7 Things to Know About Raising Quail Vs Chickens

1. Quail are very quiet

I had heard this before I started raising quail, and that was what drew me to get them. Chickens laying eggs can be quite noisy, whereas you would not even know quail are there because of how quiet they are.

Moreover, when they do make noise, they sound more like a bird call, and I like the sound. We live in an area with lots of trees, and we already have many birds making different calls. Most native birds to our area are louder than the quail, so in reality I barely ever hear the quail at all.

2. Quail are messy eaters

At first, I had a small feeder that I usually used for my baby chicks, but I noticed they would stick their beaks in and just get the food everywhere, and a lot of it got wasted.

I have their cage set up in a way that there is a wire mesh on the bottom so that their poop falls through, but unfortunately, this also meant that wasted food would go right through the grate.

However, I did find a simple solution. I ended up getting a different feeder at Tractor Supply for just $4.99, and it is the perfect thing for quail.

I do not fill it up a lot because I want them to put their heads in here and have to reach for the food. That way, they are less likely to spill and waste food, and feed is expensive.

The size of the feeder is perfect, too: they all have enough room to eat next to each other without trying to kill each other. So I am very happy with this feeder.

Another thing I found out is that quail do not eat much - sometimes I will go two days without having to add any more food to the feeder.

3. Quail are tiny but they grow very fast

They take up very little space; I could probably fit around 20 quail in my 2ft by 6ft cage.

I am raising Jumbo Coturnix quail, and they grow a little bit quicker and larger than a regular quail breed. This is what drew me to the Jumbo Coturnix quail. When they hatch, they are so tiny and frail that they fit in the palm of your hand.

A baby chick is three or four times bigger than a baby quail when they are born, and the egg size is about three to four times bigger as well.

I love how little space they take, and I love how fast they grow. Mine are only at four weeks, and in a couple more weeks, they will be fully grown quail, and I will have to decide what I am doing with them.

I am still unsure whether I am raising quail for eggs at this point, although I have never had quail eggs and I definitely want to try some. I am assuming at least one or two of my quail are roosters, but I am not entirely sure how to identify them, so I will have to educate myself on that.

On the other hand, I want to also try to hatch some more quail soon so I could have a more sustainable food source right here in the backyard. This is pretty cool that in only eight weeks you could have a little meal right in your backyard.

It is probably more economical than raising meat birds because quail do not eat as much; however, they also do not get as big as meat birds, so there are trade-offs here. Still, I think there are a lot more pros to cons when raising quail vs chickens and other meat birds.

4. Quail poop a lot

This is something quail have in common with chickens. I was shocked at how much and how often they poop.

That is the reason that I made the wire mesh on the bottom floor of the cage: this way, everything drops down to the ground and eventually will be composted in my compost pile.

If I had these in a more natural enclosed run, I would probably have to change out the bedding or add more very often, because of how much they poop.

5. Quail need a sandbox

This is something I added later on, but they were very happy with it. Like chickens, quail clean their feathers by giving themselves a dust bath in a sandbox.

I had a bunch of sandbags laying around, so I put a little container in there, and they hang out in there a lot. However, they are being very messy, so I might need to come up with something better so that I do not have to replace all the sand every day or two.

6. A slope for the eggs

I saw many people make a slope for the quail when they lay the eggs, so the eggs will just roll to the front and you can grab them easily. I thought my slope was too steep for them, but I see them adjusting.

At the back of the cage, there is a flat surface where they mostly hang out, and I leave their food and water there, too.

7. Quail are very frail

We hatched twelve, and three of them died just from being too weak. The ones that hatch later are often weaker, but we had a couple of them hatch and die.

They were so small that I kept them a little bit longer in the brooder to make sure they grew big enough, had enough feathers, and would be safe and warm enough outside.

Another one survived the hatch and the brooder, but just randomly died one day. I have a theory that it had no place to hide from the sun and got too hot, but there is no real way to know what happened there.

To sum up, quail are very frail compared to chickens and not as hardy.

What to know about raising quail

Hopefully, this has been helpful for you and now you know more about raising quail. Would you consider doing it in your backyard? Share in the comments!