What do I feed my Quail
There is SO much contradictory information out there when it comes to what to feed your quail.
Let me set you straight. This is how we roll after raising and breeding quail for over a decade.
Rule number one: Do not overcomplicate it.
Quail are easy! Folks want to make them complicated, but they just aren’t.
- Young quail, before 8 weeks old, need a starter feed with higher protein. The higher protein helps them grow to their biggest potential.
Look for a starter feed that has between 25-32% protein ideally.
This can be a gamebird starter, a turkey starter, a pheasant starter, sporting bird starter, or even a meatbird feed if it has a high enough protein.
You can find these at your local feed store or Chewy.com (I love that Chewy.com has free shipping if you order $50 or more, plus they have a lot of options for quail).
Some folks will tell you to grind up their feed for them as babies. We do not do this and do not recommend it. Starter feeds are made with babies in mind and are easily eaten by baby quail.
- Adult quail, 8 weeks and older, need a layer crumble feed with between 17-22% protein. They are done growing so NO LONGER NEED THAT SUPER HIGH PROTEIN as they did when they were juveniles.
Look for a Layer Crumble… you can use a gamebird layer, an all-flock crumble, even a chicken layer crumble as long as it falls in that 17-22% protein.
One other thing that adult quail need is sufficient calcium. The calcium is important for strong shell formation. But even your roosters can eat it; it’s not going to hurt them. Look for a layer crumble with between 2.5-3.5% calcium.
- We do not feed our quail grit or oyster shell. We do feed occasional snackies just for fun, which I will talk about in a future post.
- Lastly, quail have a super fast metabolism so they need free-choice feed available 24/7. I like to use the little round chick feeders with holes in them like this one. Or this one. Or for a hanging option I really like these. I find they do waste less food if they have a smaller hole to get their feed from instead of a big open container.
That’s it! Remember don’t overthink it! You got this!
As always, please reach out if you have any questions at all!
And if you are looking for quail or hatching eggs shipped right to your local post office, we’ve got you covered! Just click the link below to order and for all the info.