How to Feed Quails

Quails are not particularly fussy eaters, but it's important to provide them with the right kind of food and a balanced diet. Their feeding will depend on their age, the reason for raising them, and most importantly, how you prefer to feed them.

Buy high-quality quail feed from poultry feed stores or online. Unlike other poultry, quails cannot thrive on low-quality food. This is especially important for quails raised for eggs or breeding. If high-quality quail feed is unavailable, you can opt for food meant for other birds. Turkey feed, for example, tends to have higher protein content than that for industrial chickens, making it suitable for quails as well.

• Chicken feed may work for meat quails.
• If using turkey feed, make sure it contains no medications.
• Always consult a nutrition expert before changing your quail's diet.
• About 80% of a quail's diet should consist of grains. Most quail or meat bird feeds include cracked corn, various grains (barley, oats, rye, and wheat), millet, whole oats, roasted corn, buckwheat, and sunflower seeds.

Ensure that quails are fed enough food, and remember that the food should have the appropriate texture. Feeding quails is simple; you don’t have to worry about overfeeding them because they will stop eating when they are full. However, quails can be quite picky about the size of the food particles. They won’t eat grains that are too large or too small—they need to be just the right size. Quails also tend to scatter food, so it's important to feed them in bowls or feeders that are deep enough to prevent spillage.

• If the food is in pellet form, crush it to the right size for quails. The grains in the feed should be uniform in size, otherwise, quails will only pick their favorites and leave the rest, leading to nutritional imbalance.
• Avoid feeding quails finely ground food if possible. If you have to feed them ground food, don’t use excessively fine powders. Powdered food can easily get trapped in their toes and cause infections.
• Adult quails typically eat around 20-25g of food daily.

Ensure that quail feeders are dry, clean, and easily accessible. Place the feeders in a dry spot, away from rain, direct sunlight, and wind. It’s also a good idea to keep feeders away from water containers—wet food can mold and may cause the quails to die if consumed. Regularly remove leftover food from the feeders. Only wash the feeders when they’re dirty from bird droppings to avoid wetting the food.

• Place the feeders at a height level with the quail’s chest.
• Use long and narrow feeders so the quails don’t have to compete for space.
• Depending on the number of quails, you might need to clean the feeders 2-3 times a week or even daily.
• Quails have a tendency to scratch their food. Consider using feeders designed to prevent food from being thrown out.

Provide plenty of water for quails, ensuring it is easy for them to access. The general rule is that the water trough should not be higher than the quail's back. Many quail keepers even suggest adding small stones to the water container. The stones not only make the water more appealing but also help prevent chicks from falling in and getting trapped.

• Quails drink a lot of water. You might want to consider digging a shallow hole in the ground, lining it with plastic, and adding a slope to the pit.

Keep the water troughs clean and change the water daily to limit bacterial growth. Clean the troughs three times a week with non-toxic disinfectant. Don’t just pour out the old water inside the quail pen—maintain a dry environment as much as possible.

• Be especially mindful of the water containers in winter. Avoid letting the water freeze.
• Occasionally add a bit of apple cider vinegar to the water. Vinegar helps kill parasites and can also make the quail’s feathers shinier.

Store quail food in a clean, dry place and use it before it expires. If food is not stored properly, it can mold, causing the quails to become ill or die if consumed. Additionally, improperly stored food can attract pests like rats and insects.

• Always use the food before the expiration date, usually 3 weeks from the production date. You may need to use it sooner if you live in a hot and humid climate.
• Discard food that smells rancid or sour, as this indicates it has spoiled or molded.
• Rats not only steal food from the quails but can also contaminate it.

Offer quails fruits and vegetables. About 20% of a quail's diet should include vegetables, fruits, leaves, and other fibers. Don’t hesitate to introduce different foods, but consider the quail’s natural habitat. For example, for quails living in desert regions, you should feed them prickly pear cactus.

• Consider planting berry bushes, such as raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, or Oregon grapes.
• Feed quails vegetables like broccoli, cabbage, carrots, cucumbers, pears, lettuce, and turnip greens.
• Be cautious with tomatoes. Quails can eat ripe tomatoes but should avoid other parts of the tomato plant, including the leaves and stems.

Consider offering additional foods to quails. While a quail’s main diet should consist of quail-specific food, you can occasionally treat them with snacks like cake, noodles, rice, and sweet corn.

• Quails enjoy seeds and nuts. You may want to plant seed-bearing plants like ash trees, tea coffee plants, hazel trees, or oaks. Quails will eat any nuts and seeds that fall from these plants.
• Quails also enjoy insects, especially chicks. Insects are rich in protein, which is essential for young quails and egg-laying females.

Be aware that some foods can be toxic to quails. These include avocado, caffeine, chocolate, grape seeds, meat, parsley, rhubarb, tomato stems and leaves, salty foods, raw potatoes, and most citrus fruits.

• Quails typically won’t eat toxic foods unless they’re starving. This is a sign that you may need to increase their food intake.
• Many plants are toxic to quails. Although it’s unlikely that you’ll encounter these plants, it’s important to be aware of them.
• Avoid letting quails forage in your garden. They will quickly identify where the food comes from and may start foraging, which isn’t ideal for your garden.

Give quails a small dish of gravel to help them digest their food. However, if your quails are regularly allowed to roam on grass, you don’t need to worry about this, as they will naturally find what they need on the ground.

Feed newly hatched quails with chick starter food until they reach 6-8 weeks old. The chick starter food has a high protein content, which meets their needs, along with various nutrients and vitamins that help them grow into healthy adult quails.

• Use a straight, long feeder for baby quails. Switch to a round feeder when the quails are 2 weeks old. Use a smaller bowl for water.
• Chicks can eat fine ground food until they are 6-8 weeks old. Pellet or coarser grain food is suitable for older quails.
• When raising chicks, teach them how to drink by dipping their beaks in the water bowl. If they have a mother, she will teach them how to drink.

Feed medium-aged quails high-quality food after 6-8 weeks old. The best food for quails at this stage is meat bird feed with at least 20% protein. A balanced diet for quails should contain sufficient protein to help them grow into strong, healthy adults.

• If you're raising meat quails, you don’t need special food at this stage. You can feed them directly with food meant for adult quails.
• If you plan to raise quails for egg production or breeding, gradually transition them to the new food before they reach 10 weeks old.

Switch to layer pellets once quails begin laying eggs. These pellets contain the necessary amount of calcium to help the quails lay high-quality eggs. Be sure to crush the pellets to the right size for quail consumption. This is especially important if you buy feed meant for chickens, as it is usually larger than that for quails. Don’t crush the pellets into powder.

Always provide fresh water for quails. Clean the water bowl 1-3 times a week and replenish the water daily. The bowl often gets dirty because quails tend to step into it, defecate, and make a mess!

Determine the purpose of raising quails. Are you raising quails for eggs, meat, breeding, or just for fun? Depending on your goal, you'll need to select food that meets their specific needs. There are four main types of quail feed:

• Feed for baby quails
• Feed for growing quails
• Feed for egg-laying quails
• Feed for adult quails

Use baby quail feed and adult quail feed if you are raising quails for meat. Adult quail feed provides essential nutrition up to the slaughter stage and contains more fiber than other types.

• Feed baby quails from hatching until 6 weeks old. After 6 weeks, switch to adult quail feed. Continue feeding them this way until they are ready for sale or slaughter.

Use baby quail feed and growing quail feed if you are raising quails for pets. This diet is also suitable for quails kept as pets. The growing quail feed has a higher protein content than adult quail feed.

• Feed baby quails from hatching until they are 6 weeks old. After 6 weeks, switch to growing quail feed. Continue feeding them this way until they reach 16 weeks of age.

Pay special attention to quails raised for breeding and egg production. Quails raised for egg production and breeding require a special diet once they reach laying age. If not properly fed, female quails may lay soft and poor-quality eggs.

• Feed baby quails from hatching until they are 6 weeks old. After 6 weeks, switch to growing quail feed. Continue feeding them this way until they reach 20 weeks of age. At 20 weeks, switch to egg-laying quail feed.
• For Coturnix (Pharaoh) quails, feed them baby quail feed until 6 weeks old. After 6 weeks, switch to egg-laying quail feed. There's no need for growing quail feed.