I have tried a number of quail feeders – including some homemade feeders – and none of them have significantly reduced quail food waste. Until now! I finally found two feeder styles that have stopped the spilled feed. Quail are famously messy eaters so reducing loss can cut your feed bill almost in half. For the price of 1 bag of game bird crumbles, you can get no waste quail feeders that work for years of daily use!
No Waste Coturnix Quail Feeders that Actually Work
Local stores carry almost zero quail keeping supplies. Amazon has waterers for quail chicks and adults but I have found most feeders create a significant amount of waste. For years I used a Behren’s pan for feed but the quail would dust bathe in it! It wasn’t a huge problem when they were in the ground pen (they would usually find the crumbles on the ground and eat them) but in our hardware cloth bottom coop, once the feed falls out the quail can’t get to it. (Affiliate links.)
Small Businesses to the Rescue
I have found that products designed by quail keepers for quail keepers tend to work the best. Most of these items are 3D printed and may not be perfectly smooth but they work so well that I don’t mind the minimal 3D printing bumps. Here is what I have finally found that works:
No Mess Feeder Bucket
This no-spill, no-waste feeder bucket from 2BCreations.com is in my quail coop right now, feeding my small covey of jumbo quail. The ports are the perfect size for both standard and jumbo quail to easily eat and they simply cannot waste as much food. I have the bucket sitting in the Behren’s pan I once used as their feed bowl so I can monitor spill and it’s barely 1/2 of a teaspoon of crumbles per day. Teaching the quail to eat from the ports was as easy as filling the bucket and adding a single meal worm inside each port hole. The first hen saw the meal worms, rushed for the bucket and everyone has been happily eating from it ever since. (Amazon affiliate links.)
Convenient Design
The bucket’s 3D printed feeder ports allow access to the crumbles down low on the bucket but all the feed doesn’t spill out, even when the bucket is full. The lid is great for keeping droppings out because one or two quail are going to sit on top of it. Or at least scramble across the top of it if something startles the covey. The wide, round base is incredibly difficult for the quail to tip over, especially when partially full. The 1 gallon bucket full of food is heavy and stable.
Easiest for Kids to Refill
If your children are responsible for some of the quail keeping chores, seriously consider the no mess bucket feeder! It is easy enough for a grade-schooler to refill and place back in the coop. I also love that it is easy to bring inside to hand wash in the sink.
No Mess Juvenile & Adult Feeder
This juvenile quail feeder is also from 2BCreations.com. Newly hatched quail chicks can get stuck inside of their feeders so I feed powdered game bird crumbles from a glazed saucer dish for the first 2 weeks of life. Once they reach 2 weeks and their feed consumption is ramping up, I can use the juvenile feeder shown, which will feed adult quail too. It transitions with them from the brooder to the coop once they are feathered out. Make sure you select the Feeder & Quail Feed Port option to get the white base set shown here with the quail feeder hoods.
Go From Brooder to Coop
This design is unique because you can use a wide mouth quart jar with the included insert (the top white band is the insert). If you unscrew the top white band insert, an even larger mouth grip jar will screw into the bottom base if you want to do less refills. You can view an example of that setup here.
What Has Not Worked:
I tried the YouTube feeder where you cut holes in the side of disposable plastic take-and-go or Gladware containers with the lids. It seems like such a good idea but the quail need holes that are fairly low, which means you can’t fill the container all the way full or the feed will pour out of the holes. Worse, the lightweight container is easily bumped around by the birds and the rest of the feed it was holding was quickly spilled. The triangular feeders experienced similar difficulties. The quail were able to poop in them, rake out the feed or knock them over entirely.
About the Quail Coop Shown
We sell the building plans for the wire bottom quail coop shown in our shop! It’s a perfect way to cutely (and discretely) house up to a dozen Coturnix quails in your backyard, side yard or patio. Plus it is easy to keep clean!
Support Small Businesses & Enjoy Less Feed Waste
Brick and mortar stores currently do not carry the durable, good quality quail keeping supplies backyard keepers need. This has created a niche small businesses can fill with their creative designs. You can feel good about making purchases from independent suppliers like 2BCreations.com out of Texas and others you may find on Etsy because I promise, there are no waste quail feeders out there that work!
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