Quote:
Originally Posted by
swapper 
hi everybody, a local guy has some quails for sale. im going to buy some for hunting. he says there cotuanixer. they all look super cool and i want some. he says they are 6 dollars a bird. he said i can feeds them the 22 percent game bird / chick started called dumor from tractor supply. or could i feed them chicken feed from walmart or just the cracked corn they have from walmart. thanks - jack
Hi Swapper and 
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Not sure where your location is, but you can see from the previous post Coturnix have a big price range, in my area $2.50 is an ave for an adult laying bird. I agree they do look super cool, probably why I've got close to 300 of them, in at least 10 different colors. Not telling you that to be boastful, but telling you that so hopefully it will give credence to what I'm about to say.
First they are awesome to look at and taste very good too. Fry up like nobody's business. As far as hunting goes, even if you get permission to release, they don't fly well. They do not have the stamina that a bobwhite has, they probably wouldn't even flush. f they did they would look like a dude firecracker that lost his ump. They are also not the smartest bird in the cage either. Since they have been domesticated for so long they have no idea what wild is and chances are wouldn't live through the night. Between being eaten by predators they have no innate ability to forage for food on their own and would also die.
Talking about food. Being game birds, they need at least 24% Game bird starter. Dumor isn't my favorite brand, but if it's what you got, buy the 24% I know they make it. Chicken feed doesn't give them the nutrition they need at all and corn is also bad for them. A respected breeder I know experimented with corn in their diet and when he dressed them out they had a nasty fat layer on them, not good for the birds at all in large amounts. I will admit on very cold days, I will throw a handful out because the energy they use to digest it will help keep them warm, but it is a small amount in addition to their normal rations.
I've said a lot, but truly want quail enthusiast to be successful and have a great experience with the birds as well as the birds live a healthy life from hatch to dispatch.
