calcium for quail?

[Stellar]

calcium carbonate is the correct calcium for the boogers

I use oyster shells in the nest boxes/egg pans/kitty litter boxes, the place they dust bathe

You can get 50 pounds at TSC for 9.99 I believe (not too bad).

 

[TheRealTimShady]

i personally use oyster shell and cuddle bones, i put the shell in their sandbox, they usually come over(they love fresh sand) and pick most of the shell off, eating it of course, then they continue to sand bathe. The also peck at the cuddlefish bone hanging on the side.

if you use(if you can get it) Purina GBS Startena, you don't need much more tho, probably the best feed on the market, commercially.

 

[Gracie Brownie]

What is cuddle fish bone? Also where do you get it?

 

[Dani xxx]

Its cuttlefish shell and any pet store that you can get budgie supplies etc has them but crushed oyster shell does the same thing I got a big bag on amazon

 

[CostaMesaQuail]

My question is, will they eat too much of the oyster shell and thus make the shell too hard for chicks to hatch? I started feeding crushed oyster shell to my hens and in a week I went from 1 egg a day to 8 a day (out of 12 hens).
So that’s good, but damn... these eggs are like glass smooth. Quite beautiful but not like the dustier, more porous feeling quail eggs I’m used to seeing.
Any thoughts?

 

[Acre4Me]

I use primarily cuttlebone. Some of my birds love it!! Some of them are indifferent. I’ve also added oyster shell to sand bath. In the oyster shell bags there are some smaller bits, so I try to make sure that I am adding a variety of sizes of oyster shell to the dust bath.

 

[BobDBirdDog]

If Fed A Good Gbs They Absorb All The Calcium They Need From The Feed And Supplimenting Is Un-necessary. However It Never Hurts And Many Seem To Enjoy It. Personally I Dont Get Crushed Oyster Shell, I Get Oyster Grit... Yep Oyster Shells Crushed To The Size Of Chick Grit... Kills 2 Birds With 1 Stone

Hi ya JJ!

 

[BobDBirdDog]

My question is, will they eat too much of the oyster shell and thus make the shell too hard for chicks to hatch? I started feeding crushed oyster shell to my hens and in a week I went from 1 egg a day to 8 a day (out of 12 hens).
So that’s good, but damn... these eggs are like glass smooth. Quite beautiful but not like the dustier, more porous feeling quail eggs I’m used to seeing.
Any thoughts?

Yes and no!
If they eat too much most is just wasted in the poop, JJ stated they will absorb all they need and they do need cal when laying. In the same consideration, they can get a little too much from time to time and it will show on the eggs most times.
There will be a bumpy texture to the eggs rather than a smool shell.

 

[CostaMesaQuail]

Yes and no!
If they eat too much most is just wasted in the poop, JJ stated they will absorb all they need and they do need cal when laying. In the same consideration, they can get a little too much from time to time and it will show on the eggs most times.
There will be a bumpy texture to the eggs rather than a smool shell.

Ah, that’s good to know. So the texture is just a “bird thing” then. I have three eggs a day that seriously look fake they are so smooth. I’m going to set a hatch Thursday and take notes to see if these glassy eggs perform any better or worse. Just out of curiosity.

 

[BobDBirdDog]

Ah, that’s good to know. So the texture is just a “bird thing” then. I have three eggs a day that seriously look fake they are so smooth. I’m going to set a hatch Thursday and take notes to see if these glassy eggs perform any better or worse. Just out of curiosity.

When a bird gets too little calcuium they will draw the calcium from thier bones and body and such can be bad for the hen after a few eggs as it will suck her down. but that is possibly why they look glassy, if not is simply being the beginning of the season or first time layers just opening up the egg factory store. Still, Its better to provide them with calcium during the laying season if its not already in thier diet. Some feed-pellets have calcium and grit in it just for that reason (the grit to help the grind and digest) (the cal to supplement during laying season). Thus "chicken layer ration" with high protien for game birds.
But as JJ... and many other BYC'rs will tell you other natural foods will have calcium in them as well.

To the prior quesion in relation to oyster shell.... calcium is rather brittle and that thin shell (even if thicker) I doubt that extra cal will make the shell too hard for the chick to pip and zip/hatch out. The hen is responsable for the egg shell production and will usually produce an egg of a certain variance of consistancy in shell thickness.

With the extra cal, you will/might start seeing a small (1-10) number of egg shell bumps (smaller than a grain of salt) thus no longer smooth. Still, even though Egg shells are made up of calcium and other fun 2 dollar words, the shell thickness is more dependent on the hen and not the "excessive" intake of cal.. too little cal would be the larger worry.

Now I am not saying the shell might be a little more thicker with the extra cal, but if the hen was sucking the cal from her body and now OD-ing on oyster shell, it might be a little thicker as the hen is gettting her needed cal to produce a standard egg (bumps or not).

Bumpy shells suggest they can scratch at the intestinal walls as the egg passes...but keep in mind that the egg (internally) is usually kind of soft/pliable until it passes out; it dries and hardens after its exposed to air. besides its got that poopy lub on it as it passes.

Well thats about all I know (or think I know) about the shell, hope it helps.