Trying to decide between keeping standard Coturnix quail or jumbos? Wondering how much jumbo quail actually eat and how big their eggs really are? We will walk you through all the pros and cons for each to help make the decision process easier! Here is the ultimate compare and contrast on Standard vs Jumbo Quail:
Standard vs Jumbo Quail
“Standard” Coturnix quail refers to the common size of the ground-dwelling game bird that has been domesticated for the last one thousand years. Jumbo Quail have been specifically bred to be larger, with more meat on their bodies who also lay a significantly larger egg. They are twice the size of a standard coturnix and their eggs are 50% larger. Jumbo Quail must weigh a minimum of 10 ounces by 10 weeks old. (Any less than this and the quail is considered “standard”.) Adult jumbo quail typically weigh 14 to 15 or more ounces.
Quail Body Weights & Egg Sizes
Standard Quail: The Pros
Feather Colors: Standard quail come in the widest variety of feather colors. If you are wanting to keep a range of beautiful birds with various rare feather colors, you will only be able to find these birds in the standard size.
Egg Colors: Celadon quail carry two copies of the recessive blue egg gene and lay shades of blue – and sometimes greenish – colored eggs. Because it is incredibly difficult to breed for both body size and egg color in coturnix quail, Jumbo Celadons are not widely available. (If you can find Jumbo Celadon from a local breeder, buy them at any price and keep the bloodline going by breeding the largest birds together.)
Cute Cartons: Standard quail eggs fit in the adorable little quail egg cartons! (You’ll need to use chicken or bantam egg cartons for jumbo quail eggs.)
Standard Quail: The Cons
Small Eggs: Standard Quail eggs weigh 9 to 10 grams and are about the size of a Spanish olive. You cannot crack them on the edge of a bowl like chicken eggs, you must use quail egg scissors. (Affiliate link.) You are going to need at least 3 standard quail eggs (and sometimes 4) to equal one USDA Large egg. This means you need to keep and feed more standard size quail than you would if you had jumbos.
Smaller Body but Eats More: Standard Quail eat about 2 Tablespoons of feed per day. Jumbos, who are double their size, eat hardly half a tablespoon more at 2.4 Tbsp of feed per day.
Less Meat: Most people keep quail for both meat and eggs. Standard quail simply have less meat on them, usually just 3 ounces once skinned and dressed for the roasting pan. Adults usually consume more than one quail at a meal.
Jumbo Quail: The Pros
Big Eggs: Jumbo quail can lay an egg so large, it is nearly the same size as a Bantam chicken egg! You only need two jumbo quail eggs to equal one chicken egg in your recipes. Jumbo quail eggs are so large that you must use chicken egg cartons – not quail egg cartons – to store them.
Less Feed: Jumbo quail eat about 2.4 Tablespoons of commercial feed per day. This is a rather small amount compared to their body size.
More Meat: Jumbo quail frequently weigh 8 to 12 ounces once skinned and dressed for the roasting pan. This means one quail will feed one adult. One or two jumbo quail have enough meat for a hearty pot of Chicken (quail) Noodle soup – which tastes very much like it was made with dark meat chicken!
Best Backyard Production: Jumbo quail are the birds you want to keep if you’re wanting to maximize egg and meat production from your backyard. During the Covid-19 lockdowns of 2020, quail breeders were overwhelmed by demand for jumbo quail chicks because they provide the most meat and eggs while being allowed by suburban HOA’s.
Jumbo Quail: The Cons
Limited Feather Colors: Most jumbo quail are the wild type brown color, called “Pharaoh” and occasionally white, called “English White” or “Texas A&M White”. You can find a few breeders who will sell jumbo quail in other feather colors but they are usually on the smaller side at 11 or 12 ounces, instead of 14 to 15 ounces that brown jumbos usually weigh from quality breeders.
No Colorful Eggs: Jumbo Celadons are very difficult to breed. Because the focus on jumbo quail is heavier body wight and larger egg size, egg color is not considered important. Still, quail eggs are beautifully speckled and visually appealing. If you desire more cuteness, colorful chicken egg cartons and carton stamps are always an option!
What They Both Have in Common
Quiet: Coturnix quail are delightfully quiet! The hens make soft chirping noises that sound like a small cricket. The roosters (males) have a ‘crow’ that sounds like a wild bird call. This is true of both standard and jumbo quail. They are quieter than pet parakeets and no louder than the local wild bird population.
Useful Eggs: Quail eggs cook and bake just like chicken eggs! They are slightly more rich and creamy but do not taste gamey at all, especially when the quail are fed commercial game bird feed.
Children Love Them: Quail do not bite and are easy to catch. They can be trained to stay calm during handling. Children enjoy keeping them and collecting their eggs!
Easy to Keep: Quail enjoy being housed in hutches and like huddling together. You can build some incredibly cute quail coops for them to live in! Plus they can handle temperatures down to 20°F without supplemental heat.
STANDARD VS JUMBO COTURNIX QUAIL Size Comparison
In Closing
I hope this has been a useful comparison of standard vs jumbo coturnix quail which will help make your decision process easier as you select birds for your backyard covey!
whoiscall says
Thanks.
Alister Donnelly says
Your image labeled Pharoah quail hen is actually a hen king quail (in the us button quail or Chinese painted quail) hen.