use by date for quail eggs

M

molliedogspabottom

New member
Joined
Nov 1, 2009
Messages
91
Reaction score
0
Hi all

Does anyone know what use by date I can put on my quail eggs, I have been asked by a local farm shop to supply them.

I had a look in sainsburys and their quail eggs had 3 weeks on but I dont know when they were put on the shelf, hope you can help.

Heather
 
Hi Heather,
To supply a farm shop you will need to registered with DEFRA,a phone call should sort that out.Do they have to have a best before date,or would a collection date be ok.Once again,if you are supplying them the day you've collected them,3 weeks would be fine.Quail eggs when they arrive at supermarkets etc are often already quite old.I would have thought a month(4 weeks) would be correct as long as they are stored correctly.Once again defra should have guidlines(I think)hope this helps.
 
Do let us know the answer (if you get one from DEFRA :roll: )

For chickens I think it's 4 weeks (refridgerated) and ducks are 3 I think but if in doubt, I'd go for date that the supermarkets give - then you know you're within the limits.

Tim
 
Hi All,

I rang Defra on tuesday morning after looking at their website monday evening, to cut a long story short I was told that there is no legislation for quail eggs only chickens eggs,how strange is that?

I thought there would be allsorts of rules and regulations, I spoke to the shop and they asked for a use by date rather than a sell by date, basic storage conditions and to state that they are fresh not cooked.

I told Defra about the date on sainsburys eggs and she said 28 days would be fine,I printed off some labels on the computer and hand wrote the date and presented the eggs in quail egg boxes tied with raffia with the label placed low centre.

The shop were delighted with presentation and I was delighted to see them on display.

I told Defra that I only have 10 females but I forgot to ask how many I could have before being registered,does anyone know the answer?

Many thanks for your help Heather
 
hi,that's brilliant,well done.I've got the information somewhere,on how many beore you need to be registered,I'll look it up for you.
Sorry about getting my wires crossed,I did think that it was the same for quail eggs,so sorry.
 
Hi Lydia

Please dont worry, It was a very good idea to contact Defra, at least now I know where I stand ,your help is
always valued.

I will let you know how sales go,my little birds are as proud as punch.

A couple of weeks ago I asked about a quail that was waddling like a duck, I thought you may like to know the vet thinks she has congestive heart failure, I cant bring myself to dispatch her as she seems to be quite happy,eating and diving in to the pack for mealworms, if she looked like she was suffering then I would ask the man of the house to do his stuff.

Speaking of mealworms my birds love them ,I practically get mugged every morning and evening when I replenish their food, I give them a small handful am and pm.

Cuttlefish is somthing else they seem to like, every now and again I wash it as they seem to love pooping on it, .

They have a sand pit which they love, and I spend hours watching them dusting, they are so funny when six or seven all get in at once,the sand goes everywhere

They get two slices of wholemeal bread each day but they will not eat the crusts, they eat the entire centre leaving a perfect square which I then feed to the wild birds.

My husband calls their shed Quail Hotel, in the spring I will give them water to bath in ,by then they should have an outdoor run ,they really are spoiled

Do you know if they would like any fresh produce,fruit or veg?


Bye for now Heather
 
Hi Heather,

yes,they love cucumber and lettuce,I chop the lettuce up into smallish pieces and slice cucumber thickly,they don't eat the cucumber skin, but eat all of the inside.Only feed fresh veg 2 or 3 times a week,I go for 3 times a week.Mine only get mealworms once a week,what with the chooks having mealworms,and my gerbils I get through 1lb in weight at a time.
I am sorry that your one quail has got a congenital heart problem,but,if she's happy, kinder to let her carry on.You will know straight away if she ever starts to struggle or suffer.
I had a dog years ago with a heart defect,she lived to 14 yrs,just sometimes collapsed as if she'd fainted.That was scary but she had a good life,and enjoyed it to the full.
right,I've checked on the information regarding selling quail eggs.As long as it is only eggs that you're selling,you do not need to register or get a license.It is only if you start to sell quail meat that you need to do this.So there is no stopping you now eh!
good luck with your venture,i'm rooting for you.
 
Hi lydia

thanks for that info. I dont think I could ever sell them to eat so I will just stick to selling eggs,I will try a little cucumber tomorrow.

Kind Regards Heather
 
The rules are if you have more than 50 'poultry' birds you need to register with DEFRA - this all came about because of bird flu.

They define poultry as Chooks, ducks, geese, turkey, quail, pheasant, rhea, emu from memory.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest posts

Back
Top