How Many Eggs Do Quail Lay? Per Day, Week, and Year

Q: How many eggs does a quail lay per day?

A prime coturnix hen lays close to one egg a day but not literally every day; five to six eggs a week is the normal healthy rate in season. Across a covey that averages about one egg per hen most days, with occasional off days that are nothing to worry about.

Q: At what age do quail start laying eggs?

Coturnix begin at about 6 to 8 weeks old, far sooner than a chicken's 18 to 24 weeks. Hitting that early start depends on about 14 hours of light a day and a high-protein diet; birds short on either begin later.

Q: Why did my quail stop laying?

Most often shortening fall daylight, a temperature extreme, a recent stress like a move or predator scare, or poorer feed. Age is another cause, since output falls after year one. Check what changed in the last few days before assuming illness.

Q: Do quail lay eggs in winter?

Only with enough light. On natural winter days most quail slow or stop because laying is tied to day length. A timer-controlled lamp giving about 14 hours of total light keeps them laying, though some keepers rest their birds to lengthen productive life.

Updated July 2026 · Editorial team · Topic: quail / egg production

How Many Eggs Do Quail Lay? Per Day, Week, and Year — Quail

Someone brings home six quail, waits the promised few weeks, and then counts. Three eggs on Monday. Six on Tuesday. Two on a gray Thursday. By the weekend they are wondering whether their birds are broken, when in fact they are watching the completely normal wobble of quail production reacting to light, weather, and age in real time. Quail lay a lot — but "a lot" is a moving target, and the number in your basket this week is a readout of how well the last two weeks went.

Short answer: A healthy coturnix hen in her prime lays close to one egg per day — realistically about 5–6 eggs per week, or roughly 250–300 eggs a year. She starts at 6–8 weeks old and peaks in her first laying year, then tapers to perhaps 60–80% of that in year two. The output is not fixed: it swings with day length (14+ hours needed), protein, temperature, and stress. A covey of five prime hens gives you around 25 eggs a week in season.

Reviewed by the BackyardStead Lab editorial team. We publish real ROI, plain numbers and USDA/extension data so you can judge for yourself — we run the math, not a farm. Educational information only: backyard-chicken and livestock rules vary by city, home canning must follow USDA/NCHFP-tested methods (botulism risk), and mushrooms should be grown only from a known-species kit — never foraged on our word.

The numbers, from day to year

Because a single day is noisy, it helps to zoom out. Here is what a prime coturnix hen and a small covey produce across each time scale.

Time frame	One prime hen	Covey of 5 hens
Per day	~0.8–1 egg	~4–5 eggs
Per week	5–6 eggs	~25 eggs
Per month	~22–26 eggs	~110–130 eggs
Per year	250–300 eggs	~1,250–1,500 eggs

Note what the "per day" row admits: not every hen lays every single day, even in peak season. A rate of five to six eggs a week per hen is excellent and normal. Counting on a literal egg-a-day from every bird is how keepers convince themselves something is wrong when nothing is.

Production falls with age — plan for it

The single biggest reason a covey "slows down" is simply that it got older. Coturnix front-load their entire laying life into the first year.

Age	Relative output	What keepers do
Year 1	100% (peak)	Core laying flock
Year 2	~60–80%	Keep or begin replacing
Year 3+	Declining, sporadic	Usually retired or replaced

This is why egg-focused keepers hatch a fresh batch every year. A two-year-old hen is not sick when she drops to a few eggs a week — she is doing exactly what the species does, which is burn bright and early.

The five factors that move the number

When production dips, it is almost always one of these five, and four of them are within your control.

Factor	Effect on laying
Day length	Biggest lever. Below ~14 hrs of light, laying slows or stops. A timed lamp restores it.
Protein	Under ~18–20% protein, output and shell quality drop. Feed a game-bird layer.
Temperature	Extreme heat or cold suppresses laying; heat above ~90°F hits hardest.
Stress	New cage, predators, loud disturbance, crowding — any of these can pause laying for days.
Age	The one you cannot fix. Peak is year one, then decline.

Field note: A sudden stop in laying is a message, not a mystery, and the first thing to check is almost never illness — it is a change. Did the days just shorten past the autumn equinox? Did a raccoon visit the cage last night? Did you move the covey, run out of the good feed, or hit a heat wave? Quail register disruption fast and answer it by shutting egg production off, then resume once conditions steady. Read the last few days before you reach for a diagnosis.

Where these figures come from

We do not collect eggs from a personal quail run each morning — the laying figures here are compiled from hatchery records, university poultry data, and breeder reports rather than our own basket — which is the honest basis for stating ranges instead of a single tidy number. Real coveys vary: a well-bred egg line under a timed lamp on 20% protein feed will sit near the top of every range above, while a mixed-purpose flock through a dark, cold winter sits near the bottom. Both are normal. The broader breed context for these outputs is in the coturnix quail complete guide.

A quick safety note on the eggs

Those eggs, like any poultry egg, can carry Salmonella on the shell, and the birds laying them can be exposed to avian influenza through wild birds. Two simple habits cover it: wash your hands after collecting or handling eggs and after touching the birds, and refrigerate eggs you plan to eat while keeping the covey separated from wild-bird traffic. For current, authoritative handling and biosecurity guidance, rely on the CDC and USDA APHIS rather than assorted online advice.

Common mistakes

Expecting a literal egg a day from every hen. Five to six a week per bird is the real peak. Chasing a perfect daily rate invents a problem that is not there.
Blaming illness for a winter slowdown. Short days, not sickness, stop most laying in fall. Add light before you add worry.
Feeding low-protein chicken feed. It quietly caps how many eggs a hen can make and thins the shells. Match feed to a laying bird's needs.
Ignoring the age curve. A year-two drop is biology, not failure. Hatch replacements on a schedule instead of waiting for old hens to rebound.
Overlooking a stressor. A predator at the cage or a recent move can pause laying for days. Fix the disturbance and production returns.

FAQ

How many eggs does a quail lay per day?

A prime coturnix hen lays close to one egg a day, but not literally every day — five to six eggs a week is the normal, healthy rate in season. Across a small covey that averages out to roughly one egg per hen most days, with the occasional off day that is nothing to worry about.

At what age do quail start laying eggs?

Coturnix begin laying remarkably early, at about 6 to 8 weeks old, far sooner than a chicken's 18 to 24 weeks. Reaching that early start depends on adequate light of around 14 hours a day and a proper high-protein diet; birds kept short on either will begin later than the textbook window.

Why did my quail stop laying?

Most often shortening daylight in fall, a temperature extreme, a recent stress like a move or a predator scare, or a drop in feed quality. Age is the other cause, since output falls after the first year. Check what changed in the last few days before assuming the birds are ill.

Do quail lay eggs in winter?

Only if they get enough light. Left on natural winter days, most quail slow or stop laying because production is tied to day length. A timer-controlled lamp providing about 14 hours of total light keeps them laying through winter, though some keepers rest their birds instead to lengthen their productive life.

Related:

General educational information, not veterinary advice. Wash your hands after handling birds, hatchlings or eggs, keep your flock away from wild birds, and follow CDC and USDA APHIS guidance on avian influenza and Salmonella. Prices, feed costs and results vary by climate, breed and region.