Quick answer: How do you select quail eggs for hatching? Choose fertile eggs from a flock with males, or from a reputable breeder. Pick clean, smooth, uncracked, oval eggs of normal size, no older than 7 days (10 at most), stored at 55 to 65°F. Candle them before setting and again on day 5 to 7 to confirm fertility. Supermarket quail eggs are almost never fertile.
| Criteria | Accept | Reject |
|---|---|---|
| Shell condition | Smooth, intact, no cracks | Cracked, pitted or rough |
| Egg size | Normal size for the breed | Extremely small or oversized |
| Shape | Classic oval | Round, elongated, or misshapen |
| Cleanliness | Clean or lightly soiled | Heavily soiled with droppings |
| Storage age | Under 7 days (10 at most) | Over 10 days old |
| Air cell (candled) | Stable, fixed at the wide end | Floating, detached, or absent |
| Yolk (candled) | Centered and clear | Dark, stuck to the shell or opaque |
Any egg that fails two or more of these should be discarded before it goes in your incubator.
If you are ready to hatch your first batch of quail chicks, the first step happens long before you turn on your incubator. Choosing the right quail eggs for hatching is the most important decision in the process. Poor egg selection leads to low hatch rates, wasted time, and frustration, and getting it right makes everything after it easier.
This guide shows what to look for in fertile quail eggs, how to check viability before and after setting, and which mistakes to avoid. Whether you raise Coturnix, Bobwhite, or Button quail, the same principles apply.
Is Hatching Quail Eggs Worth the Effort?
Yes. Quail are among the fastest-maturing poultry. Coturnix quail go from egg to laying hen in as little as six to eight weeks; they convert feed well, and a small backyard flock can lay year-round. Hatching your own chicks gives you control over flock genetics and cuts the cost of buying day-old chicks. Our complete beginner's guide to incubating quail eggs covers the full process from setup to hatch day.
Why Egg Selection Matters So Much
Many beginners assume any quail egg is worth incubating. It is not, and a poor choice can mean 17 to 18 days of incubation with little to show for it. Experienced breeders often report hatch rates above 80% when fertile eggs are stored correctly and incubated well, and that number drops fast when eggs are poorly selected, stored too long, or mishandled. A few minutes of checking at the start is the highest-value step in the whole process.
Are Quail Eggs Fertilized? Where Do Quail Eggs Come From?
A quail egg is fertilized only if a male mated with the hen before the egg formed. Hens lay eggs whether or not a male is present, so an egg is not fertile just because a quail laid it. In a mixed flock, a rooster mates with several hens, and the eggs laid over the next days can be fertile. In a flock of hens only, every egg is unfertilized, however nicely it is laid.
Can You Hatch Quail Eggs from the Supermarket?
This is one of the most common beginner questions, and the answer is almost always no. Supermarket quail eggs come from commercial farms that keep hens without males, so the eggs are unfertilized and cannot develop into chicks, however well you incubate them.
To hatch quail, you need eggs from a breeding flock with a male actively mating with your hens, or fertile hatching eggs from a reputable quail breeder. Confirming that the egg came from a fertile source is the starting point for everything else in this guide.
How to Tell If a Quail Egg Is Fertile
You cannot reliably tell from the outside whether a quail egg is fertile before incubation. The shell looks the same. You can confirm fertility by candling after the eggs have been incubating for a few days:
| Candling result | What it means |
|---|---|
| Web of red blood vessels around a dark spot (day 5 to 7) | Fertile and developing |
| Completely clear, with only the yolk shadow | Infertile, or not developing |
| Faint red ring with no growth | Embryo started and died early |
| Dark mass, cloudy or foul smell | Spoiled; remove it |
Dark, speckled Coturnix shells are harder to read than chicken eggs, so use a bright, cool LED candler in a dark room and recheck an unclear egg a few days later before discarding it. If fertility stays low across batches, review your male-to-female ratio and flock nutrition (Step 1 below).
Quail Egg Selection Checklist
Step 1: Start With a Healthy, Productive Flock
Fertile quail eggs start with the birds laying them. A flock that is underfed, stressed, overcrowded, or out of balance in male-to-female ratio lays eggs with poor fertility, however carefully you incubate.
Feed breeding quail a quality gamebird or breeder ration with enough protein, vitamins, and minerals. Calcium is especially important for strong shells, and eggs from malnourished hens often have weak shells and poor internal quality.
For Coturnix quail, the standard ratio is one male to two to five females. Bobwhite quail are often best kept in pairs. Too many hens per male lowers the share of fertile eggs. Read more in our guide to quail breeding ratios, setup and managing a flock.
Age matters too. Coturnix quail are ready to breed at about six to eight weeks, but eggs from hens that have only just started laying can have lower fertility and uneven shells. Let hens settle into a steady laying pattern before collecting eggs for hatching.
Step 2: Collect and Store Eggs Correctly
Collect eggs at least twice a day. Eggs left in the nest can begin to develop in summer heat or chill in winter, and neither helps the embryo.
Store hatching eggs at 55 to 65°F (13 to 18°C). Do not refrigerate them, because the temperature is too low and the air too dry. A cool basement or pantry works. Store them pointed end down, and if you hold them for more than a few days, tilt them slightly to keep the yolk centered and the air cell stable.
Try to set eggs within 7 days and avoid going beyond 10. Hatchability falls the longer eggs are stored.
Step 3: Evaluate Shell Quality
The shell is your first visual check. A hatching egg should be clean, smooth and sound. Reject any egg with:
- Cracks or hairline fractures: they let bacteria in and moisture out, and cracked eggs rarely hatch and can contaminate others
- Rough or pitted texture: this suggests a calcium deficiency or health problem in the hen, and usually poor internal quality
- Misshapen or elongated shells: these often have poor air cell positioning, which affects development
- Very thin shells: these lose moisture too quickly
- Heavy soiling: dirty eggs carry bacteria into the incubator
If you must clean a lightly soiled egg, wipe it gently with a slightly damp, warm cloth. Never wash eggs under running water, because it strips the bloom, the natural coating that seals the pores and keeps bacteria out.
Step 4: Check Size and Shape
Pick eggs in the normal size range for your breed. Extremely small eggs, called wind eggs, are usually infertile and have no yolk. Young or stressed hens occasionally lay them, so discard them. Very large double-yolk eggs rarely hatch because the two embryos compete for space.
Ideal hatching eggs are consistent in size with a classic oval shape. Almost perfectly round or very elongated eggs tend to have abnormal internal structure and lower hatch rates. Consistency across your batch is also a good sign that your hens are healthy.
Step 5: Candle Before Setting
Candling before incubation finds internal defects you cannot see from the outside. Look for:
- A stable air cell at the wide end that stays fixed when you tilt the egg; a floating or detached air cell means damage
- A centered, clear yolk that moves freely; a dark, stuck or opaque yolk means discard
- No blood rings or dark masses, which point to bacterial contamination or an embryo that started and died
Quail shells are darker and more speckled than chicken eggs, so a bright LED candler designed for small eggs helps. Our egg incubator accessories collection includes candlers made for quail eggs, along with digital hygrometers and thermometers.
Setting Your Selected Eggs in the Incubator
Let eggs stored in a cool place rest at room temperature for 6 to 12 hours before setting. This gradual warm-up prevents condensation on the shell and temperature shock to the embryo.
- Temperature: 99.5°F (37.5°C) in forced-air incubators; 100 to 101°F in still-air models
- Humidity: 45 to 55% during incubation, raised to 65 to 70% at lockdown
- Turning: at least 3 to 5 times a day until lockdown
See our quail egg incubation temperature chart for breed-by-breed settings, or our Coturnix quail egg incubation guide for a day-by-day plan.
Even small fluctuations can stall development or produce weak chicks. Quail eggs must be turned to stop the embryo from sticking to the inside of the shell, and manual turning is easy to miss overnight. The Little Giant Egg Turner with Quail Rails holds small quail eggs securely and turns them on a consistent schedule. It also answers a common question: yes, you can incubate quail eggs in a standard chicken incubator if you use quail-specific rails. See also our guide to egg turners for quail eggs.
Browse our egg incubators to compare options. Beginners often start with our tabletop incubators, while those scaling up benefit from our cabinet incubators. For recommendations, see the best quail egg incubator.
Candling During Incubation and Lockdown
Candle again on day 5 to 7 for Coturnix quail. A developing egg shows a network of blood vessels around a dark center, an infertile egg looks completely clear, and an egg that stopped early shows a faint blood ring with no growth. Remove those promptly, because spoiled eggs can burst and contaminate the batch.
Lockdown for Coturnix quail begins on day 14, and for Bobwhite around day 21. At lockdown, stop turning, raise humidity to 65 to 70%, and keep the incubator closed. Coturnix eggs usually start pipping around day 16 to 17. Do not open the incubator once pipping starts, because low humidity can dry the membrane around the chick and stop it from emerging. If eggs fail to hatch, see why quail eggs do not hatch.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Storing eggs too long: hatchability drops the longer eggs wait, so use the freshest eggs
- Washing eggs: removing the bloom invites bacteria; spot-clean only when needed
- Setting defective eggs: cracked, misshapen or heavily soiled eggs rarely hatch and can spoil the batch
- Skipping pre-incubation candling: a few minutes can save days of wasted incubation
- Cold eggs straight into the incubator: always allow 6 to 12 hours at room temperature first
Breed-Specific Considerations
- Coturnix: speckled brown eggs that vary a lot in pattern, which is normal; incubation takes 17 to 18 days. See the complete Coturnix quail guide
- Bobwhite: smaller white or cream eggs, about 23 days. See the Bobwhite quail egg incubation guide
- Button quail: very small, delicate eggs, about 16 days. See the Button quail care guide
Not sure which breed fits your goals? Our comparison of Coturnix, Bobwhite and Button quail shows the key differences.
Ready to Start Hatching?
Selecting quail eggs for hatching improves with every batch. Start with healthy, fertile breeding stock, collect often, check shells carefully, candle before and during incubation, and store eggs properly before setting. Paired with the right equipment, careful selection gives you the best foundation for a good hatch. Explore our egg incubators and incubator accessories to set your eggs up for success from day one.
FAQs (People Also Ask)
Q: How can you tell if a quail egg is fertile?
Ans: Candle the egg on day 5 to 7 of incubation. A fertile egg shows a web of red blood vessels spreading from a dark spot. An infertile egg looks clear. A faint blood ring with no growth means the embryo died early. You cannot reliably confirm fertility before incubation starts.
Q: How can you tell if a quail egg is fertile without cracking it?
Ans: Candle it. After 5 to 7 days in the incubator, a fertile quail egg shows blood vessels and a dark center, while an infertile egg stays clear. Dark Coturnix shells can be hard to read, so use a bright, cool LED candler in a dark room and recheck a few days later.
Q: Are all quail eggs fertilized?
Ans: No. A quail egg is only fertilized if a male mated with the hen. Hens lay eggs without males, and supermarket quail eggs come from flocks without males, so they are unfertilized. For hatching, use eggs from a mixed flock or from a reputable breeder.
Q: How old can quail eggs be before incubation?
Ans: Set quail eggs within 7 days of laying for the best results, and try not to go beyond 10 days. Hatchability falls the longer eggs are stored, and eggs older than two weeks are not worth setting. Store them at 55 to 65°F, pointed end down.
Q: How long can fertile quail eggs sit out before incubating?
Ans: A few days at a cool room temperature, around 55 to 65°F, is fine. Hot rooms and sunny spots shorten viability, so collect eggs at least twice a day and move them somewhere cool. Do not refrigerate hatching eggs.
Q: Can you hatch quail eggs from the supermarket?
Ans: Almost never. Supermarket quail eggs come from commercial hens kept without males, so they are unfertilized and cannot develop. You need eggs from a flock with a male present, or fertile hatching eggs from a reputable quail breeder.
Q: Should dirty quail eggs be incubated?
Ans: Discard heavily soiled eggs. For light surface dirt, wipe gently with a slightly damp, warm cloth. Never wash eggs under running water, because it strips the bloom, the natural coating that seals the pores and keeps bacteria out.
Q: Can cracked quail eggs hatch?
Ans: No, discard them. Even a hairline crack lets moisture escape and bacteria in, which makes hatching extremely unlikely and risks contaminating the other eggs in the incubator.
Q: What size quail eggs are best for hatching?
Ans: Choose medium, consistently sized eggs that are normal for your breed. Discard very small wind eggs, which are usually infertile with no yolk, and oversized eggs, which are often double-yolk and rarely hatch.
Q: How many times a day do you turn quail eggs?
Ans: Turn at least 3 times a day, ideally 5, from day 1 until lockdown. Use an odd number of turns so the egg rests on alternating sides overnight, or use an automatic turner with quail rails.
Q: What day do quail eggs start pipping?
Ans: Coturnix quail usually pip around day 16 to 17, and Bobwhite around day 22 to 23. Do not open the incubator once pipping starts, because a drop in humidity can dry the membrane and trap the chick in its shell.
Q: What day is lockdown for quail eggs?
Ans: Lockdown is day 14 for Coturnix and Button quail and about day 21 for Bobwhite. Stop turning, raise humidity to 65 to 70%, and keep the incubator closed until hatch.
Q: How long do quail eggs take to hatch?
Ans: Coturnix quail take 17 to 18 days, Button quail about 16 days, Bobwhite about 23 days, and California quail 22 to 23 days. Lower temperatures slow hatching a little, and higher ones speed it up.
Q: Why are my quail eggs not fertile?
Ans: The most common causes are the wrong male-to-female ratio, young or old males, poor nutrition, and a stressed flock. For Coturnix, use one male to two to five females. See our guide to quail breeding ratios if fertility stays low.
Q: What temperature should quail eggs be incubated at?
Ans: Use 99.5°F in a forced-air incubator, or 100 to 101°F in a still-air model. Keep humidity at 45 to 55% during incubation and raise it to 65 to 70% at lockdown. See our quail incubation chart for each breed.
Q: Is it difficult to hatch quail eggs?
Ans: No. Most beginners succeed in their first or second attempt with a reliable incubator, an automatic egg turner and careful egg selection before setting.