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Squab was once known as “the meat of kings” — and for good reason. The flavor and composition of squab meat is without peer. However, several factors have caused squab to fall behind other types of poultry as a source of food.
When compared with larger factory-farmed chickens — which have been carefully engineered to maximize meat production — squabs are small. Squabs contain less meat than other forms of poultry, making them less profitable for factory farms.
A female chicken can produce up to one egg every day. If inseminated and incubated, each one of these eggs can turn into another chicken. By contrast, a pair of squab only produces about two offspring every 45 days.
Chickens, ducks, turkey, and most other forms of poultry can begin to eat birdseed the moment they emerge from their eggs, which helps them gain valuable weight quickly. By comparison, squab are born immobile and rely on their parents to feed them — which slows growth.
For all of the reasons above, squab farming makes for a unique challenge. We accept that the scale of our co-op will never compete with large factory farms.
And that’s fine with us. We don’t want to be the biggest — we simply want to be the best. So that we can continue the proud legacy of quality California squab production. It’s a challenge we believe is worth the effort.