An adult Coturnix eats roughly 25–30 grams of feed a day (a bit more in cold weather, and laying hens out-eat non-layers). Plug in your covey and your feed prices to see what your birds really cost — including what gets billed out onto the floor.
A 50-lb bag lasts your covey about 58.7 days — call it 0.5 bags a month.
💸 At 15% waste, your birds are billing out about 3.4 lb ($2.16) every month. Most keepers see waste drop sharply with feed-saver ports or a no-waste feeder — that's often a feeder paying for itself inside a season. See 2B Creations feed-saver gear →
Feed is the #1 running cost of keeping quail, and waste is the #1 hidden cost inside it. Quail are champion feed-flingers — open dishes commonly lose 20–30% onto the floor, which is why waste estimates matter more than bag price. Cold snaps add 10–20% appetite, molt adds protein demand, and a covey of layers eats more than the same covey resting.
The two biggest levers: a feeder design that stops billing (ports or outside-mount feeders), and buying feed in the largest bag you can use within about eight weeks — vitamins fade after that.
This calculator estimates — Quail Keeper Max measures. Log feed purchases, egg counts, and sales, and the app shows your true cost per egg and whether the covey pays for itself. Free plan included.
Track My Real Costs Free →A note from one keeper to another: this guide reflects established quail-keeping practice and first-response care, but it isn't veterinary medicine, and no article can examine your bird. When a symptom is severe, worsening, or just doesn't add up, a qualified avian or poultry veterinarian is the right call — and for emergencies, call one first. Your state's poultry diagnostic lab is also a keeper's best friend when losses need real answers.