Quail need considerably more protein than chickens, and feeding them chicken feed is the most common mistake new keepers make. Quail chicks want a gamebird starter at roughly 26 to 30% protein, where chick starter typically carries 18 to 20%.
Get that first six weeks wrong and you see poor growth and weak legs that never fully correct. Get it right and quail are among the least demanding birds on a smallholding.
Quail Feed by Stage
| Stage | Age | Protein |
|---|---|---|
| Gamebird starter | 0–6 weeks | ~26–30% |
| Grower | 6+ weeks | ~20–22% |
| Layer / breeder | Laying hens | ~18–20%+, with added calcium |
Coturnix quail, the commonest backyard type, start laying at around six to eight weeks, which is remarkably fast. That early maturity is exactly why the protein requirement is so high, the bird is building a laying body in under two months.
Can Quail Eat Chicken Feed?
Not as a proper diet, and the reasons differ by feed type. Chicken starter at 18 to 20% is simply too low in protein for quail chicks. Chicken layer feed is worse: around 16% protein, far below what quail need, and its high calcium level is actively harmful to chicks and to males.
If gamebird starter is genuinely unavailable, a high-protein turkey starter at 24 to 28% is a reasonable short-term substitute. Grinding standard crumble finer also helps very young chicks physically manage it, but it does not solve the protein shortfall.
Quick Facts: Feeding Quail
- Gamebird starter at 26–30% protein for the first 6 weeks
- Chicken layer feed is too low in protein AND too high in calcium
- Turkey starter (24–28%) is the best emergency substitute
- Quail scatter feed, use a covered or narrow-lipped feeder
- Shallow water, quail chicks drown easily in open founts
Practical Feeding Notes
Quail are messy and wasteful with feed. They scratch and scatter, and an open dish can lose a surprising proportion of a bag. Feeders with a narrow lip or a cover pay for themselves quickly.
Water needs care with chicks. Quail chicks are tiny and drown readily in an open waterer, so use shallow water with marbles or pebbles in the base for the first couple of weeks. Laying hens need free-choice calcium, crushed oyster shell in a separate dish, and grit if they are eating anything beyond crumble.
What Do Baby Quail Eat?
Gamebird starter crumble, ground finer if the birds are struggling with the particle size. Chicks are extremely small at hatch and need feed within easy reach, spread on a tray or paper for the first day or two so they find it. Keep them on starter for a full six weeks rather than switching early.
What Do Wild Quail Eat?
Wild quail are largely seed eaters as adults, taking grass and weed seeds, waste grain, leaves, buds and berries, with insects making up a much larger share of the diet for chicks. That insect protein early on mirrors exactly why captive chicks need such a high-protein starter.
If you are managing land for wild quail, habitat matters far more than feeding, they need low cover for nesting and bare ground for dust-bathing and foraging.
Treats and Foods to Avoid
Quail take mealworms, chopped greens, and small amounts of fruit and vegetable scraps happily, and mealworms are genuinely useful during laying or moult. Keep treats modest so they do not dilute a high-protein ration.
| Avoid | Why |
|---|---|
| Chicken layer feed as a staple | Too little protein, too much calcium for chicks and males |
| Avocado | Toxic to birds |
| Raw or dried beans | Lectins toxic until fully cooked |
| Anything mouldy | Mycotoxins |
| Salty or heavily processed food | Poorly tolerated |
| Open deep waterers for chicks | Drowning risk rather than a food issue, but a common loss |
Quail sit alongside the rest of the poultry on a smallholding, see what chickens eat for the contrast in requirements. For how this compares across the rest of the yard, see our overview of what most farm animals eat, or browse the full farm feed hub.
Other feeding guides in this group (poultry and waterfowl): chickens eat, ducks eat, geese eat. Or start from the overview of what most farm animals eat.
A gamebird ration matched to their age: roughly 26 to 30% protein starter for the first six weeks, 20 to 22% grower after that, and 18 to 20%+ for laying birds. They also take mealworms, greens and small scraps as treats.
Not as a proper diet. Chicken starter at 18 to 20% is too low in protein for quail chicks, and chicken layer feed is worse, around 16% protein with a calcium level that harms chicks and males. Turkey starter at 24 to 28% is a better substitute.
Gamebird starter crumble at 26 to 30% protein, ground finer if needed. Spread it on a tray or paper for the first day or two so the tiny chicks can find it, and keep them on starter for a full six weeks.
Adults are largely seed eaters, taking grass and weed seeds, waste grain, leaves, buds and berries. Chicks eat far more insects, which supplies the protein they need to grow.
Because they mature extremely fast. Coturnix quail can start laying at six to eight weeks, so they build a laying body in under two months, and that requires far more protein per day than a chicken growing over five or six months.
Grit yes, if they eat anything beyond crumble, since they grind food in a gizzard like other birds. Laying hens also need free-choice calcium such as crushed oyster shell, offered separately rather than mixed into feed.
