Coturnix quail
The Coturnix, or Japanese quail, is the domestic quail kept for eggs and meat. Birds are mature at about 6 weeks, hens can start laying at 5 and should lay 200–300 speckled eggs a year, and an adult needs well under a quarter of a square foot of cage. Ordinary birds weigh 4–6 oz; strains bred for meat reach 10–13 oz at 7 weeks.
- Temperament
- Easily startled, Territorial
- Space per bird
- 0.17 sq ft
- Lifespan
- 2–2.5 years
Is the Coturnix right for you?
Good fit if
- You want eggs within two months of hatch
- You have very little space. Twenty-five adults fit a 2 × 2 ft colony cage
- You want a quail that, in states such as California and Texas, needs no game-bird licence
Poor fit if
- You want hens that hatch their own chicks. Coturnix hens rarely go broody
- You want a bird that lives a long time. Life expectancy is 2 to 2½ years
- You cannot give 14–18 hours of light a day and still want eggs all year
Appearance and varieties
A Coturnix is smaller than a bobwhite: males weigh 4–5 oz and females 4.5–6 oz unless the strain has been selected for size.
The sexes can be told apart by feather colour from about 3 weeks. Males have a cinnamon or rusty brown throat and breast. Females are paler there, light tan stippled with black, with longer and more pointed feathers.
Chicks hatch at 6–7 g, brownish with yellow stripes.
Michigan State notes that mutants have been developed for plumage colour, eggshell colour and body size.13
Temperament and handling
Michigan State chose Coturnix for its 4-H project for younger children because the birds are very small, easy to handle and need little space.
They are jumpy all the same. The New South Wales guide warns that the birds are easily startled, struggle hard when caught, and can be killed by excessive or rough handling. It recommends a solid roof on the cage so birds that take fright do not injure their heads.
Coturnix are territorial. Do not add new birds to an established group's pen; if two groups must be combined, put them together in a cage that is new to both. Feather-picking can start on wire floors, and lower light, more room and more fibre and grit in the diet all help. Males crow.13
Animals vary within a breed. Treat this as what to expect, not a promise, and meet the animal before you buy if you can.
Production numbers
What our sources report for the breed. If two sources disagree, you see the full range.
| Measure | Typical | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Eggs | 200–300 a year13 | With 14–18 hours of light a day. |
| Egg weight | About 10 g (0.4 oz), roughly 8% of the hen's body weight13 | |
| Start of lay | As early as 35 days; full production by about 50 days13 | |
| Incubation | 17–18 days31 | Michigan State says most hatch on day 17, with a spread from day 14 to day 19. |
| Meat | 10–13 oz live at 7 weeks for meat strains; about 72% dress-out2 | The dress-out figure is Texas A&M's for quail in general. |
| Feed to slaughter | 3–3.5 lb a bird2 | Texas A&M's figure for meat quail over the feeding period. |
| Breeding ratio | One male to one to three females13 | Fertility is high from 2 to 8 months of age and falls off after that. |
Housing, feed and health
Housing
Adults do best with 16–25 sq in of floor each. Michigan State's cage sizes: 5 × 8 × 10 in for a pair, 2 × 2 ft × 10 in high for up to 25 adults and 2 × 4 ft for up to 50, with more space indoors to keep the smell down. Allow ½–1 in of feeder space a bird.
Birds kept for eggs, meat or breeding perform better in cages; birds kept as a hobby can live on the floor on about 2 in of litter. On litter, hens tend to hide eggs rather than use a nest.
Hens need 14–18 hours of light a day to keep laying, so plan on added light in autumn, winter and spring.
Chicks need about 95 °F at head height for the first week, dropping 5 °F a week until the fourth week. Fill waterers with marbles or pebbles for the first week: drowning is one of the main causes of early losses.13
Feed
Feed a game-bird or turkey starter. Texas A&M gives 26–30% protein for the first 6 weeks and a 20% game-bird grower after that; Michigan State recommends a 28% turkey starter and says chick starter will do if that is all you can get, though New South Wales notes the birds then grow more slowly.
Layers need extra calcium. Offer limestone or oyster shell free choice.
An adult eats 14–18 g of feed a day, about half an ounce. Half-fill the feeder to cut spillage, and keep clean water in front of the birds at all times.132
Health
Coturnix are hardy compared with other poultry and fairly disease resistant, but they can catch most common poultry diseases. Clean management is the main protection: clean and disinfect cages, feeders and waterers often, control rats, mice and flies, keep other poultry and wild birds away, isolate any bird that looks sick and remove dead birds at once.
This is a starting point, not veterinary advice. Get a vet's diagnosis before treating birds, or ask your county extension office.132
Where to buy
We could not confirm a price range from two dated seller pages, so none is given. On 9 October 2026 Murray McMurray listed started chicks, shipped at about 2½–6 weeks old, at $83 for 10 unsexed and $117 for 10 sexed (8 hens, 2 cocks).
Start with a breeder you can visit. Nobody pays to be on this list.
| Seller or directory | Type | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Murray McMurray Hatchery (sexed) | Hatchery | Started chicks in packs of 10 (8 hens, 2 cocks): $117 |
| Murray McMurray Hatchery (unsexed) | Hatchery | Started chicks in packs of 10: $83, sold out when read |
| Stromberg's Chickens | Hatchery | Day-old chicks, not sexed; out of stock when read |
Similar breeds
History
Japanese quail were widespread across Europe and Asia, and Egyptians trapped them in large numbers for meat. In Japan they were kept as pets from the eleventh century, and by 1910 they were popular there for eggs and meat.
Bird fanciers brought them to the United States around 1870. In 1977 Michigan State described them as mainly a research bird in this country, with a few commercial farms raising them for eggs and meat. The university used them to test research methods before trying them on other birds, and put them into school classrooms and 4-H.
They are also called Coturnix quail, pharaoh's quail, stubble quail and eastern quail.1
Common questions
How big do Coturnix quail get?
Ordinary Coturnix weigh 4–6 oz, with hens heavier than males. Strains bred for meat are far bigger: Texas A&M's reaches 10–13 oz live at 7 weeks.12
When do Coturnix quail start laying?
Hens can start as early as 35 days old and are usually in full production by about 50 days. They need 14–18 hours of light a day to keep laying.13
What colour are Coturnix quail eggs?
White or buff with patches of brown, black or blue, often with a light blue chalky film over the top. Each hen lays her own pattern, and some strains lay almost white eggs.13
How long do Coturnix quail live?
Life expectancy is only 2 to 2½ years. Males generally outlive females, and fertility drops sharply after the first year.31
How much space do Coturnix quail need?
Adults do best with 16–25 sq in of floor each. A 2 × 2 ft colony cage 10 in high holds up to 25 adults, though more room keeps the smell down indoors.1
How long do Coturnix quail eggs take to hatch?
17–18 days. Turn the eggs at least three times a day and stop turning after day 14. Hens rarely go broody, so use an incubator or a broody bantam.31
Do you need a permit for Coturnix quail?
Often not. California does not manage Coturnix as a game bird because it does not live wild there, and Texas does not require a game bird breeder's licence for non-native quail. Other states differ, and town zoning rules on keeping fowl still apply, so check both before you buy.45
Sources
The small numbers beside each fact point to one of these.
- Michigan State University Cooperative Extension Service, Japanese Quail (Coturnix), Extension Bulletin E-1069 (1977, archive copy, scanned).
- Texas A&M AgriLife Extension, Producing Quail for Home Consumption, L-5215 (1998).
- NSW Department of Primary Industries, Raising Japanese quail, Primefact 602, second edition (2008, archived copy).
- California Department of Fish and Wildlife, California Outdoors Q&A: Can I keep and raise quail as domesticated game birds? (16 June 2022).
- Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, Commercial Game Bird Breeder License Information.
- BreedBarn, Editorial rating, method on the editorial policy page.
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