From Hatchlings to Harvest: Our Quail Are Finally Laying

Seven weeks ago, we hovered anxiously over a small incubator, watching the first cracks form in tiny speckled eggs. One by one, our quail chicks burst into the world—wobbly, fluffy, impossibly small. We kept them warm, fed, and safe, marveling every day at how quickly they grew.

Now, not even two months later, they’ve grown into sleek, confident birds. And this week, they started laying.

We weren’t quite prepared for how prolific they'd be—boxes of tiny, freckled eggs, arriving like clockwork each morning. Cream, beige, chocolate-spotted. Each one perfectly formed, barely larger than a grape, and beautiful in a way only something so small and alive can be.

There’s something deeply satisfying about collecting eggs from birds you hatched yourself. It feels circular, like a quiet reward for weeks of care and learning. From building a brooder to figuring out the right feed, to checking the temperature a dozen times a day—every tiny egg now feels like a sign we did something right.

We’ve started using them, of course. Soft-boiled quail eggs with toast soldiers. Pickled eggs in tiny jars. Topping salads and noodle bowls with delicate halves, their yolks sunset-gold.

But more than the food, it’s the rhythm that’s most comforting. The way our little quail clan has settled into a daily cycle. Wake. Feed. Forage. Nest. Lay. Rest.

And so have we.