Purchasing Quail Eggs vs. Using Your Own Flock

Purchasing Quail Eggs vs. Using Your Own Flock

What came first, the chicken or the egg? Well, when starting your coturnix quail flock, the egg clearly comes first!

While you can purchase chicks, we recommend starting by hatching eggs. This is a great way to build experience, and once your flock is established, you will likely prefer hatching your own. For a complete overview of the process, reference our guide: Link to Quail Incubation 101.

1. Purchasing Quality Hatching Eggs

If you are just beginning, purchasing eggs from a reputable breeder is the fastest way to get started. There are dozens of trustworthy breeders out there, and while we aren't here to say one is better than the other, we do want to share our positive experiences.

Our Recommended Source: MyShire Farm

MyShire Farm has been a great resource for hatching eggs, and we recommend them based on our experience. They are a large operation that ships eggs all over. The quail we have raised from their eggs have worked well for us and produced reliably for years.

When evaluating any breeder, we look for two key things:

• Hatch Rate: While hatch rate depends heavily on your own conditions, a good breeder ensures the eggs are fresh and handled correctly before shipping.

• Temperament: Once hatched, how do the quail interact? We are looking for roosters with a healthy breeding drive, but who are not overly aggressive to the point of injuring the hens.

Our Philosophy: We maintain a zero-tolerance policy for overly aggressive roosters. If they consistently cause damage to the hens, they are separated and culled. This is necessary for hen welfare and helps us ensure we are only hatching new quail from the lines with the best, most cooperative traits.

Our Recommended Breed: Jumbo Egyptian

The breed we recommend overall is the Jumbo Egyptian. They offer a fantastic balance:

• They are a large bird, producing great meat.

• They produce around 300 eggs per year.

• They are sexable by feathering, meaning you can easily tell the difference between the rooster and the hen at a glance.

• Overall, they tend to play well with others.

The vast majority of the quail we maintain are Egyptians, and we highly recommend them. (We hope to try the beautiful Tuxedo Mix in the future—an experiment we will surely share with you!)

2. Producing Your Own Fertile Eggs

This is what truly separates quail from any other animal on the homestead! Once your flock is established, you will be able to produce your own fertile eggs in just 6 to 8 weeks from hatch. This rapid maturity makes them the most self-sufficient choice for meat and eggs.

Setting Up Your Breeding Pens

Once the chicks are mature enough (6-7 weeks) to determine the roosters from the hens, it is time to separate them into their own separate cage batteries.

• Housing Ratio: We recommend a minimum of 3 hens to 1 rooster. This ratio helps maintain calm in the cage and naturally reduces rooster aggression. (Note: We house our quail in cages and not in an aviary. Please see our post on [Link to Quail Housing Post] to learn more about our current setup.)

Identifying Fertility

After 6 or 7 weeks, you will start to see eggs being produced. When you crack the eggs open, keep your eyes open for a small white disc (the blastoderm or blastodisc). This disc confirms the egg has been fertilized and is ready for incubation.

At any time, you can begin to save these fertile eggs to start incubating your own.

Related Guide: Once you begin incubation, you can use candling to verify the embryo is developing. Learn how in our guide: [Link to Candling Post].

In future posts, we will share our current flock size and our seasonal hatch schedule. If you have any questions regarding egg selection and purchasing your first hatching eggs, please reach out at any time. We are happy to help you!