Tool
Quail egg cost calculator
Calculate nowQuick answer
Multiply the number of quail by daily feed intake (about 22 g, or 0.78 oz, per bird in a peer-reviewed study of Japanese quail) to get flock feed. Multiply birds by the laying rate (81% to 82% in the same study) for eggs per day. Monthly cost is feed times its price plus the price of the birds spread over the laying period; divide by the dozens produced to get the cost per dozen.
Spreadsheet · $9Chicken Egg Production Tracker (Excel)How the math works
- Eggs per day = birds × laying rate.
- Feed per day = birds × intake per bird (entered in oz, shown in lb).
- Feed cost, 30 days = daily feed × 30 × price per lb.
- Bird cost spread over 30 days = (birds × price per bird) ÷ (laying weeks × 7) × 30.
- Cost per dozen = (feed + birds for the month) ÷ dozens for the month.
Intake and laying rate are prefilled from Table 2 of Leandro et al., Ciência Animal Brasileira, which measured 21.5 to 22.4 g per bird per day and 81% to 82% average lay. Extension guides for backyard quail rarely give a daily intake for layers, so check your feed label; both fields are editable. Prices are left blank.
Limits
These are trial averages with a balanced ration and controlled lighting. For more on keeping a flock, read raising quail and Raising Japanese Quail in Small and Backyard Flocks.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a quail eat per day?
In a study of Japanese quail from 6 to 26 weeks of age, intake was 21.5 to 22.4 g of feed per bird per day, about 0.76 to 0.79 oz. Heat, spilled feed and the energy level of the ration move that number, so weigh what your flock eats for a week.
How many eggs do 100 quail lay per day?
At the 81% average laying rate measured in that study over 20 weeks of production, about 81 eggs a day, or close to 200 dozen in 30 days. Young and older flocks lay less.
How long should I spread the cost of the birds?
Over the laying life you expect. Extension guidance notes quail can lay by seven weeks of age and keep producing economically for at least a year.
Is this the full cost of production?
No. It counts feed and bird purchase only. Labor, lighting, health care, cartons and losses are extra.
Sources
- Aspectos reprodutivos e desempenho de diferentes linhagens de matrizes de codornas japonesas — Leandro et al., Ciência Animal Brasileira (UFG), DOI 10.1590/1809-6891v20e-44896: primeiro ovo em média às 6,5 semanas; postura até cerca de 60 semanas; produção média de 81,1% a 82,2% em 20 semanas; programa de luz aumentado gradualmente até 16 horas por dia; conversão de 0,41 a 0,45 kg de ração por dúzia; consumo de ração de 21,54 a 22,44 g/ave/dia (Tabela 2, 6 a 26 semanas)↗
- Raising Japanese Quail in Small and Backyard Flocks (Jacob, University of Kentucky, and McCrea, Delaware State University) — Poultry Extension: quail can produce eggs by seven weeks and keep laying economically for at least a year↗
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