Baby Quail VS Baby Chick

Inside: You would think that baby quail and baby chicks would require the same kind of care. But while they are young baby quail are more fragile.

You would think that baby quail and baby chicks would require the same kind of care. But while they are young baby quail are a little more fragile we'll say. I started hatching quail before chicken, I had no idea how hardy baby chicks are.

baby quail next to a quail egg with Baby Quail vs Baby Chick text overlay

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Baby Quail VS Baby Chick

Quail mature and grow faster than chicks which is why they are a popular animal on small homesteads. They have a small footprint on your property and produce quicker than chickens or ducks.

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Baby Quail

hatch in 18 days
feather out quickly at 3 weeks
maturity at 6-8 weeks
laying eggs at 5-7 weeks

Baby Chicks

hatches in 21 days
feathered out at 6 week
maturity at 18-24 weeks depending on the breed

Biggest Baby Quail VS Baby Chick Differences

Quail are teeny tiny. Think about the size of the egg they are in. When they hatch they are going to be much smaller than chicks. They are about the size of my thumb, so tiny, and fast.

This means you need to have a smaller water dish for them, otherwise, they will drown in their water. Even adding marbles to a regular dish isn't necessarily going to prevent them from drowning, I have had friends lose quail this way.

Because of the quail's small size, you might want to think about the feeder you are using as well. The one pictured above is great once they are bigger.

Small quail can crawl into those openings and drown in their food. I have had it happen sadly, not something I had ever thought could happen.

If I use that style with little quail, I leave the white part off, the part that holds more food. I do this until they are too big to fit in it. There are better feeders to use for baby quail.

The First 6 Weeks of Raising Chicks - chicks in brooder

You won't have these problems with chicks. They are bigger when they hatch and most items you are buying are meant for them.

Feeding Baby Quail VS Baby Chick

The biggest difference in feeding them is that you can buy commercial chick starter for your chicks. Just about any feed store is going to carry it, especially during the spring and summer.

Baby quail are a little more work. We use game feed, also called turkey starter for our quail. For our baby quail we simply throw some feed in a bender to make it smaller. We do this for a few weeks until they are about 4 weeks or large enough to not choke on it not being ground up.

Brooder Temperatures

While there isn't much of a difference in brooder temperatures between them. Quail start at a temperature of about 90°F whereas chicks start at 95°F. Both drop by about 5°F a week, but quail can be brooder lamp-free after about 3 weeks as they are feathered out.

Quail can start going outside sooner as well. Which, is great because I find that quail start smelling so much sooner than chicks do. I love it when we can move them all outside.

Baby chickens and baby quail both require a lot of the same care, just on a different size level.

If you are hatching them yourself you are going to see another difference: quail are nasty to each other. They peak and pull at each other. We joke that quail are born knowing that they are “damn tasty” and they are trying to get each other moving and out of danger right away. Baby ch

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you feed baby quail chick starter? It is better to go for a game starter than a chick starter. Chick starter doesn't have as high of a protein level.

What should you not feed quail? Know that some types of foods can be toxic to quail.

Why is my baby quail chirping? When the temperature is too cold, the chicks chirp sharply and huddle together under the brooder. If the chicks move away from the brooder, pant, and are drowsy, the temperature is too warm.