Understanding the Celadon Gene in Coturnix Quail
I knew blue eggs were a genetic thing, but when I first got started, I assumed Celadons would mix with non-Celadons the same way my chickens did… giving me those pretty green eggs. Turns out quail don’t work the same way.
Over the years, I’ve bred plenty of Celadons here in Maine, worked them into different lines, and answered the same handful of beginner questions. The tricky part? There’s a lot of outdated, half-true, and flat-out chicken-based advice floating around out there. And Coturnix genetics (especially the whole Celadon situation) work differently than most people expect.
I’ll walk you through what the Celadon gene is, how it’s inherited, and the three biggest myths I hear about blue quail eggs. If you’re breeding for blue eggs or just trying to understand what’s going on in your covey, this should make things a whole lot clearer.
What the Celadon Gene Is
The Celadon gene (ce) is a recessive gene in Coturnix quail that causes hens to lay blue eggs. The color can be anything from a washed-out icy blue to a full-on robin’s egg blue. Some are speckled, some are solid, and some even lean a little greenish.
This gene isn’t tied to feather color, temperament, size, or pattern. You can breed Celadon into any color line: Andalusian, Calico, Jumbo, Pearl, you name it. Feather color and egg color have absolutely nothing to do with each other. And because it’s separate from plumage, there’s no way to look at a bird and guess whether it carries Celadon. I wish it worked that way. Trust me, knowing who’s a carrier would make my life a whole lot easier.
How the Celadon Gene Works (In Plain English)
Celadon is fully recessive, which means a bird needs two copies of the gene to lay blue eggs. Birds with one copy are carriers. They don’t lay blue eggs but they can pass the gene on.
- Two copies = blue eggs.
- One copy = no blue eggs, but still useful for breeding.
- Zero copies = standard tan/brown eggs.
You can’t tell if a male is Celadon, a carrier, or standard by looking at him. You have to test breed him with a Celadon hen and see if his daughters lay blue eggs. If you’re planning to build a Celadon line, it’s worth brushing up on how to prevent quail inbreeding so you keep strong genetics while still improving color consistency.
That’s it. There’s no shortcut, no trick, no little physical sign you can look for.
Why Blue Eggs Don’t ‘Develop’ Over Time
If a hen has two copies of the gene, she will lay blue eggs from day one until the day she retires. The shade may fade as she ages, but she will never switch back to tan speckled eggs. A bird that lays brown eggs is not “building up” to blue. It’s just not Celadon.
And for clarity, standard tan layers can have their egg color shift around a bit over time. Stress, age, nutrition, and overall health can all make a brown egg look lighter, duller, or even slightly greenish on the outside. That still doesn’t mean Celadon is hiding in the genetics. A true Celadon hen lays blue, every time, for life.
Left and right: standard eggs with a greenish and blueish tint.
What Celadon Eggs Can Look Like
Celadon eggs come in a decent range of colors, and beginners sometimes get thrown off by the lighter shades. You’ll see everything from:
- Pale icy blue (almost white)
- Soft powder blue
- Bright robin’s egg blue
- Very light greenish blue
- Blue with raised brown speckles (not brown mottling)
The color is influenced by how much pigment is suppressed, not because you mixed them with standard layers. You can steer your line toward certain shades by only hatching the eggs you like best. I love a bright blue egg with light speckling, so that’s mostly what you’ll see coming out of our hatchery.
Breeding Celadons: What to Expect
One of the first questions I get is what happens when you mix Celadon with something else. Here’s what you can expect from each pairing:
- Celadon × Celadon = 100% Celadon
- Celadon × Standard = 100% Carriers
- Celadon × Carrier = 50% Celadon, 50% Carrier
- Carrier × Carrier = 25% Celadon, 50% Carrier, 25% Standard
- Carrier × Standard = 50% Carrier, 50% Standard
If you’re test breeding, it helps to keep birds in individual cages so you can track who laid which egg. I use the FlockStar app (it’s not just for chickens) to track all my birds and their genetic lines and I genuinely love it. If your goal is to build a strong Celadon line, good records will save your sanity.
If you’re setting up individual cages for test breeding, I’ve had great results using Hatching Time’s quail breeder pens. They’re easy to clean, the droppings fall straight through, and the rolling egg trays make it really easy to see who’s laying what. A single-level setup works just fine, but their stackable units save a ton of space if you’re running multiple test pairs at the same time.
The Biggest Celadon Myths (and What’s True)
There are three myths I still hear constantly, even among experienced quail keepers. Let’s break them down.
Myth #1: “If the inside of the eggshell is blue, the bird must carry Celadon.”
This one refuses to die.
Almost all healthy Coturnix quail have some degree of blue tint on the inside of their shells. It has nothing to do with the Celadon gene. I’ve cracked thousands of eggs over the years (Celadon, carrier, and standard) and the inner shell color doesn’t tell you anything helpful.
If you want to know whether a bird carries Celadon, you have to test breed. There are no shortcuts.
While you can’t use the inner shell color to identify carriers, you can use a few ways to see if your quail eggs are fertile when you’re checking on your breeding pens.
Myth #2: “A bird can be heterozygous and lay slightly blue or greenish eggs (like chickens).”
This is where chicken experience really throws people off.
Chickens can show diluted colors or “tints” when a blue-egg gene mixes with brown layers. That does not happen in Coturnix quail.
If a bird is heterozygous, she’ll always lay standard tan/brown eggs.
If a bird is homozygous, she’ll always lay blue.
With Coturnix, there’s no in-between when it comes to Celadon.
Myth #3: “A bird can suddenly start laying blue eggs after months of brown eggs.”
If a bird lays brown eggs (even once) it is not Celadon and never will be.
Celadon doesn’t suddenly switch on, pop up out of nowhere, or magically show up after a molt. They’re either born with two copies of the gene or they’re not. The only “color changes” you might see are within the blue range itself. A hen may start bright and fade over time, but she’ll stay blue.
Frequently Asked Questions
Still curious? Here are a few questions I get all the time.
No. If she lays blue, she will always lay blue. If she ever lays brown, she’s not Celadon.
Not visually. The only way is to test breed him or wait for his daughters to lay.
Nope. They taste exactly like standard Coturnix eggs.
That’s just the lightest end of the blue range. If it looks pale, icy, or “barely blue,” it still counts.
Not inherently. Hatch rates have a lot more to do with nutrition, incubator setup, and the overall genetics in your line, not the Celadon gene itself.
Buy from a trustworthy breeder, test breed new birds, keep very clear records, and be patient.
Once you get a handle on how the genetics work and what’s real versus myth, you can start building the kind of blue-egg line you want. And honestly, watching that first bright little egg show up in the tray never gets old, no matter how many seasons you’ve been at it.
If you’re ready to try your hand at Celadons, I keep a strong, well-documented Celadon line here at Forget-Me-Not Quail Farm in Maine. I offer local farm pickup for both Celadon hatching eggs and Celadon chicks throughout the season, and I’m always happy to help you get started or answer questions about your breeding goals. Reach out anytime if you want to reserve a pickup or just chat through your setup. I love helping new keepers get started.
