What Do Quails Eat?

Quails are interesting, hardy and very productive birds. There are numerous quail breeds available throughout the world. If you are planing for raising some quails to get meat or egg production or as pet, then you must have to take proper care of them and learn more about their behavior.

You also have to know what do quails eat? In this post I am going to discuss more about the foods that quails eat.

What Do Quails Eat

The wild quails eat a diet of mostly grain along with other foods. But the quails on your farm have a little requirements for feed which require special consideration. You might thinking what do quails eat in captivity?

They eat almost everything like your other domestic poultry birds. The food of farm quail includes seeds, grains, vegetables, insects and commercially prepared feed. However, read details about what do quails eat?

Grains & Seeds

About 90 percent of the quail’s diet come from the plant materials. Although it depends on the time of the year, species of quail and the individual. On an average, about 80 percent of an adult quail’s diet come from seeds and grains.

Along with seeds and grains, they also eat other plant materials to ensure getting trace elements and other nutrients that they need for proper growth and regular production.

Fruits & Vegetables

Quails also love to eat various types of fruits and vegetables. After seeds and grains, a major part of their diet comes from different types of plants, leaves, fruits and vegetables. A proper quail’s diet should contain about 20 percent of vegetables, fruits, leaves and other roughage compose.

They will also eat berries and other fruits, if you provide them. Fruit eating habit depends on the area and the species you are raising. For example, Gambel is a desert quail species and they will eat cactus fruit if you provide them.

Commercial Feed

Nowadays, quail farming has gained huge popularity throughout the world. As a result of it, commercially prepared feed is now available for them in some parts of the world.

And some people has started commercial quail farming business for the purpose of egg and meat production. These people raise quails in captivity for profit and usually feed them commercially prepared feed.

All types of standard feeds for game birds work pretty well for quails. Some people also feed them commercially prepared poultry feeds by adding a few necessary additives into it. But there is a small problem feeding poultry feeds to your quails.

As quails are small birds, so you have to provide them the feeds that have a consistent particle size. If the particles of their feeds become large enough to eat, then they will eat smaller sized particles and simply ignore the rest.

So be careful about feeding this types of commercial feed and if possible broke the large particles before feeding them.

Insects

Quails love to eat various types of insects as an extra source of protein. Eating insects give them more growing power when they hatch. As a result newly hatched quail’s diet is different from that of adult quails.

Quail chicks almost exclusively depend on insects for the first few weeks of their live. After that they become adult and eat mostly vegetarian diet.

Although adult quails also eat insects as a small part of their regular diet. And during breeding season, adult quails eat more insects than usual for having extra protein. Insects eating rate vary according to the place and time of year.

For regular eggs and meat production from quails, you have to feed them high quality and nutritious feed always. Also provide them sufficient amount of clean and fresh water according to their daily demand. Thus you can keep your quails healthy and productive. 🙂