Why I Started Raising Quail—and What You Need to Know Before You Do Too
Hey everybody, this is Graham with Judd’s Quail. Today, I want to share a little bit about why I started raising quail and some crucial tips if you're thinking about starting too.
For those of you who are new to my blog, welcome! I started this journey not just out of passion, but out of necessity. My wife is currently battling brain cancer. It all began with breast cancer, which later metastasized to her brain. After surgery to remove one spot, two more grew back. She’s a strong woman, but she’s very sick—and she needs me home.
So, I turned to raising quail as a way to support my family while being present for my wife and my three daughters—14-year-old twins and an 11-year-old. This isn’t just a hobby. It’s a calling, a business, and a way to be there for my family when they need me most.
If you'd like to support us, you can head over to our shop tab at judsquail.com/shop to order quail eggs. Every order helps us more than you know.
What I Wish I Knew Before Starting With Quail
When I started out, I thought I had it all figured out. I had raised chickens before, so I figured raising quail couldn’t be all that different. But I quickly learned that, while similar in some ways, raising quail comes with its own set of unique challenges.
Honestly? I now prefer quail to chickens. They take up less space, they lay more eggs, they’re easier to process, and they hatch faster (17 days vs. 21 days for chickens). But if you’re thinking of starting your own quail journey, let me give you the advice I wish I had at the beginning:
1. Infrastructure Is Everything
The number one thing to get right from the start is your infrastructure. Quail multiply fast, and it's very easy to end up with way more birds than you have space for. And when that happens, things can go downhill fast.
Incubation: If you’re hatching eggs, you’ll need a good incubator. I can hatch up to 480 eggs at a time—but that means I need a solid plan for what to do with 400+ chicks.
Brooding: A plastic tote with pine shavings, a heat lamp, feeder, and waterer can work for about 20 chicks. And even then, only for the first two weeks. After that, space gets tight fast. Overcrowding leads to “piling,” where chicks smother each other trying to stay warm. This can result in a whole bunch of dead chicks, which has now cost you time and money.
Space guideline:
Up to 2 weeks: 6 chicks per square foot
3 + weeks: 3.5 chicks per square foot
For jumbos: Stick to 3 per square foot
Grow-out Pens: After the brooder stage, you’ll need pens for them to grow until processing or egg-laying. I currently have two grow-out pens that hold 50 birds each. That’s only enough for 100 birds, and if I hatch 400, you can see the problem.
2. Plan Ahead—or Prepare to Be Overwhelmed
Everything from heat lamps to pens to water systems needs to be ready before hatch day. Trust me—once the chicks are here, it’s too late to be scrambling.
I’ve lost birds to unexpected cold snaps and heat waves, simply because I didn’t have enough safe, climate-appropriate space ready. I learned from these mistakes and want to help you avoid these pitfalls in the first place.
Remember what they used to tell us in business school:
“Poor planning leads to poor results. Prior planning leads to positive results.”
Final Thoughts
I love raising quail, and I truly believe it’s a great way to support a family, build a homestead, or even start a small business. But it takes planning. It takes heart. And it takes a willingness to learn.
If you’ve got questions or need help getting started, feel free to reach out. You can email or text me—my contact info is available at judsquail.com/about. I'm happy to help however I can.
Thanks for reading. God bless you and your family, and I hope you’ll come along on this journey with me.
—Graham
JudsQuail.com
“Raising birds. Loving Jesus. Supporting my family.”