What will happen if quail chicks eat medicated feed?

[jessaw1981]

Hi everyone I got my quail from a guy that has raised them for years. Now that in no means is saying I agree with any of his raising because my older quail I git from him had poo caked on there feet so bad I had to soke them for an hour to get it off. but anyway he always feeds his quail chick starter been doing it about 15 years besides the other problems of clean Ness they are fine. healthy and everything some of his quail are 6 mo. to a year and doing great. When i got them they were.doing great and that's what I feed them. Mine are now on layena mash it was sucking to buy 4 diff bags of chicken food lol. so they seen to be doing fine. and love anything they get. lol

 

[jessaw1981]

Hi everyone I got my quail from a guy that has raised them for years. Now that in no means is saying I agree with any of his raising because my older quail I git from him had poo caked on there feet so bad I had to soke them for an hour to get it off. but anyway he always feeds his quail chick starter been doing it about 15 years besides the other problems of clean Ness they are fine. healthy and everything some of his quail are 6 mo. to a year and doing great. When i got them they were.doing great and that's what I feed them. Mine are now on layena mash it was sucking to buy 4 diff bags of chicken food lol. so they seen to be doing fine. and love anything they get. lol

 

[Mrs. BJ Hensley Jr.]

I wont, I just wanted to know why it would be so bad to feed it to them. thanks everyone for the input. BTW, can I feed it non-medicated chick starter? I only had 1 quail hatch this time and I put it with my chicks and Guinea that did hatch.

 

[Kwartel]

Chick starter is 20 percent protein, whereas quail chicks do best on 28 percent gamebird starter. Your chick will probably survive to adulthood, but it could have long-term effects on its development, just like any animal (humans included) that suffer from protein deficiency. On the other hand, if you fed them all gamebird starter, your quail chick would be happy, but your other chicks could possibly suffer from an inability to gain weight and kidney failure, as well as other risks associated with too much protein. If you have a single chick, I would advise separating it and keeping it by itself so you can control what it eats. Many places that sell feed have small bags of gamebird starter for sale.

I realize that this is not an ideal solution, quail hate to be alone, but you probably should separate it in order for it to thrive. You could also think about just keeping the quail and guineas together, since guineas are somewhat more tolerant of high protein than chickens are. I don't envy your choice, but I wish you and your chicks the best.

 

[Stellar]

Try to feed as much un-medicated as possible

Best for the birds health

 

[FeatheredObsessions]

Besides the medicated question chick starter isn't the best for them either. The quail require high protein food to live to their full potential. Can they live on the other....sure they can. Can they live up to their full potential.... no. I'm not out against any company nor am I on a mission against medicated feeds but I've read study after study on this information. I know I read too much

Quail grow quickly and reproduce much faster and easier than chickens which is why they are studied for growth and egg production for the food market in countries that can't wait for food or don't have room to grow out chickens. These studies all suggest high proteins create larger healthier quail. In just the last few weeks I had someone ask me why his quail were so much smaller compared to mine. They were the same age even. I knew immediately what he was feeding and asked if he fed chick starter. He did.

 

[Rebel Rooster]

I mix the same feed for all of my young gamebirds; (Pheasants, Quail) a 50-50 mix of 20% chick starter & 32% Floating Catfish Pellets (I grind a 50-50 mix of the feeds together in a food processor to the consitancy of cornmeal) they grow like your pouring fertilizer on em. They're strong and active...

 

[JJMR794]

Quote:
OK SO AFTER WE SPEND LIKE 10.00 A POUND AND 4 HRS PLAYING MAD SCIENTIST IN THE KITCH MAKING AN INCORRECT NUTRITIONAL FORMULA THAT EQUALS 26% PROTIEN AND MAKES THE CHICKS GROW SCALES AND BARBELS WOULDNT IT BE EASIER, CHEAPER, AND BETTER FOR THE BIRDS IN THE LONG RUN, NOT TO MENTION EASIER ON YOU TO JUST GO PAY .25-.40 CENTS A POUND FOR CORRECT PREMADE NUTRITIONALLY COMPLETE GAMEBIRD STARTER IN EITHER 28 OR 30% PROTIEN WITH ALL THE PROPER NUTRITIONAL VALUES?

 

[Rebel Rooster]

JR... that's what you have to do when the "proper gamebird feed" doesn't exist in your area... I have a choice between 20% chick starter or 28% med. turkey starter... that's it... and by the way... 24 of the 30 Butler Bob eggs I got from you hatched day before yesterday...

 

[JJMR794]

Gamebird Starter--- For The Record, Is Nutritionally Designed For Gamebirds.... It Is Not Suped Up Chicken Feed... There Is More To It Than Just Protien Percentage Numbers, This Is Why There Are Specific Formulas Available For Gamebirds And Not Just Chicken Feed In Varying Percentages Of Protien..... Important Things Like Fiber Content And Protien Sources. This Lil Guys Are Quail Or Pheasant Or Chukar, Their Systems Are Designed To Survive In The Normal Ranges In The Wild--- They Dont Consume Vast Quantities Of Grain, Therefore They Dont Absorb The Incorrect Protien Sources--- They Cant, Their Systems Dont Work Like Normal Poultry That Has Been Domesticated For Countless Millenia. This Is The Single Most Factor That Seperates Gamebirds From Chickens. It Is True Of Food, Housing, Even Biological Illness Susceptibility.

On Medicated Feed- There Are 2 Basic Types Of Medicated Gamebird Starter Out There.... 1 Is A Coccydiostat And Not Appropriate For Quail As It Causes Liver And Kidney Failure. If You Look Closely On The Tags These Bags Are Marked "for Pheasants Only" This Would The Ammpylorium Type Medications. The 2nd Type Is An Antibiotic Medicated Feed That Is Originally Designed For Bob White Quails In Massive Production Facilities--- Bob Babies Are Susceptible To Enteritis Which Is Bacterial In Nature And Causes Massive Dehydration Through Diarrhea--- This Is The Only Appropriate Use For The Medicated Feed And Since It Has Been In Use For Multiple Decades Most Of The Bacteria That Cause This Have Become Resistant To The Drugs (medication) Used And Its Basically Useless... These Are Your Bacitracin, Erythromycin (aurimycin In The Bird World) Based Or Type Drugs And Are Also Harmful On The Kidneys.

Another Funny Fact About Medicated Feeds--- Many Parts Of The Country Cannot Get Medicated Starters While Many Cannot Get Non-medicated Starters--- Yep, Thats Right Kids! Its A Regional Thing