LAST UPDATED MAY 27, 2020

What makes a quail lay blue eggs?

Coturnix quail which carry an uncommon, recessive gene, identified as the “ce” gene lay blue eggs. This rare “ce” gene is the Celadon gene. It is an “autosomal recessive gene”, which means in order for it to be expressed by laying blue eggs, the hen laying blue eggs must posses two copies of the gene, one from each parent.

Celadon quail are not a separate variety of quail. Instead, it’s a recessive trait (like red hair and blue eyes in humans), that a very small portion of Coturnix quail carry.

Will a Celedon quail always lay blue eggs?

A hen laying such an egg can still contribute to a Celadon breeding program if you are just getting started. Otherwise, it is best to remove her and any rooster hatched from her eggs from your breeding program. A hen displaying the Celadon gene will exclusively lay Celadon color eggs.

All true Celadon quail should consistently lay a blue egg. But of note, this is dependent on where you are in your breeding program and how good your parent stock is—not all hens hatching from Celadon eggs will lay blue eggs on the outside—but the shells of those hens will be blue on the inside of the shell, clearly seen through the membrane after cracking it open.

What do Celadon quail eggs look like?

Celadon quail eggs come range from a very pale blue to nearly robin’s egg blue, and less commonly, a slightly greenish shade. They can be a solid color or have adorable speckles. The speckles may be chinky and large, or teeny little dots. Some layers actually may even express a bit of variation in the shade of egg daily. This may be due to their diet and laying age.

What colors patterns do celadon egg layers come in?

Because celadon are simply carriers of a recessive blue egg gene, the resulting celadon quail chicks hatched from their lovely eggs will be a variety of colors. Although from what I understand, some color quail are more prone to produce blue eggs, including; Tibetan, T. Tuxedo, Rosetta, Scarlet and Silver.

• Tuxedo
• Silver
• Charcoal
• Roux
• Wild-type
• Tibetan
• Scarlet
• Slate
• Fawn
• Blue Barred
• Recessive white