Can Dogs Eat Quail Eggs?

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Quail have long been eaten as a substitute for chicken, some people might even argue that quail, and their eggs, are an upgrade from chicken.

In fact, quail meat has four times more vitamin C, three times as much iron and more amino acids than chicken meat.

Even using quail eggs as a replacement has health benefits, the smaller quail eggs have less sodium, carbs and calories than chicken eggs when eaten in similar quantities.  

Quail are also seen as more sustainable than chickens, as they produce many more eggs than chickens do and require less feed to sustain a breedable quantity.

In fact, quail actually lay between ten to twenty eggs at a time, up to three hundred a year!

Another fun fact about quail, like chickens, they can only fly short distances, due to the design of their wings. 

But let’s get down to the brass tacks, is it safe for our dogs to eat quail eggs?

What is the nutrition of a quail egg?

The first thing we want to do is take a look at the nutrients of quail eggs, and see if they align with the nutrients our dogs need. 

It is important to note, again, that quail eggs are significantly smaller than chicken eggs.

The typical quail egg is about 9 grams, while a chicken egg is about 50 grams.

This means that you may eat more quail eggs if you are looking to eat the same amount of food.

That being said, a single quail egg, on average, has one gram of protein, and only one gram of fat as well. Quail eggs only have about 13 milligrams of sodium, and have zero carbs.

A couple more interesting things to note about quail eggs is that they have two percent of our daily value for iron and vitamin A.

They also have six percent of our daily value for vitamin B12 and Riboflavin.

Riboflavin is used by our bodies to help convert the food that we eat into energy for our bodies to use.

Now we know that quail eggs are full of nutrients that are great for us and our dogs.

So we know that they would probably enjoy having them as much as we do.

But, we run into another question, and this one is based on our dogs natural instincts. 

Are quail eggs safe to eat raw?

Our dogs are inquisitive in nature, and when you combine that with their natural instincts to hunt, they can sometimes find themselves eating things that aren’t safe for them to eat. 

But, when it comes to quail eggs, it is in fact, ok to let their natural instincts take over, as they can safely eat and digest raw quail eggs.

What’s more, they can even eat the shell of the quail egg, using their teeth to chew it up and digest it.

Quail egg shells are much softer than chicken shells, which means they will break down easier and won’t create sharp edges that may cut your dog’s mouth or stomach.

It’s also important to remember that dogs have been eating raw food for thousands of years, and their bodies are attuned to be able to process it and extract the nutrients that they need. 

There are many people who feed their dogs whole, raw quail eggs every day, either as part of their daily diet or as a special treat.

It is important to note that just like anything else in your dog’s diet, you want to make sure that it remains in balance.

Too much of a good thing can have negative consequences.

So when you are looking to add quail eggs to your dog’s diet, make sure to balance out the nutrients from the quail with other foods that they may be eating.

Quail vs Chicken

This is one of those questions that people have been arguing about for years, but what it really comes down to is your dog’s safety.

On paper, quail eggs have less sodium, carbs and calories than chicken eggs.

But chicken eggs do have a hair more protein and fat, which can be good depending on the balance of your dog’s diet. 

But there is one thing that chicken eggs have that quail don’t, and that is salmonella.

While our dogs are naturally better able to process the bacteria in an egg with salmonella it can still cause them to feel sick.

While this is not meant to denounce the use of chicken eggs in your dog’s diet, it is the only major difference between the two besides a few nutritional values. 

There is also one other thing to think about as well, just like us our dogs have likes and dislikes.

Your dog may not like the taste of quail, or chicken eggs, having their own personal preference.

If you try to introduce eggs into your dog’s diet and they don’t seem interested at all, it might be a good idea to try a different type of egg before writing the idea off altogether. 

Where do I even get quail eggs?

To be honest, I have never been walking down the egg aisle at my local grocery store and stumbled upon quail eggs, or anything that wasn’t a chicken egg to be honest.

But, according to Google, depending on where you live, your local grocery store may in fact have quail eggs in stock for you to purchase, depending on local availability.

But what if your local grocer doesn’t keep them in stock?

There are several other options that you can use to find quail eggs.

Google has become a great resource to find people that may be selling them locally in your area.

Google can also point you to several services online where you can purchase them online and have them shipped directly to your home. 

In fact, at the time of this writing, I was able to find quail eggs available for prime shipping on Amazon (this is not meant to be an endorsement of Amazon).

Quail vs Chicken egg price

One of the most important things for any decision that we make is the cost factor. Whether we are going to prepare eggs for ourselves or our dogs, we do have to try to be fiscally responsible. Therefore it is prudent to factor in the price of quail vs chicken eggs in our decision of what we are going to purchase.

While prices may vary depending on your location, the price of quail eggs generally ranges between $0.30 to $1.00 each.  Taking a look at prices, it appears that a dozen eggs ranges between $2.50 and $6.00. So, depending on your location and availability, quail eggs are likely to be in the same price range as chicken eggs. But like anything, it’s important to note that these prices can change due to the availability of the product on the market. 

How often should you give your dog quail eggs?

One final thing to think about, how often should we be giving our dogs quail eggs? The answer to this question lies directly in their overall diet. If your dog already has a balanced diet, you might want to reserve giving them quail eggs as a once in a while treat, something special. On the other hand, you can adjust their diet to allow them to eat quail eggs every day, as part of their diet. 

The important thing is to take a look at your dog’s diet, based on their nutritional needs and size. We want to try to make sure we are meeting those nutritional needs, without exceeding them. If you decide to include quail eggs into their daily diet, you may decide to remove something else from their diet, to help keep everything in balance.

Closing thoughts

It’s always good to identify new foods for our dogs to enjoy, and it’s something that I personally enjoy doing. Sometimes I see dogs that eat the same food, every single day and to be honest, it saddens me. I’m not saying that this food isn’t good, or healthy, or that their owners don’t love them. I just wonder how I would feel having to eat the same food every day for the rest of my life.

That’s why I love discovering new foods that my dog can safely eat and be implemented into their diet.  While we don’t want to be changing their diet on a weekly basis, I like to change things up every few months so they have something new to look forward to and enjoy. I have recently added quail eggs to my dogs’ diet after doing my research for this article, and to be honest, I think I’m going to keep it as a staple for a few years. They really enjoy chewing on the soft shells and look forward to getting their eggs every single day. 

James Grayston

My name is James and I love dogs. have owned four Golden Retrievers in the past 15 years. Currently I own two "Goldies"- a five year old and a seven month old. The photo shows me with our youngest when she was about 7 weeks old!