If you’re wanting to get Coturnix Quail chicks, or are wanting to calculate the expense to raise chicks you already own, let me share my handy measurements! From hatch to adult breeding age, I’ve got the numbers you need to calculate how much Coturnix quail chicks eat:
How Much Do Coturnix Quail Chicks Eat?
Let’s jump right in to the numbers you need to plan your feed order and calculate your expenses:
Just-Hatched to 7 Day Old Quail Chicks Eat:
The first week of life newly-hatched quail chicks barely eat a few grams per day of powdered game bird feed. Their first day eating they may only consume 1 gram but as they near day 7, their intake may be approaching 8 grams (0.28 ounces or 0.56 Tablespoons) per chick per day. It is safe to assume the first week of life a quail chick will eat about 28 grams of feed (0.987 ounces).
1 Week Old Quail Chicks Eat:
Quail chicks who are 7 to 14 days old eat about 10 grams (0.35 ounces or 0.7 Tablespoons) per day. While this will fluctuate between day 7 (likely less than 10 grams) and day 14 (10 grams), it is safe to assume a 1 week old chick consumes about 70 grams of feed (2.469 ounces).
2 Week Old Quail Chicks Eat:
Quail chicks who are 14 to 21 days old are experiencing fast feathering and growth. Their intake jumps to 20 grams per day. While this will fluctuate between day 14 (be less) and day 21 (be slightly more), it is safe to assume a 2 week old chick consumes roughly 140 grams of feed (4.938 ounces).
3 Week Old Quail Chicks Eat:
Quail chicks who are 21 to 28 days old eat 25-28 grams per day. A 3 week old chick consumes roughly 175 to 196 grams of feed (6.172 to 6.913 ounces).
4 Week Old Quail Chicks Eat:
Quail chicks who are 28 to 36 days old will continue to eat about 28 grams (2 Tablespoons) per day from now through adulthood. Males may eat slightly less. A 4 week old chick consumes about 196 grams of feed (6.913 ounces).
How Much Do Coturnix Quail Chicks Eat from Hatch Until 1 Month Old?
Standard size Coturnix quail chicks tend to consume 630 grams (44.4 Tablespoons or 22.222 ounces or 1.38 pounds) of feed each in the first 1 month of life. Jumbos will eat only slightly more, and we will calculate a max of 15% more, which may be 725 grams (51.1 Tablespoons or 25.573 ounces or 1.59 pounds). These numbers should help you calculate feed expense per bird if they are sold as 4 week olds. Scroll down for the handy equation to do this!
How Much Do Naturally Fed Quail Chicks Eat?
Wild-born quail chicks eat soft bodied insects for the first week of life since they cannot yet digest whole seeds, no matter how small. The diet of just-hatched chicks is believed to be around 90% insects and 10% tender greens and other tiny tidbits (like found insect parts). Their consumption in grams is assumed to be similar to what it outlined above.
How Much Do Adult Coturnix Quails Eat?
Standard size adult quail eat about 2 Tablespoons of feed per day (28-30 grams) while Jumbo quail will consume around 2.2 to 2.5 Tablespoons (31-35 grams). This is the average for laying hens, who are larger than the males and consume more in order to produce eggs.
How to Calculate Quail Chick Feed Costs
Here is the equation you should use to calculate the cost of your feed in ounces:
($Price for the bag of feed Ć· # of pounds in the bag) Ć· 16 ounces in a pound
So if you spent $35 on a 40 pound bag of feed, your cost is 0.875Ā¢ per pound. You then divide 0.875Ā¢ per pound by 16 ounces in a pound to get 0.054Ā¢ per ounce (roughly a nickel and a half per ounce).
How Much Coturnix Quail Chicks Eat Calculation Chart
Use the following chart to calculate your feed cost based on your specific feed’s cost per ounce:
By using our $35 for a 40 pound bag of feed numbers above where each ounce is 0.054Ā¢, it would cost $1.20 to feed one standard size quail chick from hatch to the end of the first month of life. (0.054Ā¢ x 22.222 total ounces consumed). The low feed expense and rapid growth is one of the reasons Coturnix quail breeding is so profitable!
Old-Fashioned Feed Calculations
Quail keepers have long believed that it takes 400 grams of feed (14.10 ounces or 28.2 Tablespoons) for an adult quail hen to produce 12 eggs. This averages out to 33.33 ounces of feed consumed per day, which is a nice middle ground for both standard and jumbo size quail hens.
Use the price per ounce of your feed multiplied by 14.10 ounces to calculate your specific cost for a dozen quail eggs. This is also helpful for calculating hatching egg cost but you would need to factor in additional expenses for housing, bedding, and odor control for each breeding covey.
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I hope this article has made calculating how much your Coturnix quail chicks eat much easier!
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This was extremely helpful. Thanks so much! All your numbers check out š