Coturnix quail, also known as Japanese quail, are a popular choice for hobby farmers and poultry enthusiasts due to their manageable size, hardiness, and productive egg-laying capabilities. A crucial aspect of raising these fascinating birds involves understanding their nutritional needs at various stages of life. This article provides a comprehensive guide to coturnix quail feed, options for quail food, and nutrition throughout their life stages, focusing on commercially available feed that meets their needs.
Understanding Quail Nutrition
Nutrition forms the cornerstone of any bird’s health, and coturnix quail are no exception. Like all birds, quail require a balanced diet rich in proteins, fats, vitamins, and minerals for overall growth, development, and vitality. Commercially available feed often provides these essential nutrients in the right balance for feeding quail, making a feed plan a less daunting task.
Coturnix Quail Chicks – What Quail Food for Hatchlings?
At this tender age, the chicks’ dietary needs revolve around supporting the extremely rapid growth of coturnix quail. Their feed must be high in protein and low in fat, with protein content of approximately 28% of their diet. The specific nutrient balance of the quail food is vital for the proper development of their musculoskeletal system. Most importantly, coturnix quail chicks require the right balance of calcium and phosphorus for proper bone growth, accompanied by adequate levels of Vitamin D3 to properly utilize these nutrients for bone development.
A good commercial feed choice for hatchlings is a Game Bird Starter Crumble. It’s specially formulated quail food to provide the right balance of nutrients necessary for the chicks’ development and growth.
2 Weeks to 8 Weeks – Quail Feed for the Growing Phase
As your quails grow, their dietary needs shift. Though they still require a high-protein diet for continued growth, the need for more fiber arises to aid digestion. At this stage, you should be feeding quail a diet should contain about 24-26% protein.
A recommended commercial quail food for this growth phase is a Game Bird Grower Feed. This feed contains the necessary nutrients and fiber content to support your quails’ health and proper growth.
Game Bird Grower feeds are difficult to find and primarily targeted at Game Quail Breeds that are intended for release (Bobwhite, Californian, Valley Quail, etc) or commercial quail that are solely raised for meat.
It is perfectly acceptable to continue feeding a Gamebird Starter with 28%-30% protein to your coturnix quail through this stage of growth.
8 Weeks to Maturity – Coturnix Quail Adolescent to Adult Transition
As your quail transition from adolescence to adulthood, their nutritional requirements adjust once more. While maintaining a diet high in protein, the introduction of more vitamins and minerals becomes important to support their increasingly complex biological functions, particularly as they near sexual maturity. The protein content at this stage should be around 18-22%.
If your quail are solely for meat, you likely will be processing them at this point and don’t need to trouble yourself by making another change to their feed.
If you plan to continue to raise your coturnix quail past 8 weeks, however do not intend to harvest coturnix quail eggs or breed your quail, you may consider keeping them on the gamebird starter feed. This feed will not necessary cause any ill effects, however your feed is priced based on protein content and that extra protein is not necessary. Consider feeding quail a maintenance feed of 18-22% that will cover their adult nutritional requirements.
Quail Feed for Laying and Breeding Adult Coturnix Quail
During the laying and breeding phase, quail have specific dietary needs to support egg production and fertility. A high-calcium diet is essential for producing strong eggshells, and sustained protein levels are necessary for healthy egg development. Gamebird Breeder feeds are a specially formulated commercial feed suitable for laying and breeding quail. They provide the necessary balance of calcium and protein to ensure healthy egg production and fertility.
Here is where buying commercial quail feeds gets a bit more sticky. Gamebird Breeder feeds are difficult to find and can be overly expensive for the hobbyist or homesteader. Your Coturnix Breeders (typically 8 weeks or older) still require a higher protein percentage than common chicken feeds, however require higher calcium than most gamebird feeds.
We currently feed our quail Gamebird Breeder Mini-Pellet from Kalmbach feeds. This is an excellent high-end quail food that provides our quail with the right balance of nutrition from a very reputable feed mill. Being that we are in South Carolina, we were fortunate enough to be able to source this from a local feed store that is trucking it in from Ohio. However, the cost is higher than the standard feeds available at our local feeds stores and we must purchase by the ton.
The best solution that we have found for most people is to purchase a Chicken Layer Crumble and mix it with equal parts to a Gamebird Breeder Crumble. Your goal here is to provide 18-22% protein and 2.5-3.5% calcium.
Example:
A Chicken Layer Crumble with 16% protein and 3.5% calcium mixed with A Gamebird Starter that has 26% protein and 1.75% calcium will provide the correct protein and calcium needed for your breeders.
The Math:
16% Protein (layer crumble) + 26% Protein (gamebird starter) / 2 = 21% Protein for the mix
3.5% Calcium (layer crumble) + 1.75% Calcium (gamebird starter) / 2 = 2.625% Calcium for the mix
Older Quails
As your quails enter their golden years and are no longer breeding, their dietary requirements shift once again. They now require a diet lower in protein and higher in fiber to aid digestion and maintain overall health. Older, non-breeding quails can benefit from a diet containing about 16% protein.
A suitable commercial feed choice for older quails is A Maintenance Feed of 16% protein. This feed is designed to provide the essential nutrients that aging quails need to maintain their vitality.
I’m not sure why you would be continuing to feed quail that are no longer producing for you, but I figured I would include this for those of you that may not be ready to send your quail to freezer camp.
Additional Thoughts on Quail Feed
Always ensure that your quails have access to fresh water, as hydration plays a vital role in their health. Moreover, their environment should be stress-free and provide easy access to their feed.
As you embark on your quail raising journey, remember that their nutritional needs will change as they grow and develop. Understanding and meeting your quails’ nutritional needs may seem overwhelming at first. However, there is no need for most quail keeper to overcomplicate this.
Coturnix quail need high protein (28-30%) and the correct balance of proper nutrients (contained in a gamebird starter feed) for the first 6-10 weeks of their life.
After 6-10 weeks, they need a higher protein% than most chicken feeds provide (18-22%) and a higher calcium% than most gamebird feeds provide (2.5-3.5%).
If your selected feeds get you anywhere within these ranges, your quail will thank you with great health and high productivity.