Japanese quail are intensively farmed for eggs and meat with minimal welfare regulation, existing in a welfare gap between poultry welfare standards that broadly target chickens.
Quail welfare is a regulatory gap: welfare regulations designed for chickens and turkeys do not adequately address quail, and their small size and short production cycle make intensive production economically attractive with minimal welfare scrutiny. Quail in intensive cages cannot express natural foraging, dust bathing, or social behaviours. Their welfare needs are not inherently different from other poultry — they need space, enrichment, and the ability to express natural behaviours — but the regulatory framework has not kept pace with production growth.