Breeding Overview
A guide to breeding

Breeding and hatching quails is a science in itself. In our opinion the following document on Incubating and hatching eggs (reproduced with permission) is the comprehensive bible for hatching eggs written by Associate Professor Aubrey Lee Cartwright from Texas A&M University. For further articles and publications on this and other subjects please consult the AgriLife Bookstore.

Following is a brief overview for the different species of quail.

Common name Incubation period Egg colour Notes
Bobwhite 21-23 days White Circulated Air incubators: 37.64 °C. 40% wet bulb, increase to 80% in the last 2 days of incubation.
California Valley Quail 22-23 days Buff/cream with brown spots Incubation as in Bobwhite.
Gambel's Quail 21-23 days Pale buff to white with moderate pink/brown spots Lower humidity than two above species, wet bulb of 40%. Hens will lay several clutches in captivity, reports of 50 eggs per hen are not uncommon.
Scaled Quail 22-23 days Pale Buff to cream, light spotting. Humidity: 40% wet bulb.
Elegant Quail 22-23 days White Humidity as in Scaled; chicks may not start eating on their own. Also known as Benson or Douglas Quail.
Montezuma Quail 24-25 days White Keep wet bulb at 40%. Chicks will need help to learn to eat.
Mountain Quail 24-25 days Pale buff to cream, no spotting Wet Bulb of 40%.
Chinese Painted Quail 16 days Brown, mottled with black Very tiny chicks, can slip through ½ inch hardware cloth. Better known as the Button Quail.
Coturnix Quail 16-17 days Brown, mottled with black Also known as the Pharaoh Quail and Migratory Quail. Commercially raised for meat and eggs.