Feeding quail - free access or set feeds?

[SassShenn]

I’m considering fermenting feed to better manage some additional nutritional components of my birds’ feed … but therein lies my dilemma and questions.

My birds currently have free 24/7 access to feed in gravity feed feeders, but that won’t work with fermented feeds.

Is it better to give them free access? Remove normal feed when ferment is offered? Offer only fermented feed at set times? Provide both? any experience with this?

I want to minimize waste of course - we love these birds, but they’re not pets so they need to produce and I need to manage expense.

 

[Nabiki]

I would have normal feed available at all times. I have never had a problem with any of my quail over eating. Birds have a high metabolism, so they should never be deprived of food.

 

[BrandonsBirbs]

Quail know when they're full and when they need food, they do not overeat. They should have constant access to food.

I had good success using fermented feed in terms of less waste, I fed only the fermented feed for my adults and they did very well on it. Had the opposite affect on younger birds though, they need the dry food to develop properly.

You could feed fermented feed every three days or something like that. If they're adult birds you can get normal chicken layer feed pellets for them and that will greatly reduce the waste anyway. They don't need the high protein once they're laying.

In larger enclosures/aviary like setups, I love the hanging feeders. I hang them at the height of the smallest birds head, they all know to reach up for food (quails necks are crazy long). For a cage setup, I've heard J-Feeders are good for reducing dry waste or I like feeders which use PVC elbows - I have almost 0 waste using this setup.