instruction rooted in real experience and proven systems. Whether you’re just stepping into the world of Coturnix or leveling up your skills, we’ve built resources to support every stage of your journey.
We offer a range of in-person classes, including Quail 101 for foundational care, Quail 102 for advanced hatching, genetics, and homestead math, and our one-on-one Processing Course for humane, hands-on butchering instruction. Every class blends practical learning with our Zero G philosophy—precision, purpose, and a whole lot of passion for these remarkable birds.
Our Online catalog includes all of our in person classes minus our processing class. We will be expanding in topics that are available for easy online access, but till those are ready our informational and educational blogs will have tons of good information.
From brooding basics to breeding programs, incubation to meat processing, our goal is simple: to equip you with the tools, understanding, and confidence to build a thriving flock and a more sustainable future. When you learn with Zero G, you’re not just raising quail—you’re launching a whole new level of self-reliance.
Stay Tuned as we continue to expand our educational course availability as well as new topics.
Quail 101
Quail 101 — Basics of Coturnix is a simple, hands-on introduction to raising quail the Zero G way: casual, practical, and focused on what actually works. In one approachable six (6) hour session, we cover the essentials to keep Coturnix healthy and productive without fancy gear or overwhelming you. You’ll learn how to set up housing that’s safe, ventilated, and easy to clean; how much space birds truly need; and how to build a daily routine that keeps chores quick. We’ll walk through feed and water at each life stage, grit and calcium basics, and clean-water habits that prevent headaches later. You’ll practice calm handling and learn early signs of common issues so you can act before problems grow. We’ll talk eggs—when laying starts, what to expect per week, and how to collect and store for eating or hatching. For those curious about breeding, we touch on beginner incubator settings, choosing good eggs, and what a no-drama brooder setup looks like. We finish with “quail math (lite)” so you can match flock size to your goals, estimate basic costs, and plan your time realistically. Expect short chalk-talks and live demos, with plenty of Q&A throughout. You’ll leave with a one-page setup checklist and a weekly care plan you can follow on day one. This class is perfect for first-time keepers, families, and homesteaders who want reliable results from a small, efficient flock. Bring closed-toe shoes, a notebook, and your questions—we’ll handle the rest. Ready for liftoff?
Quail 102
Quail 102 — From Hatch to Harvest is the hands-on, real-world expansion of our Quail 101 fundamentals, built for keepers who want to dial in incubation, understand genetics with confidence, scale flock math for a working homestead, and learn humane butchering from start to finish. We start by tightening your hatch process: calibrating at egg height, reading air-cell growth, balancing humidity instead of chasing numbers, and managing pip-to-zip without panic. You’ll refine a reliable lockdown flow, map a smooth hatch-day timeline, and execute brooder transitions that cut losses. From there we shift into practical genetics you’ll actually use—color and pattern basics, simple inheritance, pairing strategy, and breeder selection for health, temperament, and production—plus record-keeping that supports decisions without becoming a chore.
Midday we move into humane butchering and processing with a calm, methodical walkthrough. You’ll set up a clean workflow, handle harvest ethically, and master each step—dispatch, scald or skin, evisceration, rinse, chill, packaging, and cold-chain management—alongside sanitation fundamentals and a plain-English overview of local compliance considerations. We round out the day with “quail math” for homesteads and micro-farms: cost per egg and per meat bird, feed conversion in the real world, breeder groups and replacement schedules, space planning that respects bird behavior, and honest scaling scenarios—from supplying your family on weekends to steady household protein and limited sales. Throughout, we keep the Zero G vibe—casual, practical, mission-focused—and we teach what we practice: simple systems, clean workflows, dependable results.
This eight-hour, in-person workshop blends short chalk-talks, live demos, and guided hands-on segments so you leave with a repeatable advanced hatch protocol, a starter genetics map for your chosen lines, a humane processing sequence with safety checkpoints, and a personalized quail-math plan matched to your goals and space. Held in Colorado at a designated venue (not at the farm for biosecurity), Quail 102 is ideal for students who’ve completed Quail 101 or have equivalent experience and are ready to move from “it works” to “it’s dialed.” Ages 16+ are welcome; minors must attend with a guardian. Bring closed-toe shoes, a notebook, and your questions—bonus points for bringing your incubator settings log or hatch notes for targeted troubleshooting. Ready to move from takeoff to orbit?
Processing
This hands-on, class is designed to give you the confidence and skill to humanely process Coturnix quail from start to finish. Whether you bring your own birds or use birds we provide, you’ll keep all of the meat you process during the session.
We’ll walk you through multiple humane dispatching methods, ensuring you understand both technique and ethics. From there, you’ll learn several approaches to cleaning, preparing, and storing quail meat, including tips for maximizing quality and shelf life. We also cover essential food safety and handling practices so you leave fully prepared to process your own birds safely, respectfully, and efficiently.
This course is built for beginners and experienced keepers alike—if you’re ready to take the next step in self-sufficiency, we’ll guide you through every stage with clarity, care, and the Zero G commitment to doing things the right way
