Quail
A tiny bird with rich, dark meat. Pick it off every bone and shred it fine.
Checked against official guidance on October 18, 2026 · How we review
Quick answer
Babies can eat quail from around 6 months, once they show signs of being ready for solids. Prepare it as shown below.
How to serve quail by age
6 months+
Finely shredded, or soft strips of breast meat
Braise or roast quail until very tender and 165°F (74°C), then pick all the meat off the bones by hand, feeling for small bones as you go. Shred it finely and stir it into mashed potato or vegetables, or offer the breast meat in soft strips pulled along the grain. Never give your baby a leg, wing or any piece with bone in it.
- Size
- Finely shredded and mixed into mash, or strips of breast meat as close to the size of an adult finger as the bird allows, roughly 6–8 cm long and 2 cm wide (2½–3 × ¾ in).
- Check before serving
- Squash a strip between your thumb and finger. It should fall apart into soft shreds. Feel every piece for bones before serving.
US and UK advice differ here. The AAP suggests mashed food or soft pieces no larger than ½ inch; the NHS suggests soft finger-sized pieces your baby can hold in their fist. Both agree the food must squash easily.
9 months+
Small soft shreds
Offer small, moist shreds of quail for pincer-grasp practice, or mix them into rice, pasta or mashed vegetables. Take off the skin if it's crisp or chewy.
- Size
- Pieces no bigger than about 1 cm (just under ½ inch).
- Check before serving
- Each shred should squash flat between your thumb and finger. Feel every piece for bones, and leave out dry or stringy bits.
12 months+
Shredded, in family meals
Serve shredded quail off the bone from the family meal, stirred into rice, couscous or a soft stew. Take your toddler's portion out before adding salt, stock cubes or a salty glaze.
- Size
- Bite-sized pieces about 1 cm (just under ½ inch), or shredded.
- Check before serving
- No bones, no crisp skin and no chewy chunks. Check every piece with your fingers.
18 months+
Shredded or small pieces, always off the bone
Keep serving quail off the bone, even when the rest of the family eats it whole. Quail bones are very small and easy to miss, so pick the meat off yourself and have your child sit down to eat.
- Size
- Bite-sized pieces about 1 cm (just under ½ inch).
- Check before serving
- Still feel every piece for bones before serving.
Always have your child sit upright in a high chair or at the table, and stay with them the whole time they eat. Keep to the size and texture for their stage. Every baby develops on their own timeline.
How to prepare quail
- 1
Choose farmed quail from a butcher or shop. Wild quail may have been shot with lead: see the guidance note below. Don't rinse raw quail: USDA FSIS says washing raw poultry isn't necessary and spreads bacteria around the kitchen. Wash your hands, board and knife after handling it.
- 2
Braise the quail, covered, in water or unsalted liquid until very tender, or roast it in a hot oven (USDA FSIS gives about 20 minutes at 425°F for whole quail). Either way, it must reach 165°F (74°C) in the thickest part of the breast and the inner thigh, checked with a food thermometer. Don't add salt or stock cubes.
- 3
Let it cool, then pick all the meat off the bones by hand. Quail bones are tiny and thin, so feel every piece of meat for bones as you go.
- 4
Shred the meat finely or pull the breast into strips, and do the squash test before serving.
How much to offer
Start with a spoonful of shredded quail mixed into mash, or a strip or two of breast meat. Your baby decides how much to eat: stop when they turn away or close their mouth. Lots of sucking and chewing with little swallowed is normal at first.
Common mistakes
Handing a baby a quail leg or wing
Quail bones are tiny and easy to bite off or swallow, and the CDC lists bones in meat as a choking hazard. Pick all the meat off the bone yourself and serve it shredded, at every age.
Serving it pink
Quail is poultry. USDA FSIS says all poultry, including whole game birds, must reach 165°F (74°C), checked in the breast and the inner thigh. A small bird cooks fast, but it still needs the thermometer check.
Leaving crisp skin on
Roasted quail skin can be crisp and chewy, and the NHS says poultry skin is much higher in fat than the meat itself. Take the skin off for babies and serve the soft meat.
Adding salt, stock cubes or a salty glaze
Babies shouldn't have added salt, and the NHS says not to use stock cubes or gravy for them. Take your baby's portion out before you season the rest.
Where US and UK guidance differ on quail
United States(AAP and CDC)Your setting
USDA FSIS says to cook all poultry, including whole game birds such as quail, to 165°F (74°C), checked with a food thermometer in the thickest part of the breast and the inner thigh and wing.
United Kingdom(NHS)Your setting
The NHS doesn't give temperatures. It says to cook poultry and game all the way through, until the juices run clear and there's no pink meat left. Quail cooked tender for babies meets both. The Food Standards Agency says cutting down on lead-shot game, particularly small game, is especially important for toddlers and children. Not all game is shot with lead: if you're not sure how a quail was killed, the FSA says to ask your supplier.
We cover US and UK guidance in detail. Elsewhere, check your national health service's advice too.
Questions parents ask
Can quail be a choking hazard for babies?
The CDC lists bones in meat and tough or large chunks of meat as choking hazards for young children. Quail is small and full of tiny, thin bones, so whole birds, legs and wings are not for babies or toddlers. Pick the meat off every bone, feel each piece, and serve it finely shredded or as soft strips of breast meat. Stay with your child during meals.
Can babies be allergic to quail?
Quail meat is not one of the common food allergens. Quail eggs are eggs, though, and egg is a common allergen: see our quail eggs page before offering them.
Is quail healthy for babies?
A source of protein, iron and zinc. FoodData Central lists about 25 g of protein, 4.4 mg of iron and 3.1 mg of zinc per 100 g of cooked quail (meat and skin), so about 25 g of shredded quail gives about 1 mg of iron. Poultry contains heme iron, which the body absorbs more easily than the nonheme iron in plant foods (NIH). Babies aged 7 to 12 months need 11 mg of iron a day from all their food.
Can babies eat quail?
Yes, from around 6 months, cooked to 165°F (74°C) and picked completely off the bone. Serve it finely shredded into mash or as soft strips of breast meat, never as a leg, wing or any piece with bone.
Can toddlers chew on a quail leg?
It's best not to. Quail bones are very small and thin, and the CDC lists bones in meat as a choking hazard for young children. Pick the meat off for them, even when the rest of the family eats quail whole.
Is quail good for babies' iron?
It helps. Cooked quail has about 4.4 mg of iron per 100 g, much of it the easily absorbed heme kind. A baby's portion is much smaller than 100 g, so offer iron-rich foods at several meals: meat, beans and lentils, and iron-fortified cereal.
Is wild quail safe for babies?
Farmed quail is the simpler choice. Wild quail may have been shot with lead. The UK Food Standards Agency says cutting down on lead-shot game, particularly small game, is especially important for toddlers and children, because lead can harm the developing brain and nervous system. The NHS also says game birds such as partridge or pheasant may contain lead shot. If you're not sure how a quail was killed, ask your supplier. USDA FSIS adds that wild game killed by hunters hasn't been inspected, so it must be handled carefully.
If your baby refuses quail
- Many babies need 10 or more tries before they accept a new food. Keep offering it alongside foods they already like.
- Try another form: shredded into mash, stirred into rice, or soft strips of breast meat.
- Moisten dry quail with a little of its cooking liquid, breast milk or formula.
- Eat some yourself at the same meal. Babies copy what they see.
Never force or pressure your baby to eat. Some days they'll eat more, some days less, and that's normal.
Buying and storing quail
- Keep raw quail on the bottom shelf of the fridge in a sealed container, and cook or freeze it within 1 to 2 days, as for other fresh poultry.
- Cooked quail keeps for 3 to 4 days in a covered container in the fridge, or up to 4 months in the freezer. Quail blended into a baby purée keeps 1 to 2 months in the freezer (FDA). Thaw it in the fridge and use it within 24 hours of thawing.
- Reheat cooked quail only once, to 165°F (74°C), until steaming hot, then let it cool before serving.
- Throw away any food left out at room temperature for more than 2 hours (1 hour if it's hotter than 90°F / 32°C).
When to talk to your doctor
Contact your pediatrician, GP or health visitor if:
- Your child had a choking episode on a bone, even if it came out and they seem fine. The NHS advises getting medical help, because part of what they choked on could be left behind.
- You notice mild signs of an allergic reaction after eating, such as a few hives or a little vomiting. See signs of a reaction.
- You're worried about how much your baby eats, their growth, or they refuse most solid food for weeks.
Call 911999your local emergency number (such as 112 in Europe or 000 in Australia) now if your baby has trouble breathing, wheezing, can't cough or cry, has lips, mouth, tongue or throat that suddenly swell, or becomes pale, bluish, floppy or unresponsive. Also call if hives come with repeated vomiting.
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Helpful guides
Sources
- USDA FSIS: Leftovers and food safety
- USDA FSIS: Roasting those "other" holiday meats
- USDA FSIS: Washing food: does it promote food safety?
- USDA FSIS: Freezing and food safety
- CDC: Choking hazards
- Food Standards Agency: Lead-shot game
- NHS: Meat in your diet
- NHS: Foods to avoid giving babies and young children
- NHS: How to stop a child from choking
- USDA FoodData Central: Quail, cooked, total edible
- NIH Office of Dietary Supplements: Iron
- FDA: Once baby arrives (Food safety for moms-to-be)
- NHS Best Start in Life: Storing and reheating food
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