Storing quail eggs in the fridge... containers?

[Lorelai]

We have some Cortunix quail that are laying now, and I'm wondering what types of containers make the most sense for storing the eggs in the fridge? They are just for home consumption; we don't have enough to even think about selling them. Just wondering what you all do! Thanks in advance!

 

[fiddleblue]

I'm putting my first quail eggs in regular chicken egg cartons, but am planning to use tupperware bowls when I begin getting more eggs.

 

[Lorelai]

So do you just put a few quail eggs where one chicken egg would have gone then? That might be my best bet; I'm just not sure how well they'd stack if I put them in a bowl or something, and I want them to be secure in case the container gets jostled in the fridge. I'd like to avoid cracked/broken eggs!

 

[fiddleblue]

I'm just putting one quail egg in each chicken egg space in the chicken egg carton. When I begin using a bowl, I would not pile more than a two -high stack of eggs up in the bowl. Or even just fill a shallow bowl with one layer of eggs. I don't think they'd break if you're careful. What would be best would be to find out where to buy those plastic quail egg holders that the commercial quail eggs are sold in, in the store. I'll bet there is a supplier you can find online, by searching under quail supplies or something.

If you buy a couple dozen of the commercial eggs in the store, then you can save the plastic containers and have space for 2 dozen quail eggs.

 

[bonnie in indiana]

I have 6 females and get 5 eggs a day. I just toss'em in a bowl and put in the fridge. the only time I break an egg is when I drop one. They are really strong shelled.

I have a very small bowl in their cage and keep baby chick grit and oyster shell in it.

I keep a big bowl in the cage with a 1/2 inch of sand in it. Their is always a bird in there taking a bath. Most of the time they lay their egg in the bowl of sand.

Every day they get a treat-----lettus, or cabbage, or grass, or caulaflower, or 2 slices of bread.

My birds are really happy.

 

[Lorelai]

I'm just putting one quail egg in each chicken egg space in the chicken egg carton. When I begin using a bowl, I would not pile more than a two -high stack of eggs up in the bowl. Or even just fill a shallow bowl with one layer of eggs. I don't think they'd break if you're careful. What would be best would be to find out where to buy those plastic quail egg holders that the commercial quail eggs are sold in, in the store. I'll bet there is a supplier you can find online, by searching under quail supplies or something.

If you buy a couple dozen of the commercial eggs in the store, then you can save the plastic containers and have space for 2 dozen quail eggs.

I looked online for egg holders, but could only find places that sell them in bulk (and by that, I'd need to order way too many to make it worthwhile). I've never seen quail eggs at any stores in my area.

I have 6 females and get 5 eggs a day. I just toss'em in a bowl and put in the fridge. the only time I break an egg is when I drop one. They are really strong shelled.

I have a very small bowl in their cage and keep baby chick grit and oyster shell in it.

I keep a big bowl in the cage with a 1/2 inch of sand in it. Their is always a bird in there taking a bath. Most of the time they lay their egg in the bowl of sand.

Every day they get a treat-----lettus, or cabbage, or grass, or caulaflower, or 2 slices of bread.

My birds are really happy.

Ohhh, I like the bowl/sand idea! We move our quail to fresh grass each day, but I like the idea of them laying in a single location. We may have to try that. Do you add oyster shell for extra calcium? Does it affect your egg shells? The reason I don't want mine in a bowl is because we're only getting a few eggs a day, and I don't like the idea of them rolling around in the bottom of a bowl.

Thanks for the input everyone! I appreciate it!

 

[Sharment]

I just found 10-packs of quail eggs at a big Asian grocery store here in town - they are clear plastic and look like chicken egg cartons, just really tiny. They were only $1.69 per pack, so I bought several and once they are empty will be using them to store eggs that my birds lay. They have the advantage of stacking very nicely, btw.

If you are going to Seattle any time soon, Uwajimaya might have them as well:

http://www.uwajimaya.com/locations.html

 

[bonnie in indiana]

Do you add oyster shell for extra calcium? yes, the birds gobble it up. If what you buy is to big, smash it up.

Does it affect your egg shells? The reason I don't want mine in a bowl is because we're only getting a few eggs a day, and I don't like the idea of them rolling around in the bottom of a bowl. Just use a smaller bowl and put it in the fridge where it doesn't get pushed around.


You seem to be over thinking the whole idea, but then I have had poultry and quail for 40 years and have seen it all.

 

[bluethreads]

I started with about 20 birds (if I recall correctly) earlier this year, and initially, we stored the eggs in the chicken egg cartons. Very few ever cracked. When we continued breeding our birds (with eggs from other suppliers), naturally, we began getting more eggs. I don't even try to count our birds, but we do count our eggs. On a low yield day, we collect no fewer than 30 eggs. 50 is not unheard of. We have been storing our eggs in tupperware containers and the like. Unfortunately, as soon as we started piling eggs (even stacking them in the chicken egg cartons), we started seeing the occasional cracked egg. It's becoming more frequent in the bowls, Tupperware, etc.

I haven't checked the local Asian grocery stores; I'm not sure if they'd carry such a thing in this relatively uncultured town.

I DID, however, find the following:
http://www.flemingoutdoors.com/quail-egg-trays-paper.html

I'm considering it unless I find a better solution. We've got a LOT of eggs. The idea of selling them is just starting to come to mind, not that we don't enjoy eating them.

 

[James the Bald]

Here is another carton. I try to use the sponsors of this site as often as I can; without their generosity, most of us wouldn't have this site to get and share info with others (aka, "tips" to raise quail).
I have 24 hens, and I get roughly 20 eggs each day. The wifey usually makes me an egg burrito every morning. On saturdays, I get a couple of dozen and hard boil them so I can snack on them at work for the upcoming week, and Sunday morning I have a 9 quail egg omlette. I haven't purchased a chicken egg from the store since some time in March.
James