Our Packaging Process & Why It Matters
You may notice our eggs are priced a little higher than some others on the market, but in many cases they actually work out cheaper per chick hatched. That’s because carefully selecting only our best eggs, using premium protective packaging, and keeping postal handling to an absolute minimum helps maximise hatch potential, meaning that although the initial cost may be higher, the cost per chick hatched is often much lower on average.
Our hatch database, built from hundreds of eggs across multiple species, consistently shows that the three biggest causes of poor hatch rates in shipped eggs are poor packaging, extended transit times, and older eggs being used to make up numbers. Unfortunately, some breeders may include older eggs in an order simply to fill quantity, which can significantly reduce hatch potential before incubation even begins.
This is exactly why we choose to work on smaller margins than many commercial breeders, allowing us to reinvest directly into ongoing hatch testing, continuous packaging improvements, fresh same-day egg collection, strict egg selection, fast dispatch, and constant refinement of every stage of our process, rather than simply focusing on maximising profit.
1. Egg Collection & Selection
We carefully select only our best-shaped, cleanest, freshest eggs for posting, with many eggs being laid, collected, packed, and dispatched on the very same day, and no eggs older than 48 hours are ever sent.
Each egg is individually checked for:
• Shell quality
• Shape consistency
• Cleanliness
• Correct size and weight
• No hairline fractures
This extra selection process helps maximise fertility potential before the eggs even leave our aviary.
2. Individual Protective Wrapping
Due to the tiny and delicate nature of Chinese painted quail eggs, every egg is individually wrapped in protective foam.
This helps prevent:
• Hairline cracks
• Pressure damage
• Detached air cells
• Shell abrasion
• Microfractures caused by vibration
3. Secure Carton & Shock Protection
The individually wrapped eggs are carefully placed into a rigid plastic quail egg carton, clearly labelled with the lay date for complete freshness transparency.
The sealed carton is then protected with:
• Bubble wrap
• Shock absorbing cushioning
• Additional impact protection
This helps absorb drops, vibrations, compression, and rough handling during transport.
4. Outer Box Protection 
The protected carton is then placed inside a sturdy outer box surrounded by:
• Void fill
• Additional cushioning
• Movement protection
This minimises internal movement and keeps the eggs protected from every angle throughout delivery.
For an extra layer of protection, every outer box is finished with clear “Handle With Care”, “Hatching Eggs”, and “Fragile” labelling, along with high-visibility fragile tape, helping promote careful handling throughout every stage of the delivery process.
5. Fast Dispatch & Minimal Network Time 
We keep handling time to an absolute minimum, with eggs typically dispatched between 3–5pm through Royal Mail, helping reduce time spent in the delivery network.
In many cases, our eggs spend less than 20 hours in transit before delivery, reducing:
• Temperature fluctuations
• Excessive vibration
• Repeated sorting impacts
• Handling stress
Proven Results
We maintain a detailed hatch database covering hundreds of eggs across multiple species, including button quail, California quail, chickens, and hatching eggs sourced from other breeders and suppliers for comparison, packaging analysis, and real-world transport hatch testing.
Our records consistently show that posted hatching eggs, regardless of species or breeder, rarely exceed around 35% hatch rates under otherwise good incubation conditions.
By comparison, our own fresh, unposted eggs have consistently achieved 70–100% hatch rates across multiple species, with our button quail regularly achieving 90–100% hatch rates when incubation conditions are properly controlled and the incubator is well insulated.
Because of our egg selection, packaging methods, and minimal transit times, many of our customers regularly achieve hatch rates of 50%+, with many experienced breeders reporting results closer to 70%.
While no posted eggs can ever fully match fresh, non-transported eggs, our goal is to reduce transport-related losses as much as possible and give your eggs the best possible chance of success.
Of course, like any small business, we want to make a profit, but we also genuinely believe Button Quail make incredible pets and wonderful aviary birds. This is not our sole source of income, which allows us to work on smaller margins than many commercial breeders, reinvesting more into better packaging, healthier breeding stock, and ongoing research and development focused on improving the health, welfare, and long-term understanding of Chinese painted quail.
As a species, button quail are still relatively understudied, often misunderstood, and in many areas outdated husbandry advice is still widely repeated. A portion of what we earn goes directly back into testing nutrition, enrichment, breeding pair compatibility, brooding behaviour, incubation data, genetics, enclosure design, and long-term health tracking, helping us continuously improve not only our own flock, but our understanding of these amazing little birds.
Most importantly, everything we learn, test, and discover is knowledge we actively share, and will continue to share, with the wider quail community. We strongly believe that better education leads to better welfare, and by openly sharing our successes, failures, data, and discoveries, we hope to help both new and experienced keepers learn, improve, and give their quail the very best possible lives.