What to Feed Quail (and What Not To)
A searchable checker plus the safe-and-unsafe lists for backyard quail.
Quail are simple to feed with one key difference from chickens: they need much higher protein. Give them a game-bird starter (24-28% protein), fine grit, shell for layers, and treats in small amounts to suit their size.
Two quail-specific rules:
- High protein. Quail need a game-bird or turkey starter at 24-28% protein, not standard chicken layer feed, which is too low for them.
- Fine grit and shell. Offer fine grit for digestion and crushed shell for laying hens. Chick water needs marbles or a shallow dish so chicks cannot drown.
Can quail eat...? Search it
✅ Leafy greens (silverbeet, kale, lettuce): Yes. A daily staple for all poultry. Chop large leaves.
✅ Vegetable scraps: Yes. Most peelings and ends. Avoid anything mouldy or salty.
✅ Sweetcorn: Yes. Loved; a treat rather than a staple as it is high in carbs.
✅ Peas and beans (cooked/fresh): Yes. Great protein. Raw dried beans are NOT safe; cook first.
✅ Slugs, snails, worms, insects: Yes. Ducks especially are superb foragers; this is free protein and pest control.
✅ Pumpkin and squash: Yes. Flesh and seeds. Seeds are a gentle natural dewormer.
✅ Berries and most fruit: Yes. In moderation; sugary, so a treat.
⚠️ Cooked rice, pasta, oats: In moderation. Small amounts of plain cooked grains are fine; no salt or sauce.
✅ Mealworms: Yes. High protein treat, loved by all poultry. Great in a moult.
✅ Crushed eggshell / shell grit: Yes. Calcium for laying birds. Always offer shell grit free-choice.
⚠️ Citrus: In moderation. Small amounts only; large quantities are too acidic.
✅ Tomato (ripe): Yes. Ripe fruit fine. Green tomato, leaves and stems are toxic (solanine).
❌ Bread: No, avoid. Junk food. Causes deformities and fouls duck water. Never, especially for ducks.
❌ Avocado: No, avoid. Skin and stone contain persin, toxic to birds.
❌ Chocolate, caffeine: No, avoid. Toxic to poultry.
❌ Onion, garlic in quantity: No, avoid. Large amounts cause anaemia. A trace in scraps is ok.
❌ Raw potato, green potato, peelings: No, avoid. Solanine; toxic. Cooked plain potato in small amounts is fine.
❌ Salty, oily or processed food: No, avoid. Poultry handle salt poorly; causes serious problems.
❌ Dried/raw beans: No, avoid. Contain lectins that are toxic raw. Cook thoroughly first.
❌ Rhubarb leaves: No, avoid. Oxalic acid; toxic.
❌ Mouldy or spoiled food: No, avoid. Mould toxins can kill birds. When in doubt, compost it.
✅ Apple flesh: Yes. Fine; the seeds contain trace cyanide so do not feed the core in bulk.
⚠️ Cooked meat scraps: In moderation. Small amounts of plain cooked meat give protein, but never let it rot in the run.
⚠️ Dairy (cheese, yoghurt): In moderation. Tiny amounts of plain yoghurt ok; birds do not digest lactose well.
❌ Milk: No, avoid. Quail cannot digest lactose, so milk causes runny droppings. A rare splash on mash at most.
❌ Butter and ice cream: No, avoid. Too fatty and sugary. Keep dairy desserts out.
⚠️ Banana: In moderation. A little mashed flesh. Sugary, so a small treat.
✅ Watermelon and melon: Yes. Tiny chunks, a hydrating summer treat.
⚠️ Grapes: In moderation. Quarter them, quail are small and can choke. A rare treat.
✅ Carrot, beetroot and root veg: Yes. Grated fine, raw or cooked.
✅ Cucumber and zucchini: Yes. Diced small, cool and easy to eat.
✅ Broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage: Yes. Finely chopped, raw or cooked.
✅ Herbs (parsley, mint, basil, oregano): Yes. Chopped small. All fine and often good for them.
✅ Cooked beans, lentils, chickpeas: Yes. Well-cooked and mashed. Good protein. Raw or dried beans are toxic.
✅ Cooked quinoa: Yes. Plain, rinsed and cooked. A good small grain for quail.
⚠️ Fish and prawns: In moderation. Cooked, plain, flaked small. Quail are high-protein birds and enjoy it. Watch salt.
⚠️ Stone fruit (peach, plum, apricot, cherry): In moderation. A little flesh, finely chopped. Always remove the stone (cyanide compounds).
⚠️ Nuts and seeds: In moderation. Crushed small and unsalted. Sunflower and millet seeds are quail favourites.
❌ Popcorn, crackers, chips: No, avoid. Salty and processed. Quail handle salt very poorly given their size.
❌ Sausage, bacon and processed meat: No, avoid. Too salty and fatty. Keep processed meats out.
❌ Olives and pickles: No, avoid. Far too salty and acidic.
⚠️ Honey: In moderation. A tiny smear at most. It is just sugar.
✅ Lawn weeds (dandelion, clover, chickweed): Yes. Excellent free greens. Never from sprayed lawns.
✅ Nasturtium and edible flowers: Yes. Leaves and flowers fine and often beneficial.
⚠️ Capsicum (ripe): In moderation. Ripe flesh fine; leaves, stems and unripe fruit are nightshade.
⚠️ Spinach and silverbeet: In moderation. Fine a few times a week; heavy daily amounts interfere with calcium.
The never list
Bread, avocado, chocolate and caffeine, raw or green potato, dried raw beans, rhubarb leaves, heavy onion or garlic, and anything salty, oily or mouldy. Everything else fresh and unsalted is fair game in moderation.
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