Everyone asks the same thing before they buy their first bird: what is this actually going to cost me? So here are the real numbers from my own setup, not a range so wide it tells you nothing.
The short version is the cost of raising quail breaks into two piles. There is the startup pile, which you pay once, and there is the monthly pile, which is mostly feed and bedding. My startup came to about $130 for six hens. After that I spend roughly $3 per bird per month. That is it. Let me show you where every dollar goes.
What does it cost to start raising quail?
Startup is where people either overspend or panic. You do not need much. Here is what my first covey of six actually required, with the range I have seen other keepers land in.
| Item | My cost | Typical range |
|---|---|---|
| Cage or DIY pen | $60 | $50 to $250 |
| 6 day-old chicks | $18 | $1 to $5 each |
| Feeder and waterer | $12 | $10 to $50 |
| First 50 lb bag of feed | $22 | $18 to $28 |
| Bedding | $8 | $5 to $12 |
| Grit and calcium | $10 | $8 to $15 |
| Total | $130 | $100 to $350 |
The cage is the swing factor. A purpose-built rollaway runs $130 to $250, but a DIY pen from wire shelving and hardware cloth costs under $60 and works just as well for a small covey. I built my first one from a closet organizer and a roll of half-inch hardware cloth. It was ugly and it lasted three years.
If you buy hatching eggs and an incubator instead of chicks, your startup goes up by the price of the incubator. A Nurture Right 360 runs around $100 to $150 and hatches both quail and chicken eggs. Worth it if you plan to keep hatching. Skip it if you just want a laying covey and can buy started birds locally.
How much does quail feed cost per month?
Feed is your biggest recurring cost, and it is smaller than you think. An adult coturnix eats about 20 to 25 grams of feed a day. That is roughly three quarters of an ounce. Do the math across a small covey and a 50 lb bag lasts a long time.
A 50 lb bag of game bird feed runs $18 to $28 depending on brand and where you buy. Purina and DuMOR maintenance crumbles sit at the lower end of that range at farm stores; premium 24 percent mixes cost more. That bag feeds 10 to 12 birds for four to six weeks.
Here is the monthly feed math for common covey sizes, using $22 a bag.
| Covey size | Feed used per month | Monthly feed cost |
|---|---|---|
| 6 birds | About 8 lb | $3.50 |
| 12 birds | About 16 lb | $7 |
| 24 birds | About 32 lb | $14 |
Quail need game bird feed, not chicken feed. The protein in layer chicken feed sits around 16 percent, and laying quail want 18 to 20 percent, with chicks needing 20 to 28 percent for those first weeks. Feeding chicken feed is the classic beginner mistake that shows up as thin shells and slow growth. Mississippi State’s extension service has clear quail feeding programs if you want the protein numbers straight from the source.
The other monthly costs nobody mentions
Feed gets all the attention, but a few small line items round out the month. None of them are big. Together they add a dollar or two per bird.
Bedding runs $5 to $12 a bag and lasts two to four weeks depending on how many birds you run and whether you use a droppings tray. Pine shavings are the standard. I go through about one bag a month for six birds.
Calcium is nearly free per month. A bag of crushed oyster shell costs around $10 and lasts my covey most of a year. Layers need it for shell strength, and running out is a false economy.
Electricity only matters if you incubate or run a brooder heat plate for chicks. Figure $5 to $10 a month during a hatch, and nothing once the birds are grown and living outside or in an unheated garage. Adult coturnix are hardy down to freezing without supplemental heat.
Is raising quail cheaper than chickens?
Yes, and it is not close on a per-bird basis. A quail eats a fraction of what a hen eats and needs about a quarter of the space. You can keep six quail in the footprint one chicken wants.
The catch is eggs are smaller. It takes three to four quail eggs to equal one chicken egg, so you need more birds for the same volume in the bowl. But six quail hens will still give you five or six eggs a day, which is plenty for a two-person kitchen, and they start laying at six to eight weeks instead of the five to six months a hen makes you wait.
On cost per usable egg the two land close. Where quail win outright is startup and space. If you rent, have an HOA, or just do not have room for a chicken coop, quail get you fresh eggs for a $130 buy-in and a $3-a-bird monthly bill.
The quick answers
- Startup cost: about $130 for six birds, $100 to $350 depending on housing
- Monthly cost per bird: roughly $3, mostly feed and bedding
- Feed cost: a 50 lb bag runs $18 to $28 and feeds 10 to 12 birds for 4 to 6 weeks
- Daily feed per bird: 20 to 25 grams, under one ounce
- Incubator: $100 to $150 if you hatch your own; skip it if you buy started birds
- Cheaper than chickens? Yes per bird, though you need 3 to 4 quail eggs to equal one chicken egg
- Laying starts: 6 to 8 weeks of age, far sooner than chickens
The cheapest way in is a DIY pen, six started birds, and one bag of feed. That is under $120 and you will have eggs inside a month.
Now that you know the numbers, work out how many quail you should start with so you buy the right amount of feed the first time. From there, the complete beginner’s guide to raising coturnix quail walks the whole path, and the cage size guide makes sure you do not overspend on housing you do not need.