Newbie on Quail varieties

[eslamberson]

I train my dogs for bird hunting and after this season I ended up with about 35 female and 10 male Bob White Quail. Recently a friend who owns a local restaurant and asked me if I could supply him with Quail eggs. So, I said I would see if they would lay eggs. I extended their light, mixed their game feed with laying crumbles, gave them mealy worms and fresh greens and holy cow, they are producing 15-18 eggs a day now! I noticed that the male and female and sometimes 3 of them sit on the eggs at one time. We allowed them to keep 10 eggs, marked them with X and have been gathering the rest of their eggs since. [I have read all the info re: restaurants buying from hobby producers]

I can probably send them 2-3 dozen eggs every other day. We wash them & put them in mini ice cube trays at Walmart (6 for $1.50) - holds 16 eggs. They just can send the empty cartons back for refills. I have a label and arbitrarily used "good until" at 45 days after they were laid.

SC does not have a specific Bob White Quail egg production regulation that I can find. I can get a Bob White "breeder" permit for $5/yr. I do have a chicken egg permit

Alternative to the Bob White, there is the Tennessee Red Quail which is actually a mutant of Bob White but a different color (gorgeous chocolate birds). The Reds are not limited by any of the Bob White Game laws so the horse back Field Trialers like to use them for both hunting, training and raising..

My question is this. Why do you choose the Japanese Quail rather than Bob White to produce Quail eggs? Is it because of the Game bird regs ?

Also, what do you charge for quail eggs? Do you sell them by the dozen or 2 dozen?

Thanks
Elena Lamberson

 

[eslamberson]

I meant to include that I have read all the info posted re: restaurants buying from hobby egg producers.

 

[dc3085]

I train my dogs for bird hunting and after this season I ended up with about 35 female and 10 male Bob White Quail. Recently a friend who owns a local restaurant and asked me if I could supply him with Quail eggs. So, I said I would see if they would lay eggs. I extended their light, mixed their game feed with laying crumbles, gave them mealy worms and fresh greens and holy cow, they are producing 15-18 eggs a day now! I noticed that the male and female and sometimes 3 of them sit on the eggs at one time. We allowed them to keep 10 eggs, marked them with X and have been gathering the rest of their eggs since.

I can probably send them 2-3 dozen eggs every other day. We wash them & put them in mini ice cube trays at Walmart (6 for $1.50) - holds 16 eggs. They just can send the empty cartons back for refills. I have a label and arbitrarily used "good until" at 45 days after they were laid.

SC does not have a specific Bob White Quail egg production regulation that I can find. I can get a Bob White "breeder" permit for $5/yr. I do have a chicken egg permit
It will most likely then fall under some sort of general egg production law or be FDA regulated
Alternative to the Bob White, there is the Tennessee Red Quail which is actually a mutant of Bob White but a different color (gorgeous chocolate birds). The Reds are not limited by any of the Bob White Game laws so the horse back Field Trialers like to use them for both hunting, training and raising..Reds are one of the most aggressive breeds of bob so be prepared.

My question is this. Why do you choose the Japanese Quail rather than Bob White to produce Quail eggs? Is it because of the Game bird regs ?Fully lighted bobs run in two cycles a year are only capable of laying 200 eggs total. Bobs are seasonal layers and if not given light will only lay 70-100 eggs per year beginning in may and ending in july usually. Coturnix will 280-300 eggs per year without light (theoretically you can get an egg every day of the year with coturnix under light), they begin laying between 8-12 weeks of age (bobwhites have to six months old and will only begin to lay in spring unless you light them)

Also, what do you charge for quail eggs? Do you sell them by the dozen or 2 dozen?

Thanks
Elena Lamberson