6 Best Quail Feeders For Game Bird Starter Feed That Prevent Waste
Stop costly feed waste. Discover the 6 best quail feeders designed for fine starter crumble, ensuring your game birds get more and spill less.
You fill the brooder feeder with fresh, high-protein starter crumble, and within an hour, half of it is decorating the pine shavings. Quail chicks are notorious for this, turning expensive feed into expensive bedding at an astonishing rate. This isn’t just about the money you’re wasting; it’s about the mess it creates and the risk of chicks eating soiled food. The right feeder isn’t a luxury—it’s the single best tool for cutting costs and keeping your brooder clean from day one.
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Why Quail Chicks Waste So Much Starter Feed
Quail chicks, like all young poultry, have a powerful instinct to scratch and forage. They don’t see a neat pile of crumble; they see an opportunity to dig for the best bits. They will get right in the middle of an open dish and kick with surprising force, sending feed flying.
This behavior is compounded by "billing," where a chick rapidly moves its beak side-to-side through the feed. This action sifts the feed, but in a shallow or poorly designed feeder, it just shovels the crumble straight onto the floor. The powdery, fine texture of starter feed makes it especially easy to flick out.
The result is a constant battle. You’re not just losing money on wasted feed, you’re also creating a dirtier environment. Spilled feed mixes with droppings and moisture, which can lead to unhealthy conditions in the brooder. A good feeder works with their instincts, not against them, by making it physically difficult to scratch or bill feed out of the container.
Little Giant Trough Feeder for Waste Reduction
The classic trough feeder is a staple for a reason, but only if it has the right design. Look for a long, narrow metal or plastic trough that comes with a wire or plastic grate over the top. This simple addition is the key to its effectiveness.
The grate creates individual eating stations. A quail chick can poke its head through a single opening to eat but cannot get its feet in to scratch or turn its head to sling feed everywhere. This one feature dramatically cuts down on waste from scratching.
These feeders are inexpensive, widely available at any farm supply store, and easy to clean. Their main drawback is that the top is still somewhat open. If you don’t raise the feeder slightly off the bedding, chicks will inevitably kick shavings into it. They are a massive improvement over an open dish but require smart placement.
RentACoop Chick Feeder Jar for Small Brooders
This reversible feeder provides easy access to food or water for baby chicks. Its wide opening simplifies refills and cleaning, while the 32oz/4lb capacity keeps your chicks nourished.
For the first one to two weeks, when quail chicks are incredibly tiny, a mason jar-style feeder can be perfect. The key is finding one with very small feeding holes, like those made by RentACoop. The standard chicken-sized holes are far too large and defeat the purpose.
This design works by limiting access. The chick can only get its head into the small port, preventing it from billing feed out of the tray. The gravity-fed jar also keeps the main supply of feed clean and dry, dispensing just enough into the base to keep it full. This is ideal for small brooders where space is tight.
The tradeoff is longevity. Quail grow fast, and they will quickly become too large for the tiny holes. Think of this as a specialized tool for the most wasteful phase of their lives. After about 10-14 days, you’ll need to graduate to a larger feeder, but the feed you save in that critical period makes it worthwhile.
Harris Farms Flip-Top Feeder for Easy Refills
The flip-top feeder takes the concept of a trough feeder and perfects it. Instead of a simple wire grate, it features a hinged plastic lid with individual feeding holes. This design is exceptionally good at preventing waste and maintaining feed quality.
The solid lid almost completely eliminates the problem of chicks pooping or kicking bedding into the feed. The individual holes function just like a trough grate, preventing scratching and billing. But its best feature is the convenience. Refilling is as simple as flipping the lid, pouring, and closing it. No need to disassemble anything.
These feeders are typically made of durable plastic that is easy to scrub and sanitize between batches of chicks. While they might cost a bit more than a basic metal trough, the superior waste prevention and incredible ease of use make them a top contender for any serious quail keeper.
Wynola Ranch 3D Printed No-Waste Quail Feeder
If your primary goal is the absolute elimination of waste, a 3D-printed feeder port is the answer. These are not complete feeders but rather specialized ports you can fit onto your own container, like a bucket, PVC pipe, or a wide-mouth jar. Their design is brilliantly simple and effective.
The port features an internal lip or baffle. When a quail tries to flick feed out with its beak, the feed hits this lip and falls straight back down into the feeder. It is virtually impossible for the birds to get feed out onto the ground. This design can save an incredible amount of feed over the life of a covey.
You can find these ports for sale on sites like Etsy or from small-scale innovators like Wynola Ranch. If you own a 3D printer, you can even find free plans online to print your own. The main consideration is that it’s more of a DIY solution, but for those willing to assemble it, no other feeder design comes close to this level of waste prevention.
Ware Manufacturing Chick-N-Feeder for Hanging
Sometimes, the feeder’s position is just as important as its design. A small, round, gravity-fed feeder that can be hung from the top of the brooder solves several problems at once. The Ware Chick-N-Feeder is a common example of this style.
By hanging the feeder so the lip of the tray is level with the chicks’ backs, you immediately stop them from kicking bedding into their food. It also prevents them from getting their feet in the tray to scratch. They must stand and reach slightly to eat, which is a much cleaner posture.
The main drawback is that if you simply place this type of feeder on the brooder floor, it’s no better than an open dish. Its effectiveness is entirely dependent on it being hung. You’ll need a brooder lid or a simple cross-bar from which to suspend it, but this small bit of setup pays off in cleanliness.
Brower Round Feeder with an Anti-Scratch Ring
For durability and long-term use, it’s hard to beat a galvanized steel feeder. The Brower-style round feeders are built to last a lifetime, but make sure you get one with an anti-scratch ring or fins in the feed tray.
This metal ring acts as a physical barrier. It divides the circular tray into small sections, much like a flip-top or trough feeder. The quail can eat, but they can’t perform the wide, sweeping head motion that sends feed flying. The weight of the steel feeder also makes it much harder for growing birds to tip over.
While a bit more of an upfront investment, a good metal feeder will outlast dozens of plastic ones. They are easy to sanitize with heat or harsh cleaners without degrading. Just be mindful of placement under a heat lamp, as the metal can get warm to the touch.
Placing Your Feeder to Minimize Feed Spillage
Even the best feeder will waste feed if it’s used incorrectly. Proper placement is a crucial part of the equation and can make a good feeder perform great. The most important rule is to keep the feeder lip level with the birds’ backs. As they grow, you must raise the feeder. This simple adjustment makes it physically awkward for them to scratch in the feed.
Don’t overfill your feeders. A feeder filled to the brim is an open invitation for waste. Fill it only halfway; this forces the birds to reach in slightly, reducing their ability to rake feed out onto the ground.
Finally, create a clean zone. Place your feeder on a solid, flat surface like a ceramic tile or a small piece of plywood. This raises it just enough to stay out of the shavings and gives the birds a clean surface to stand on while they eat. Combining this strategy with a well-designed feeder is the ultimate solution to the problem of feed waste.
Ultimately, choosing the right feeder is about balancing cost, convenience, and effectiveness. A cheap open dish will cost you more in wasted feed in a single week than a proper no-waste feeder costs to buy. By matching the feeder design to the age of your quail and placing it thoughtfully within the brooder, you can keep your birds healthy, your brooder clean, and your feed bill under control.
