If you’ve ever wondered how to start raising quail, you’re in good company. These pint-sized birds pack a surprising punch—fast egg layers, efficient meat producers, and gentle on both space and pocketbook.
In this guide I’ll walk you, step by step, through everything a first-timer needs to know, sprinkling in the practical lessons we’ve learned here on the homestead. By the end you’ll feel confident choosing breeds, setting up a coop, brooding chicks, and keeping a thriving, productive covey.
Why Quail Belong on a Small Homestead
Quail do more with less. A dozen Coturnix hens can live happily in the footprint of a large dog crate yet lay up to 70 eggs a week—perfect for tight backyards or suburban lots. They reach processing weight in eight weeks, their manure is mellow enough for direct garden use, and most states consider them poultry, not game, so permitting is often simpler than for chickens (always double-check local rules; see “Permits & Regulations” below).
For a deeper dive into quail’s unique advantages, see our earlier post Raising Quail: A Comprehensive Guide to These Remarkable Birds.
Before You Order Chicks: Permits & Regulations
- City ordinances: Many towns cap bird numbers or noise levels. Look for zoning terms like poultry, aviary birds, or non-crowning game birds.
- State wildlife agencies: Some states treat Bobwhite as a regulated game species. Coturnix Japanese quail are usually exempt. Check your state and local agencies for any permits, licensing, or restrictions.
- Processing rules: If you plan to sell meat or eggs, licensing may apply.
Choosing the Right Breed for Beginners
| Breed | Temperament | Eggs/Year | Growth Rate | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coturnix (Japanese) | Calm, fast to mature | 250–300 | 8 weeks to butcher | Best all-round starter quail |
| Bobwhite | Flighty, loud | 150–200 | 16 weeks | Often requires a game-farm permit |
| Button (Chinese Painted) | Tiny, decorative | 120–150 | 12 weeks | Mostly for pets, not table |
Coturnix come in feather colors like Jumbo Pharaoh, Italian, and Tibetan; all share the same husbandry basics.
Housing: Coop or Cage?
We have opted for a more natural habitat for our quail as we want them to have a great life while they are here. The result has been that we have some quail that are three years old even though their expected lifespan is only 18 months.
@waddleandcluck I love quail crows. #quail #homestead #crowing ♬ original sound – The Waddle and Cluck
Space & Layout
- Minimum: 1 sq ft per adult in a wire floor cage, 1.5 sq ft on deep-litter bedding.
- Height: Keep it under 18 in or over 6 ft; the in-between range encourages “boinking” injuries.
- Flooring: ½-inch hardware cloth lets droppings fall but can hurt feet; lay a resting board or pan of peat moss so birds can dust-bathe.
Here is a video from a coupe of years ago when we built the quail pen.
@waddleandcluck New quail pen! #quail #quailpen #homestead #farmstead #quailtok ♬ original sound – The Waddle and Cluck
Climate Control
Quail handle cold far better than they handle dampness or wind‐chill, so your winter strategy should focus less on chasing a number on the thermometer and more on protecting the birds’ micro-climate.
As soon as nightly frosts become routine, I drape each cage in clear 6-mil greenhouse plastic, fastening it snugly along the sides while leaving a narrow, two-inch gap beneath the roofline. That sliver of space lets warm, moist air drift out without letting icy drafts funnel straight across the birds’ backs. The plastic creates a miniature sun porch during daylight—solar gain alone often keeps the coop ten degrees warmer than the yard—but because it’s transparent I can still keep an eye on my covey from the path.
Inside, the watchwords are dryness and stillness. Damp litter robs feathers of their insulating loft and invites respiratory trouble, so I start the season with a fresh four-inch layer of kiln-dried pine shavings and top it up whenever it looks more matted than fluffy.
A cheap digital hygrometer hung at bird height tells me when steam from their breath is lingering; if relative humidity creeps above sixty percent, I add another vent slot rather than cranking up the heat. Only when the ambient temperature at dawn stays below 20 °F for two consecutive mornings do I plug in the low-watt radiant panel mounted along one wall.
At sixty watts it sips electricity—about the same as a night-light—but its gentle infrared glow gives the quail a warm corner to loaf under without overheating the entire coop. They use it like a campfire: stepping close after a drink, then wandering off once their feet warm.
Summer brings the opposite challenge: excess heat. Because quail lack the combs and wattles that help chickens shed warmth, they pant sooner and dehydrate faster. I hang a small box fan outside the enclosure so it pushes air through the wire, freeze quart bottles of water to lay along the cage floor on the hottest afternoons, and trade their dust-bath sand for a shallow tray of damp peat moss that doubles as a backyard swamp cooler. With steady airflow and plenty of shade, they keep laying reliably even when July pushes past 100 °F.
Whether you’re wresting warmth from a pale winter sun or coaxing a breeze through muggy summer nights, remember that quail prosper in the same conditions we enjoy on a porch swing: calm air, dry feet, and a place to retreat when the weather oversteps its bounds.
Predator Security
If winter cold is a slow, predictable challenge, predators are the lightning strike—a danger that arrives without warning and can wipe out a covey in minutes. Quail sit low on the food chain, so your housing has to outsmart everything from raccoons and opossums to stray cats, rats, snakes, and the occasional red-tailed hawk. The single best insurance is sturdy wire: ½-inch hardware cloth (19-gauge or heavier) on every wall, floor, and ceiling. Anything with one-inch gaps—common welded wire, chicken mesh—invites disaster; a raccoon’s front paw can reach through, grab a sleepy bird, and pull until only feathers remain.
1/2 inch Chicken Wire Fencing, Hot-Dipped Galvanized After Welding Garden Plant Supports Welded Metal Chicken Wire Poultry Animal Netting Cage Screen
I frame cages so the wire panels overlap at the corners, then stitch those seams with hog rings every two inches to eliminate flex points. Around the base I add a twelve-inch “apron” of the same cloth laid flat on the ground and buried under a couple of inches of soil. When a determined skunk or neighborhood dog tries to dig, its paws meet that hidden apron first and the tunneling stops before it starts. Roof protection matters too: a sheet-metal rain cap keeps climbers from perching, and it shields against aerial hunters that might stoop on an open-top pen at dawn.
Locks are your next line of defense. Raccoons are infamously good at flipping simple hasps, so every access door gets a spring-loaded carabiner—the squeeze-and-twist motion foils nimble fingers. On larger walk-in aviaries I use double-action latches: a slide bolt plus a padlock-style clip, because I’d rather fumble with two steps on feeding rounds than wake up to feathers. Daily ritual includes a dusk patrol, walking the perimeter with a flashlight to confirm nothing has chewed, bowed, or loosened during the day. If a panel shows even a hint of give, I reinforce it before lights-out; predators notice weak spots long before we do.
For keepers who raise birds outdoors year-round, a livestock guardian dog can be worth its weight in feed. Our two Anatolian mixes, Honey and Rome, sleep within earshot of the quail cages, and their presence alone deters coyotes and foxes that used to prowl the property fence line. Guardian dogs aren’t a substitute for good carpentry, but they provide a moving, thinking layer of security—especially valuable during the frantic weeks when young growers move out of the brooder and haven’t learned to retreat from danger.
Remember that security checks never end. Hardware cloth rusts, wood frames warp, and clever animals test barriers nightly. Keep a small repair kit—wire offcuts, tin snips, zip-ties, and extra carabiners—in a bucket by the coop. Ten minutes of maintenance here and there is cheaper, kinder, and far less heartbreaking than replacing a lost covey.
Feeding & Watering
Think of feed as the fuel that powers every part of a quail’s life cycle—rapid growth, steady egg production, even feather quality. Because quail grow and mature far faster than chickens, they need a diet that keeps pace. The numbers in the chart give you the target protein levels, but what do they look like in practice?
During the first three weeks chicks are racing through bone and muscle development, so we start them on a finely crumbled 28–30 % protein game-bird starter. Anything lower and you’ll notice stunted birds or curved toes by week two. I keep the feeder topped up rather than portioning; youngsters regulate their own intake surprisingly well, and any extra spillage goes to the compost pile.
At three to six weeks the covey moves to an All Flock Crumbles feed. Switching too early can slow growth, but holding them on starter past six weeks is just burning money—high-protein formulas cost more per pound.
Crumble | Formulated with Vitamins and Minerals to Support a Balanced Diet | 8 Pounds
Quail are persnickety about water sanitation. A single day of slimy drinkers can cut egg output in half. I prefer an automatic chicken water hung just high enough that birds have to stretch slightly to sip; it keeps litter dry and droppings out. Once every couple weeks the buckets get a vinegar rinse and a bottle-brush scrub. When Oklahoma summers push past 95 °F, I drop some ice into each bucket at noon, buying the flock a few hours of cool relief. In winter a 25-watt aquarium heater prevents ice without turning the coop into a sauna.
2 Gallons, Float-Controlled Chicken Water Feeder with 4 Water Cups, 158.4-Inch Hose with 3/4'' and 1/2'' Ends, Large Poultry Waterer for Chick Quail Duck ...
Grit is the last piece of the puzzle. Even wire-cage quail pick at hay seeds and bugs, so once a month I scatter a handful of coarse granite grit over the bedding. It disappears within hours and keeps gizzards working like little rock grinders—nature’s food processor operating entirely on bird power. If your quail are eating a diet of crumbles or have access to a natural habitat, they won’t need frit.
Meet those basics—right protein at the right time, spotless water, a pinch of grit and calcium—and your quail will reward you with rapid growth, glossy plumage, and a basket of delicately speckled eggs that seems to refill itself overnight.
| Life Stage | Crude Protein Target | Typical Feed |
|---|---|---|
| 0–3 weeks (starter) | 28–30 % | Game bird starter crumble |
| 3–6 weeks (grower) | 24–26 % | Turkey/game bird grower |
| 6 weeks+ layers | 20–22 % | All Flock Crumbles + free-choice oyster shell |
Hatching & Brooding Basics
Bringing quail into the world starts long before the first faint peep from the incubator. Begin by letting shipped or farm-fresh eggs rest, small end down, for a full day at room temperature. This allows the air cell to settle after transit and improves hatch rates. Meanwhile, warm up a forced-air incubator to 99.5 °F with the humidity at about 45 percent. A fan is important; still-air models often run two degrees hotter at the top than the bottom, which can stall embryo growth.
For the first two weeks you are the parent bird, turning the clutch at least three—better five—times a day so membranes don’t stick and the embryo develops symmetrically. Many countertop units automate this, but even the hands-on approach takes only seconds if you mark one side of each shell with a pencil “X.” On day seven and again on day fourteen, candle the eggs with a bright LED to spot clear quitters (discard these to prevent rot) and check for healthy, spider-veined development.
with auto egg turner - Chickcozy
As the chicks grow, they demand more moisture to avoid “shrink-wrapping,” that tragic state where the inner membrane dries hard and traps them mid-hatch. Bump humidity to 65 percent on day fifteen—sometimes as simple as adding a second water channel or slipping a damp sponge through the vent.
At the same moment, stop turning and settle the eggs in hatch trays with the large end slightly elevated; the chicks will orient their beaks toward that air cell for the first breath of independence. Resist peeking. Each time the lid lifts, precious heat and humidity escape.
Coturnix usually pip on day seventeen and finish zipping their way out by day eighteen. They’ll look exhausted and a bit bedraggled, but leave every chick inside the warm, damp incubator until it fluffs dry—rushing this step can chill lungs not yet fully cleared of albumen. Once they resemble puffballs on toothpicks, transfer them quickly to a pre-heated brooder.
@waddleandcluck Hatch day! We have two new #coturnixquail already! #quail #quaileggs #hatchday #hatchingeggs #homestead ♬ original sound – The Waddle and Cluck
The brooder itself is nothing fancy: a clear plastic storage tote or stock tank lined with hardwood fuel pellets covered by paper towel for the first forty-eight hours. The pellets soak up spills and odors; the paper towel gives firm traction so tiny legs don’t splay. After the chicks learn what crumble looks like, swap to aspen shavings for easier cleaning.
Center a low-profile heat plate or a red brooder lamp high enough that chicks can dart under or sprawl beside it. Ninety-five degrees the first week is ideal; then reduce by roughly five degrees each week. Watch the flock, not the thermometer: huddling means they’re cold, panting at the edges means they’re hot, and an even scatter tells you the Goldilocks zone is just right.
@waddleandcluck #babyquail #quail #coturnixquail #hatchingeggs #homestead ♬ original sound – The Waddle and Cluck
Fresh water goes in a shallow chick fount or a quail-sized nipple line—drown-proofing matters more than capacity at this age. Scatter a pinch of game-bird starter crumble on a white paper plate to teach the pecking reflex, and add a bottle-cap of fine granite grit by day three so gizzards keep pace with appetites.
Cleanliness is your friend during these three fast weeks; swap bedding every day, wipe the heat plate legs with vinegar once a week, and the entire brooding phase will pass with little more drama than the chorus of steady cheeps that says, “We’re warm, we’re fed, all is well.”
- Incubation settings: 99.5 °F, 45 % RH; increase humidity to 65 % day 15; stop turning day 14.
- Hatch day: Coturnix pop out on day 17–18. Leave chicks until dry before transfer.
- Brooder temp: 95 °F the first week, dropping 5 °F weekly until fully feathered (~3 weeks).
- Bedding: Hardwood pellets under paper towel the first few days; switch to aspen shavings once chicks find feed reliably.
Daily & Weekly Care Checklist
- Morning: Top up feed, change water, quick head-count.
- Evening: Collect eggs, spot-clean droppings trays.
- Weekly: Replace resting board litter, scrub drinkers, inspect for mites.
- Monthly: Full cage wash with a vinegar-based cleaner (see our “Simple Vinegar Spray” recipe).
Can You Raise Quail With Chickens?
Health & Troubleshooting
| Symptom | Likely Cause | First Response |
|---|---|---|
| Droopy wings, diarrhea | Coccidiosis | Corid in water for 5 days |
| Sudden wheezing | Ammonia buildup | Deep-clean coop; improve ventilation |
| Bald backs in hens | Over-mating | Lower roo ratio to 1:5 or fit hens with saddles |
When in doubt, isolate the bird and consult an avian-experienced vet.
Egg Production & Meat Harvest
- First eggs: 6–8 weeks old; peak at 3–8 months.
- Lighting: 14 hours/day keeps lay consistent (use LED rope lights on a timer in winter).
- Processing weight: Jumbos hit 10–12 oz dressed at 8 weeks.
- Humane dispatch: Cervical dislocation or CO₂ cone, always sharpen knives and scald at 160 °F for 30 sec.
How long should you boil quail eggs?
Check out our recipe for Roasted Quail Legs.
How To Start Raising Quail FAQ
How many quail should I start with?
For eggs alone, six hens feed a family of four. Add one roo if you plan to hatch.
Do quail smell?
Only if droppings accumulate. Weekly deep-litter swaps keep odors down.
Can I keep quail inside a garage or basement?
Yes, if you maintain good airflow and 14 hours of light. Use droppings trays lined with pine pellets to catch moisture.
Costs at a Glance
| Item | One-Time | Monthly |
|---|---|---|
| 30” x 36” cage & trays | $85 | — |
| Starter chicks (15) | $45 | — |
| 50 lb game-bird feed | — | $22 |
| Bedding & grit | — | $6 |
| Electricity (lights) | — | $3 |
Expect roughly $1.25 per dozen quail eggs after the first year—less if you grow mealworms or mix feed from scratch.
Wrapping Up
Quail thrive when their basics—shelter, high-protein feed, clean water, and thoughtful care—are met. Start small, learn their rhythms, and soon those speckled eggs will become a regular part of breakfast. Have you raised quail already or are you just getting started? Tell me what excites (or worries) you most in the comments below.
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