Keeping quail: practical guides
Incubation, feeding, laying performance, housing and winter — practical guides to keeping quail, with figures given as working ranges instead of invented precision.
Quail eggs — what is true and what is not: cholesterol, salmonella, allergy, eating them raw
What people say about quail eggs and what measurements and studies show: nutrients compared with a hen's egg, cholesterol, salmonella, allergy, raw eggs, fertilised eggs, radiation and shelf life.
A lot is promised for quail eggs: less cholesterol than in hen's eggs, no salmonella, good against allergies, healthiest raw, protection against radiation. This page sets out what measurements and studies say. In short: a quail egg is good food, but it is an egg like any other.
Nutrients: like a hen's egg, only smaller
| per 100 grams | Quail egg | Hen's egg |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | 158 kcal | 143 kcal |
| Protein | 13.1 g | 12.6 g |
| Fat | 11.1 g | 9.5 g |
| Cholesterol | 844 mg | 372 mg |
| Iron | 3.7 mg | 1.8 mg |
| Vitamin B12 | 1.6 µg | 0.9 µg |
| Riboflavin (vitamin B2) | 0.79 mg | 0.46 mg |
| Vitamin A | 156 µg | 160 µg |
Per 100 grams, most values are close. Quail eggs have a little more fat, iron and B vitamins — and more than twice as much cholesterol. A quail egg weighs about 9 grams, a large hen's egg about 50; five to six quail eggs therefore equal one hen's egg.
Cholesterol
«Quail eggs contain hardly any cholesterol» — that is not true. Per 100 grams there are 844 milligrams, in hen's eggs 372. One quail egg contains about 76 milligrams, five quail eggs about 380 — as much as two large hen's eggs. If you have to watch your cholesterol, count quail eggs like hen's eggs, and by weight even higher.
Salmonella
«Quail do not get salmonella, so their eggs can be eaten raw» — that is not true either. In a study of 48 quail eggs from a hobby flock in Serbia, salmonella was found on 6 shells, namely Salmonella Enteritidis (Tasić, 2022). There are hardly any large surveys of how often this occurs in quail eggs. Young children, older people and people with weakened immunity are at higher risk of salmonella illness; they should eat eggs only when cooked through.
Allergy
«Quail eggs do not cause allergies and even help against them» — no. Quail eggs contain proteins similar to those in hen's eggs. In a small study of twelve young children allergic to hen's egg white, five also reacted to cooked quail egg white in a skin or challenge test (Lee and colleagues, 2021). There are also allergies to quail egg alone: a ten-year-old girl who tolerated hen's eggs had an anaphylactic reaction after eating a raw quail egg (Caro Contreras and colleagues, 2008). If you have an egg allergy, try quail eggs only after talking to your allergist.
Raw or cooked
«Quail eggs are healthiest raw» — no. The body absorbs protein far better from a cooked egg: in one study, 91 per cent of the protein from cooked egg was digested, compared with 51 per cent from raw egg (Evenepoel and colleagues, 1998). Raw egg white also contains avidin, which binds the vitamin biotin; thorough cooking makes it inactive. On top of that comes the salmonella risk.
Fertilised eggs
«Fertilised eggs are healthier» — no differences in nutritional value between fertilised and unfertilised eggs are known. Table eggs do not need a cock: hens lay just as well without one (see «Do you need a quail cock?»).
Protection against radiation
«Quail eggs protect against radiation and help after Chernobyl» — there is no clinical evidence for this. In 2011 the Australian consumer organisation CHOICE examined the advertising of a seller who promoted quail eggs against, among other things, «Chernobyl-style excessive radiation», high cholesterol and diabetes, and found not a single clinical study in the medical literature showing such healing effects.
Shelf life
«Quail eggs do not go off; lysozyme keeps them fresh for months» — no. Lysozyme is in the white of every egg, hen's eggs included. Unrefrigerated, quail eggs keep for about one to two weeks; kept in the fridge throughout, up to 60 days (see «How long do quail eggs last?»).
Frequently asked questions
- Do quail eggs have less cholesterol than hen's eggs?
- No. Per 100 grams, quail eggs contain 844 milligrams of cholesterol, hen's eggs 372. Five quail eggs have about as much cholesterol as two large hen's eggs.
- Can you eat quail eggs raw?
- It is not advisable. Quail eggs can carry salmonella too, and the body absorbs protein from raw egg less well. Young children, older people and people with weakened immunity should eat eggs only when cooked through.
- Can I eat quail eggs if I am allergic to hen's eggs?
- Only after talking to your allergist. Some people with a hen's egg allergy also react to quail egg, and there are allergies to quail egg alone.
- Are quail eggs healthier than hen's eggs?
- Per 100 grams they are very similar: a little more fat, iron and B vitamins, but more than twice as much cholesterol. Five to six quail eggs weigh as much as one large hen's egg.
- Are fertilised quail eggs healthier?
- There is no evidence for this: no differences in nutritional value between fertilised and unfertilised eggs are known. Hens lay without a cock too.