Anoles, Quails, and Maybe Cattails
Quail Diet
Keeping quail can be a fun and rewarding hobby. Success with quail begins with knowing what diet, supplies, and enclosure/s you need. this page will cover quail diet.
Percentage of nutrients
Quail, being gamebirds, need a greater percentage of protien in their feed compared to chickens and ducks. That being said, I typically feed my quail feed with a protein percentage of around 15%. Although I don't believe that a certain percentage of protien is needed for healthy quail, it is important to make sure the percentages are correct. One of my favorite gamebird feeds, Purina Game Bird Layer Poultry Feed, is a good option to choose for 4 week old to adult quail, although it is targeted primaraly female laying birds. If you cannot find a good feed catered specifically to gamebirds, good quality chicken feed is another option I have had success with.
Treats
Quail enjoy a wide variety of treats. You may want to cut some of these foods into small pieces since quail have very small beaks, and will just ignore food items if they are too big. Also limit treats to only a few; access treats could cause health issues in larger quantities. Here is a list of my quails' favorites:
Fruits & Berries
- Watermelon
- Apples
- Pears
- Peaches
- Raspberries
- Blueberries
- Blackberries
- Grapes and Rasins
- Cranberries
- Crabapples
Watermelon is very refreshing in the summer-time.
Remove the seeds before feeding these.
Remove the seeds before feeding these.
Remove the pit before feeding these.
Vegetables
- Kale
- Bell Peppers
- Carrots
- Squash
- Cucumbers
- Zuccinni
- Dandelion
- Lettuce
- Peas
My quail love kale, and will even eat the stems if I finely shred them first.
Nuts & Seeds
- Sunflower Seeds
- Peanuts & Peanutbutter
Invertabrates
- Mealworms
- Crickets
- Earthworms
You can buy these dried, or you can buy live from a petstore. Live mealworms are a great enrichment activity.