Quail eggs, step by step
Interactive lesson: from the aviary to the plate — collecting, clean eggs without washing, storage, safe cooking and pickled eggs.
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The whole lesson as text
1. Collecting eggs
Quail don't use a nest, so look for eggs wherever they leave them.
- When they lay — Quail lay mostly in the afternoon and early evening. A female in full lay gives 0.8–0.9 eggs a day.
- Where to look — Eggs are in corners, behind hides, in the dust-bath sand and under the litter.
- A box in the corner — In two corners put a low box with no bottom and an opening, or a board leaned against the wall with a little hay. Most eggs will end up there and stay cleaner.
- Twice a day — Collect in the evening, when most have been laid, and in the morning. Go in slowly, with a container lined with card.
Why: Eggs left in the litter overnight are dirtier, and the birds peck them more often. Collect twice a day and you get cleaner eggs that don't need washing.
- A young female lays her first egg at 6–8 weeks. In the first weeks the eggs are smaller, sometimes shell-less or double-yolked.
- In summer don't leave eggs in a hot aviary an hour longer than you must.
2. Clean eggs without washing
The aim is an egg that doesn't need washing.
- Set dirty and cracked apart — Clean eggs go into the box. Use a cracked egg the same day, only thoroughly cooked, or throw it out.
- Dry cleaning — Clean a slightly dirty egg with a dry cloth, a soft brush or fine sandpaper. It's stored like a clean one.
- Very dirty — Briefly under running water warmer than the egg (35–45 °C, 95–113 °F), without soaking. Dry it, into the fridge, use it first and only cooked.
- Record and pack — Write the number of eggs in the record. Eggs go into quail egg boxes, and the date goes on the box, not on the egg.
Why: The shell has a thin protective coating (the cuticle) that closes the pores. Washing removes it, so a washed egg spoils faster.
- Never soak eggs in cold water: the contents contract and draw water and bacteria in through the pores.
- Remove a broken egg from the aviary at once, so the birds don't learn to peck eggs.
3. Storage and freshness · Locked
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4. Salmonella and safety · Locked
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5. Cooking and opening · Locked
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6. Pickled eggs · Locked
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