Building a Bigger Barn— And a Bigger Future
Kevin Steuck has moved into a 70 by 300 foot barn — a move that doubles his operation overnight. The new barn is up and running.
Kevin Steuck doesn't do anything halfway. The owner of NorthStar Quail Farm in Owatonna, Minnesota, is about to double his entire operation overnight — and step into the next chapter of a business already supplying everyone from local falconers to the Minnesota Zoo to Disney's Animal Kingdom.
By the Numbers
What 150,000 quail looks like
This isn't a small farm getting slightly bigger. It's an operation that's outgrowing its skin — and building a new one.
800 24-packs of quail eggs hit store shelves every single week. Three to five quail eggs a day isn't unusual for regulars.
“Get NorthStar Quail into every store near you.”
That's not a tagline. That's a plan.
Where the Quail Go
A surprising number of places
Kevin's Jumbo Coturnix quail end up in a surprising number of places. Falconers and breeders across the U.S. rely on NorthStar Quail for feeder birds — falcons can eat a quail a day, and demand scales nationally during breeding season. Zoos and wildlife rehab centers — big cats, raptors, alligators — Kevin supplies them all. Ethnic markets and cooperatives sell quail eggs as a staple in many cuisines, and the demand keeps growing.
And every single week, 800 24-packs of quail eggs hit store shelves. People put them on burgers, toss them in salads, preserve them in brine, and bake with them.
The Newest Venture
Quail-ity Pet Food
Launched in late 2025. Kevin and his contractor Wade Ihlenfeld are dehydrating and freeze-drying non-graded eggs into a supplement powder packed with B12 and other nutrients. The goal: a zero-waste facility where nothing gets thrown away.
“We were seeing a lot of waste from non-graded eggs. Now we're putting every bit of nutritional value to use.” — Kevin Steuck
Why the New Barn Matters
Doubling capacity is just the start
- →More consistent supply for the stores, falconers, and zoos that already depend on NorthStar Quail.
- →Room to grow the pet food line from wholesale-only into direct-to-consumer sales.
- →Better biosecurity — avian flu is a real and constant threat in poultry. More space means better disease management and faster recovery if something goes wrong.
- →The ability to say yesto opportunities that don't fit in the current setup.
What Makes It Different
A different kind of poultry farm
Most poultry farms pick a lane: eggs, meat, or breeding. Kevin does all of them, and he's built a business model where every part of the bird has a purpose.
The eggs feed people and pets. The birds feed raptors and reptiles. The non-graded eggs become supplement powder. The genetics are carefully managed to prevent aggression and maintain healthy flocks — Kevin sources from as far as Brazil to keep his lines strong. It's a zero-waste operation in an industry that's still figuring out what waste even means.
What's Next
The new barn is up and running
From here, the full operational migration plays out over the following year — settling into the new space, ramping up production, and continuing to build a brand that started as a small quail farm and is becoming something much bigger. Kevin Steuck didn't wait for the future to come to him. He built a 21,000-square-foot barn to meet it.
Continue Reading
Follow NorthStar Quail's journey.
Where to Buy