Wishing Rock Farm obtains WSDA egg handlers license and offers Organic Quail Eggs

Quail eggs are not easy to find.  Quail raised with local and organic feed and in humane conditions is especially unique.  Except for those reared by backyard bird keepers, quail are generally kept in crowded battery cages built for commercial production.  These cages offer very little stimulation or variety to the lives of these birds.  Over the years I have tried four different housing structures in an effort to provide quail with optimum comfort while at the same time making it feasible to tend to their care.  Our quail are thriving and I now have eggs (as I’d hoped) to offer to the community.  Wishing Rock Farm recently obtained an egg handler’s license. With this license we are able to sell at the farm as well as off the farm, such as at the Saturday Farmer’s Market.

The journey to quail egg abundance was a slow one.  I constructed my original building with the idea to raise quail together on the floor of a large enclosure with an opening to an outdoor pen.  Quail do not roost like chickens and are instead content to spend the night huddled down outside. In a wet climate this exposure was dangerous to their health.  They would not come inside instinctively at twilight.  For a long time I herded them up a ramp and into their house through a small door.  This was a long process each night that I felt, ultimately, caused them too much stress.  I have also attempted outdoor rabbit cages and factory built metal cages.  Neither of these set ups were satisfactory for both the bird keeper and the birds.

After 10 years of raising and observing quail I recently designed and built all new individual enclosures.  My new enclosures were informed by watching quail demonstrate their contentment or anxiety with sounds and body posture.  Our cages now simulate the outdoors as much as possible.  We arrange garden greens in their cages as cover thus making it a challenge for them to eat while also providing them with entertainment.   They have attached rooms where they have free access to sand and diatomaceous earth dust baths.  We provide them with a high protein local soy-free, organic diet (Scratch and Peck).  They are healthiest on a diet high in protein. They love dried mealworms which serve as a treat and additional protein.  Mealworms are high in Omega-3 fats adding to the quality and health benefits of the quail eggs.  We are experimenting with raising live organic mealworms on our farm in an effort to provide as much of their food as locally as possible.  I have set up a contained watering system so that they always drink completely fresh uncontaminated water.

Quail eggs taste and are prepared to eat as one would a very small chicken egg.  However, quail eggs are fanciful and decorative making them fun everyday or as a special treat for parties and children.  They are terrific hardboiled, fried and pickled.  Quail eggs are great deviled or with an herb-salt dip to accompany a bowl of them already peeled.  They are a nutrient-packed protein source and a fun healthy snack.  Eating quail eggs might be a new idea to many people.  However, I think that if people explore new locally grown cuisine the planet is helped by lowering the cost of transporting food and we are rewarded with delicious options we might have previously overlooked.

Quail eggs can be an excellent option for those with difficulties such as rashes and stomach aches after eating chicken eggs.  I have a family member and several customers that enjoy quail eggs because they do not tolerate chicken eggs.  I am happy to be able to provide this alternative egg source.

We incubated and hatched all of our quail from eggs.   They are born about the size of a nickel.  The birds are fairly docile and interactive with us, especially when they are very young.    Although I have a very small hobby farm I feel strongly that our planet needs a local and sustainable food supply with humane treatment of animals.  This is my small contribution.

Lisa Chambers
wishingrockfarm@gmail.com
24310 59th Ave SW, Vashon
206-463-7756 or 206-890-0963