When Does a Coturnix Quail Begin Laying Eggs

You may be looking to add backyard Coturnix quail or just got home with your first quail chicks and are now wondering when they will come into lay? We’ll show you what to expect for each type (standard, celadon and jumbo) and how soon you can expect eggs, with handy graphics you can pin for later to remind you! Let’s figure out when your Coturnix quail will begin laying eggs:

When Does a Coturnix Quail Hen Begin Laying Eggs?

The short answer is that quail come into lay very quickly, some as early as 6 weeks old and almost all of them will be laying by 10 weeks old if they hatched by August. We’ll explain why below.

Your Wait Is Likely to Be Halfway Over!

Most Coturnix quail breeders are selling 3-4 week old, fully feathered juveniles who are ready to go into an outdoor coop. This means your wait for eggs is halfway over the day you pick up your young birds!

When Does a Coturnix Quail Begin Laying Eggs three young celadon quail chicks 3 weeks old with feathers — These young quail have enough feathers to go into an outdoor coop and are already 1/3 of the way to their laying age. Celadon quail lay a blue egg but can be any feather color.

Here is What Age to Expect Eggs for Each Type of Coturnix Quail:

Coturnix quail what age when hens begin laying eggs standard jumbo celadon start laying — Most quail will begin laying in their 6th or 7th week of life, with almost all of the standard size and jumbos laying by 8 weeks of age. Celadons take a bit longer, coming into lay sometime in the 8th to 10th week of life. A few celadon individuals may not lay until 12 weeks old.

Why This Changes After August

Quail chicks who are hatched in August or later will not reach 10 weeks old before the autumn days begin to grow shorter. Hens need 14 to 16 hours of daylight entering their eyes to stimulate their pituitary gland to signal ovulation. The 11 hours and 32 minutes of average daylight length in October, when the August-hatched hens are reaching laying age, falls short.

When Does a Coturnix Quail Begin Laying Eggs row of standard brown

Helping Late Hatched Quail Come Into Lay

Luckily the quail hen’s pituitary gland cannot seem to distinguish between daylight and LED lights so we can use artificial light to help the hens come into lay on time. I use solar rechargeable LED stairway lights in my quail coop to help young hens come into lay in the fall and keep my covey laying regularly through the winter. The blocky triangular shape is perfect because the quail do not knock it over. I set it outside of the coop in the morning to charge in the sunlight when I feed the birds. In the evenings when I go to collect the eggs, I simply tuck the fully charged LED light back in the coop with them. The LED is daylight-sensing so it will turn itself on at sunset, which gives the quail continuous light. This light has been one of my best quail supply purchases, next to my incubator with the quail egg turner! (Affiliate links)

When Does a Coturnix Quail Begin Laying Eggs quail coop LED light jumbo pharaoh celadon hen safety at night predator proof

IMPORTANT: Quail are going to cluster and sleep where the light is shining. I suggest pointing the LED light to shine in the most secure corner of your coop where the quail are up against solid walls and where they will have a ceramic tile underfoot. (See the above image.) The light will allow predators, like raccoons and rats, to see them very easily so being in the most secure corner on a ceramic tile really helps. I sometimes use washable plastic greenery or clipped leafy, non-toxic branches in front of the hardware cloth windows to diminish a predator’s ability to see into the coop. (Affiliate links)

Use LED Lights to Help Celadon Quail Lay

Celadon quail on average take a little bit longer to come into lay for reasons I don’t understand. Using LED lights can help. I once had the frustrating experience of hatching Celadon quail in late August and they did not come into lay for SEVEN MONTHS because the days were too short by the time they reached 10-12 weeks in November. I encourage the use of LED lights to help summer hatched quail come into lay on time because my hatch of late August hens ended up having a few egg issues because they got so fat while laying was delayed.

coturnix quail fresh eggs and scissors eating cooking with baking with quail eggs

Eggs are Coming Soon!

Now that you know quail eggs are not far off, it is time to ready your kitchen for their arrival! You will definitely need a pair of quail egg scissors to open the eggs because quail eggs crush into a mess if you try to crack them on the side of a bowl like a chicken egg. My favorite way to collect quail eggs is to use a small 1.5 quart colander so I can go from the coop straight to the sink to wash them before storing them in the fridge. I use this style colander but this handled one works well, too. All of them can handle bumps, drops and dishwasher cycles. Standard quail eggs tend to fall out of chicken wire egg gathering baskets unless they are lined with a cloth napkin or flour sack towel. After being washed, the quail eggs can go into a bowl in your fridge or into stamped cartons for sale! (Affiliate links)