Quail Eggs

 

 

Quail eggs.

They are so small compared to chicken eggs, aren't they?  They look like the chocolate candy eggs at Easter.

I have mentioned once or twice we raise jumbo Coturnix quail.  This means that in addition to the quail being larger than an average quail, the eggs they lay are also larger than the average quail.  We have one female who lays an egg every day which is so large I have to be careful where I put it in the egg carton to keep it from getting crushed when I close the top!  

Can you find it?

 If we had a smaller flock I would consider isolating her and giving her a lower protein feed because large eggs over time may lead to a prolapse.  However, I am not willing to purchase a particular feed just for her, especially since the other girls are thriving on the higher protein feed, so we will just wait and keep a close eye on her.

As we have studied quail we have learned that each hen has an ink sac which "prints" their egg.  Each hen has a unique spotting configuration on the egg.  If we had a lot of excess time (and the inclination) I would separate each hen and watch the eggs for a week to confirm this but excess time around here is a bit like left-over bacon; a fantasy. 

 

Sometimes a hen will lay what is known as a "fairy egg".  Don't you love that term?  These are extra small eggs and really cute.  Not practical (and they do not go in the to-be-sold cartons) but cute.


Because quail eggs are so much smaller than chicken eggs, conventional wisdom is to use 4 quail eggs to equal 1 chicken egg; however, our eggs are large enough that I have been known to use 3 quail eggs to equal 1 chicken egg without it making the recipe disappointing.

When compared to chicken eggs gram for gram, quail eggs contain more protein, iron, riboflavin, and B12.  

Last week we sold out of quail eggs at the market, in part because we were collecting eggs to incubate. 

We now have two incubators full of eggs.  The first set should be hatching out around Valentine's Day and the second a week later (I will post hatching pictures, and if  possible, a hatching video).

In the meantime, since our incubators are now full we will have extra eggs available at the market this week.  Come see us!

And remember, the first dozen come with a complimentary set of quail egg scissors!




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