"How many eggs should I order?" is one of the questions we hear most. The honest answer is more than the number of birds you want. Here is how to think it through.
Shipped eggs hatch less than eggs from your own birds
Every hatching egg goes through handling, temperature swings and bumps in the mail. Even well-packed eggs can arrive with loose air cells. That is why shipped eggs usually hatch at lower rates than eggs collected at home, and why results vary from box to box. No seller can promise a hatch rate on shipped eggs.
About half will be males
Quail hatch about half males and half females. If you want a laying flock of 12 hens, you need around 24 chicks, which means setting more eggs than that.
A simple way to plan
- Decide how many hens you want.
- Double it to cover males.
- Then set extra eggs to cover eggs that don't develop or don't hatch.
- Make sure your incubator holds them all. A 24-egg incubator can't take 48 eggs.
Coturnix vs Bobwhite
Coturnix grow fast, so a small first hatch can turn into a breeding flock quickly. Bobwhite take longer and many states need a permit, so plan your numbers and paperwork together. See Coturnix vs Bobwhite for more.
Our hatching eggs
- 24 Sunset Mix Quail Hatching Eggs – $29.95
- 48 Jumbo Coturnix Quail Fertile Hatching Eggs – $43.99
- 72 Jumbo Coturnix Quail Fertile Hatching Eggs – $79.99
- 24 Northern Bobwhite Quail Hatching Eggs – $26.99
- 36 Northern Bobwhite Quail Hatching Eggs – $42.95
We raise our Coturnix and Northern Bobwhite quail ourselves in Mayo, FL, and our flock is NPIP certified. Egg orders over $40 ship free. Free shipping is for eggs only; supplies ship from the vendor with the vendor's shipping.
Learn more on our Coturnix Quail and Bobwhite Quail pages, browse Poultry Supplies and Hatching Time Gear, or read our quail care guide.
Shop Hatching Time quail gear: 4kbowen.com/s/hatchingtime
More quail guides:
- What to Do When Shipped Hatching Eggs Arrive
- How to Incubate Quail Eggs: Day-by-Day
- Coturnix vs Bobwhite: Which Quail Is Right for You
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