[little blue]

Yes, I've heard that they may be harder to keep, and are quite ditzy.  My real question is this..
Do you sell quail eggs for eating, and for how much?

And how many eggs do they lay on average?  So I can judge how many I might want to justify the cost of feed and housing

Thanks
 

[jameslindsay]

Quails eggs are a real delicacy in the top notch restaurants, I like them. They are normally used on canapes.

[doganjo]

They are delish served in mayo with herbs/spices sprinkled on top, but such a faff to peel!  I believe they lay at least one a  day, sometimes more.  My friend in Hampshire has some.  Need to keep one male with two females or they fight to the death, in fact I think they often do that anyway.  Feisty little bu88ers.  They need protection from the elements too otherwise I'd have had some for training Allez!  Just have to make do with frozen game for retrieving.

[hexhammeasure]

We keep quail. We've done it before but it wasn't really viable just having 8 layers. one problem was what to do with the old birds too tough to eat and you can't just release them or let them wander around as its illegal. eventually we sold them as specialised feed for birds of prey. Dead I hasten to add. This time round we are selling males at 8 weeks for table and any not sold will then go as hawk food. Eggs are sold farm gate at £2.00 a dozen.... mainley because the duck eggs and the hens eggs are sold at that price too.

you will usuall get 8-10 eggs per bird per week at peak laying times. the birds will need light in the winter to keep that level of laying although demand for eggs drop off in the winter so we let the birds ease off laying

[harry]

No, simple to keep, easy to handle, you need a sealed pen avairy as they will fly away, i kept about 20-30 jumbos, reason was that if breeding the cocks were a better size for eating but after 2 years quiet honestly i got fed up with them, far to many eggs, difficult to sell many unless you have a licence to sell them to a restaraunt, i went to a farm shop to see there egg prices, i cant be bothered to eat them, i did but far to fiddly and in my opinion overated no difference in taste, better a free range duck or hen egg, ended up pickaling lots, got fed up with the table birds as to much work for a couple of small breasts, relativly they eat plenty for the return you get in eggs and meat...... having said that lots of people love them ideal for a small avairy in a small back garden if no room for chickens........ i will leave the eggs for people who want to pay sevaral £s in a ponsy resteraunt to have 3 and a peace of lettuce on a plate.... for your own comsuption i would keep 3 hens.

[little blue]

Thanks folks, all 'food for thought' as they say!!

[bibs]

hi - we keep Quail occasionally but our last lot got raided by rats in the night and all died. We were trying to keep them in a house and run but the rats burrowed under. seems to me that all you can do is house them in a shed to keep them rat proof. I think the eggs sell for about 20p each. They are much sought after. Bibs x