Quail egg colors is genetically determined by the quail itself, as the deposition of certain pigment into the shell of the egg creates the color of the eggs. Quail eggs can be of different colors, including color like blue, tan, and chestnut. However, the color of the egg doesnt have any influence on the nutritional value of that quail egg.
The color of a quail egg is the result of the genetics of the bird that shed the egg, acting as a record of the lineage of that particular bird. For instance, some quail species naturaly shed egg with tan shells and spots of color that help to camouflage the bird when in its natural environment. Other birds will shed eggs that are pale and white in color due to the genes of those birds.
How Quail Eggs Get Their Color
The colors of the eggs are created due to the presence of certain pigments in the outermost layer of the shell of the quail egg. For example, the pigment protoporphyrin creates brown colors, while the pigment biliverdin creates blue colors. Since these pigments are only found within the outermost layer of the quail egg shell, the interior of the egg shell is the same regardless of the color of the shell of the egg.
While some may believe that the color of the quail egg shell impacts the color of the yolk or the nutritional value of the quail egg, the color of the shell of the quail egg dont impact either of these characteristics of the quail egg. Therefore, the color of the quail egg is a genetic trait, and that the color of the shell of the quail egg is the result of certain genes that is provided to the quail by it’s parents. In addition to the color of the shell of the quail egg, the patterning of those colors also varies between quail.
For instance, some quail will shed eggs whose shells feature dots of color throughout the shell, while others will shed eggs whose shells feature clusters of pigment at the broad end of the egg shell. Each quail will shed eggs with the same type of patterning to its shell, allowing for individuals to use the pattern of color on the shell to identify the different quail in an area. Additionally, the size of the quail eggs also vary between breeds of quail.
For instance, some breeds of quail will lay large eggs, while other breeds will lay smaller eggs. Small quail eggs has been found to have a more higher success rate when incubated, however, than large eggs. If you would like to incubate the eggs to provide them to chicks, there are certain steps that you must take to incubate the eggs properly.
For instance, you may wish to use a process known as candling. Candling is the process of shinning a bright light through the shell of the shell to view the embryo that is inside of the egg. During the first week that the embryo is developing inside of the egg, you will be able to view the embryo as a tiny dot with veins radiating from the embryo.
During the second week of development, the embryo will appear as a dark mass within the shell of the egg. It is important to remove any infertile eggs from the incubator at this time to avoid the risk that the eggs will rot and explode. Should any quail egg that is being incubated explode due to infertility, the rot that sets in to that egg can impact the other eggs within that batch of quail eggs.
Finally, another important aspect of laying and storage of quail eggs is that the color of the eggs may change over time. For instance, fresh quail eggs will have a glossy and vivid color to their shells, but the color of the egg may become matte in appearance after several weeks of storage. This is due to the oxidation of the pigment that creates the color of the shell.
However, this doesnt impact the quality of the quail egg. Thus, whether you are growing quail for there eggs of different colors or you are collecting quail eggs of different shades, it is important for those with an interest in these birds to understand that the color of their eggs is the result of their genetics and the way in which they deposit pigment into the shells of the eggs that they shed.