How to Grow Feed for Your Coturnix Quail to Save Money

Raising Coturnix quail is rewarding, but for those of us leaning into self-sufficiency, the feed bills add up fast. One simple way to cut that cost? Grow some of their feed yourself. You won’t eliminate feed costs, but you can definitely trim them.

Now, let me be upfront: quail still need a high-protein base feed to stay healthy and productive. But you can absolutely supplement their diet with homegrown treats and nutrient-dense greens that lighten the feed bill, boost nutrition, and give your birds more variety.

Let’s talk through what to grow and how to use it. Whether you’re in a hot southern climate or a short-season zone like mine, there’s something here for you.

Why Bother Growing Quail Feed?

There are a few key reasons to start growing your own quail feed:

• Cutting costs: Feed prices add up, especially if you’re raising a larger covey or breeding regularly.
• Improving nutrition: Fresh greens, seeds, and bugs give your quail added vitamins and minerals.
• Encouraging natural behaviors: Foraging keeps your birds entertained, healthy, and less likely to peck out of boredom.
• Building a sustainable homestead: Growing your own feed gives you one less thing to rely on the feed store for.

Growing 100% of their feed? That’s tough, but supplementing with homegrown feed is a solid step toward sustainability.

A Few Things to Think Through First

Before you start planting, it’s worth thinking through a few practical details that will affect what you can grow and how well it will thrive. One of the biggest factors? Your local climate and growing zone.

Climate and Growing Zone: Your USDA growing zone plays a huge role in what you can grow and how long your season is. Southern growers may be able to produce fresh greens or grains year-round, while those of us up north need to focus on fast-growing, cold-tolerant crops, or plan to preserve.

Available Space: Even a small backyard can grow a surprising amount of supplemental feed. Raised beds, containers, window boxes, and vertical garden setups are all fair game.

Quail Nutritional Needs: Coturnix quail require a protein-rich diet (about 17% protein for layers, slightly less for non-layers). Think of what you grow as a supplement, not a replacement.

Easy Crops to Grow for Quail

Here are the easiest things to start with.

High-Protein Plants

These don’t replace a balanced feed but can help round out your birds’ diet:

• Sunflowers: Seeds are high in fat and protein. Let heads mature and dry before feeding.
• Amaranth: Both leaves and seeds are edible and nutritious.
• Field peas: Great for cover cropping, and the dried peas can be cracked and fed in moderation.
• Buckwheat: Seeds are loved by quail, and it makes a great pollinator plant too.
• Pumpkin and squash seeds: Nutrient-packed, and easy to grow in most zones.

Nutritious Greens

You can feed these fresh or dehydrate them to crumble into winter feed:

• Kale and collards
• Chard
• Spinach (sparingly—it contains oxalates)
• Dandelion greens
• Plantain (the weed, not the banana)
• Chickweed
• Lettuce and leafy herbs like parsley and cilantro

Root Crops (Tops Only)

The greens from many root crops are perfectly safe for quail:

• Carrot tops
• Beet greens
• Radish greens

Avoid feeding roots unless finely chopped or cooked. The tops, however, are nutritious and well-loved.

Making the Most of What You Grow

If you want to give your birds live protein, plant things that attract insects:

• Nasturtiums
• Marigolds
• Dill and fennel
• Yarrow

Harvest bugs by shaking plants over a shallow bowl, or let your quail pick them off plants in a supervised foraging area.

Growing and Harvesting Tips

Now that you’ve got an idea of what to grow, here’s I make the most of my growing season. These tips will help you plan your planting method, time your harvests, and get more out of every square foot.

Direct Sowing vs. Starts

Fast-growing greens and annuals can usually be direct-seeded. If you have a short season, start seeds indoors to give them a head start. If you’re not sure whether your crops should be sown directly into the soil or started indoors, I’ve broken it down for you over on my other site, The 104 Homestead, where I help you decide which method makes the most sense for your space, zone, and setup.

Succession Planting

Instead of planting all at once, stagger your sowings to get a longer harvest window (especially for greens). By planting a new round every two to three weeks, you can avoid a glut of mature greens all at once and keep your birds supplied with fresh forage for a longer period. If bugs or weather take one round out, you’ve got backup.

Safe Harvesting and Feeding

Before you start tossing garden trimmings into the pen, there are a few simple rules that keep things safe.

• Avoid feeding wilted or moldy plants.
• Rinse greens before offering if grown with compost or manure.
• Offer new foods in small amounts to avoid digestive upset.

For a full list of what your birds can and can’t eat, see my post on safe treats and foraging favorites for Coturnix quail.

Preserving Homegrown Feed

Once your garden is producing more than your quail can eat fresh, it’s time to think about storage. That way you still have greens in winter.

Drying: Drying is one of the easiest and most space-saving ways to store greens and herbs. You can air dry bundles of herbs by hanging them upside down in a dry, dark place, or speed things up using a dehydrator. Once dried, crumble them into your quail feed for a nutrient-rich winter supplement. Dried greens like kale, chard, dandelion, and herbs like parsley or oregano are easy to add in small amounts.

Freezing: For bulkier greens or moisture-rich produce like pumpkin, freezing works great. Chop the greens or puree your pumpkins and pour them into ice cube trays. Once frozen, transfer the cubes to freezer bags and store long-term. Pop a cube or two into your birds’ dish during the winter for a fresh-tasting treat that’s packed with vitamins.

Sprouting: Sprouting indoors is an easy winter option. Wheatgrass, alfalfa, and mung beans are especially fast and easy to sprout. All you need is a jar or tray, some cheesecloth, and a sunny windowsill or grow light. Offer fresh sprouts a few times a week to give your quail variety and support their overall health.

Frequently Asked Questions

These are the questions I hear most often when someone decides to try growing their own feed.

Growing your own quail feed doesn’t have to be complicated. Start small. Pick a few easy greens or seed crops that suit your zone, and build from there. The goal isn’t perfection. It’s about doing what you can with what you’ve got.

You don’t have to grow everything. Just grow something. Each small step gives you a little more control over your feed bill and your birds’ diet. And once you see your covey tearing into something you grew yourself, you’ll understand why it’s worth it.