Quail Eggs and the Rules in New Zealand

Quail are the smallest poultry you can keep and a brilliant fit for a small section, laying dainty, richly flavoured eggs in surprising numbers. Before you start, it pays to understand which quail you may keep and the light rules around their eggs in New Zealand.

Which quail you can keep

Backyard keepers raise farmed Japanese quail, also called Coturnix, which are domesticated birds you can buy, breed and keep freely. New Zealand's wild and native game birds are a different matter. Native species are protected under the Wildlife Act, and game birds like the introduced California quail may only be taken under a hunting licence in season. For the backyard, stick to farmed Coturnix and you are on simple ground.

The eggs

A good Coturnix hen lays around 250 to 300 small eggs a year and starts young, often from six to eight weeks old, far earlier than a chicken. Five or six quail eggs roughly equal one hen egg, and they are prized for pickling, boiling and garnishing. The birds lay best with around fourteen hours of light, so production naturally eases over the short days of a New Zealand winter unless you add light.

• Farmed Coturnix quail: free to keep, breed and harvest in the backyard
• Native quail: protected, not to be taken or kept
• California and other game quail: hunting only, under licence and in season

Selling eggs and council rules

Keeping quail for your own household is straightforward, but the moment you sell eggs you step into New Zealand's food safety rules, which apply to any egg seller. Check your local council too, since quail usually fall under the same bylaws as other poultry for numbers and keeping in residential zones. For home use, a small covey of quail is one of the least regulated ways to produce your own eggs.