Homemade Quail Feed: The Balanced Recipe I Used for Years

When you make your own quail feed, you get to decide exactly what goes into your birds’ diet. I mixed my own for years, right up until the hatchery took over my life. Learning how to balance protein, calcium, and fat made a real difference in shell strength and egg production. Now that I’m juggling several age groups at once, I stick with commercial feed for convenience, but for small coveys or backyard setups, homemade feed is an easy way to fine-tune nutrition.

Here’s the recipe I used for years, how I tweak it season to season, and what to watch for so you can decide if it’s worth doing.

Why Nutrition Matters for Laying Quail

If you’ve ever noticed your quail laying smaller or thinner-shelled eggs, nutrition is usually to blame. Coturnix quail are picky about balance, especially protein and calcium. Drop either one for long, and production drops fast.

Commercial feed works fine for most people, but when you mix your own, you can use fresher ingredients and work with whatever’s easiest or cheapest to get locally. If you want to dig into what each nutrient actually does (and how to fix shortfalls), see my guide to nutritional deficiencies in Coturnix quail.

What’s in a Balanced Feed Mix

Before you start hauling out buckets and scoops, it helps to know what your quail actually need. Each piece pulls its weight, and the right balance keeps eggs steady and shells strong.

If you notice smaller eggs, brittle shells, or sluggish birds, start by checking protein and calcium levels first. Nine times out of ten, that’s the culprit.

Step-by-Step Recipe for One-Month Batch (12 Quail)

This is the mix I used before the hatchery got big enough to buy feed by the pallet. It’s simple, reliable, and easy to tweak for whatever grain or protein source you’ve got on hand.

Ingredients

These ingredients hit a good balance of protein, energy, and calcium, enough to keep your layers laying steady without blowing your budget. I’ve listed a few easy substitutions too, so you can adjust the recipe based on what’s available locally.

Grains and Base (Energy & Fiber)

• 8 lbs wheat or barley (sub: rye or sorghum)
• 4 lbs cracked corn or cornmeal (sub: millet or rolled oats)
• 3 lbs oats or millet (sub: quinoa or amaranth)

Protein Sources

• 2 lbs fish meal or soybean meal (sub: dried mealworms, sunflower meal, or chickpea flour)
• 1 lb split peas or lentils (optional boost; can sub black beans or fava beans, ground or cooked)

If you can’t find fish or soybean meal locally, mealworms or sunflower meal are easy substitutes that still keep protein where it needs to be.

Calcium & Minerals

• 1 lb crushed oyster shells or clean eggshells (sub: limestone flour)
• ½ lb bone meal or dicalcium phosphate (if unavailable, double the oyster shells)

Vitamins, Fats & Extras

• 1 cup brewer’s yeast (sub: nutritional yeast)
• ½ cup flaxseed or sunflower seeds (for omega-3s)
• ½ cup vegetable oil (sub: melted coconut oil or tallow)
• ¼ cup kelp powder (optional trace minerals)
• Optional herbs: ½ cup dried parsley, oregano, or thyme for immune support

Instructions

Check that all grains are clean and free of mold. If you’re using whole grains or beans, grind them down so the quail can eat them easily. A small grain mill makes quick work of it and pays for itself fast if you plan to mix feed regularly. Use a kitchen scale if you can. I tried eyeballing early on… let’s just say the results weren’t great. Accuracy matters.

Combine dry ingredients in a large bin or bucket. Stir until the colors and textures look evenly distributed. Drizzle oil while stirring to coat evenly without clumping.

Once it’s mixed, stash it in airtight containers or screw-top buckets so moisture and pests stay out. In humid weather, I freeze half the batch. It keeps things fresh longer and saves me from losing feed to mold.

If your birds are used to commercial feed, mix 50/50 for a few days before switching fully to homemade. For ingredient comparisons and the usual gotchas, see what to feed Coturnix quail (and common mistakes to avoid).

Seasonal Feed Adjustments

Your quail’s nutritional needs shift a bit with the seasons, especially in colder climates.

Winter Feeding

During the colder months, slightly increase the fat in your mix (about ¼ cup more oil per 18-pound batch) to help your quail maintain body heat and energy levels. Just don’t go overboard. Too much oil will gum things up or make the feed spoil faster. Cold weather can mess with calcium absorption, so I always keep oyster shell available free-choice.

For more cold-weather care tips, see How to Raise Quail in the Winter When It’s Cold.

Summer Feeding

When temperatures climb, reduce the fat a bit to prevent excess weight gain and store feed in a shaded, cool spot to avoid mold from humidity. Keep water fresh and the feed dry. Wet feed turns fast and will make birds sick.

Troubleshooting Common Feed Problems

Low Egg Production After Switching Feed: Usually means protein or calcium dropped below target. Recheck your ratios or add a tablespoon of fish meal or oyster shell per pound of feed for a week.

If production stays low, lighting could also be a factor. See my post on how much light Coturnix quail need to lay through winter for setup tips.

Feed Going Bad or Moldy: Store smaller batches and give it a quick stir once a week. I freeze half in summer. It keeps everything fresher.

Birds Picking Out Favorites: That usually happens when the grains are different sizes. Grinding a bit finer helps, or lightly coating with oil to bind the mix.

Soft Shells: Add extra oyster shell or eggshell powder. I like to keep a dish of crushed oyster shell out year-round, especially in winter or during molt.

Cost Comparison: Homemade vs. Store-Bought Feed

Homemade quail feed can save a bit. Sometimes a lot if you buy in bulk or grow some grains yourself. When I was mixing my own, I’d stock up on bulk grains once a season and make one batch a month. It kept egg production steady and gave me peace of mind knowing exactly what went into it.

Frequently Asked Questions

Here are a few things people often ask when they’re getting started with homemade feed.

Mixing your own quail feed takes a little effort at first, but it quickly becomes part of your regular routine, right alongside egg collection and pen cleaning. Once you’ve made a few batches, you’ll start to notice small but important differences: steadier egg production, better shell quality, shinier feathers, and birds that just plain look and act healthier.

Homemade feed also gives you flexibility. You can adjust the formula when the seasons change, swap ingredients based on what’s affordable locally, and even incorporate grains you grow or barter for. It’s one of those small homestead habits that saves money, cuts down on waste, and lets you decide exactly what your quail eat.

After a few batches you’ll know if homemade fits your routine or if a bag of commercial feed makes more sense. Either way, understanding quail nutrition puts you miles ahead.