Change my mind

[Somewhere_In_The_Clouds]

This is something I am still reading and learning about so I am mostly here to follow the discussion.
I haven't settled on a permanent feed yet, my three have been getting a 24% starter but I just bought a bag of 18% layer. I've also recently found a place that has more variety of gamebird feed (when I first got my quail I couldn't find some anywhere), so I plan to have a look at what they have there.

 

[AGDependentFarm]

Hello, I think I've seen you are raising jumbo coturnix. They are still growing out to 10 to 12 weeks, so I still feed 28% out to at least the 10 weeks. I don't use layer feed anymore for any different types of birds I raise poultry/game birds/quail/turkeys/ducks. I always offer oyster shell/eggshells on the side 24/7. Layer feed usually has just the bare minimum of protein %, I like to feed my birds in the upper protein %. Have always had less health issues better egg production and better hatch rates with less issues with hatchlings since doing so. I raise/breed/ hatch and sell a lot of birds/hatchlings and like to give customers best bird I can. And I have seen better results in feeding upper protein %, but there are limits to how high without causing health issues most bird types have different acceptable % levels. Health/stress/molting/illness is all benefitted by upper protein% and not the bare minimums that most layer feeds have. Yes, you can, and a lot of folks do feed layer feed not saying it's a bad thing. But I have had and seen better results all around in my birds since feeding this way. Don't get me wrong some benefits can be small but I have always been one that if I raise something its done to the best of my ability and can in the long run end up being cheaper without loss of my time treating illness, loss of birds/meds/ loss of customers ext. Most info that I researched for jumbo quail recommend protein% of starter between 25%-32% and for mature or layers between 17%-23%. Hope this helps. How's that for a sell to CHANGE YOUR MIND

I do not intentionally raise Jumbos but did end up with a few. I want the birds to be at their best health but also there is a cost associated with all we do.

30% Protein Starter Game Bird and Turkey Feed, 40 lb. is $24.99 or .62 cents a pound at Tractor supply. DuMOR 16% Layer Crumble Poultry Feed, 50 lb. is $19.99 or .39 cents a pound. I go through about 60-70 pounds a week in feed to the Quail. We are also looking into local feed mill bulk purchasing but I do not have the storage for a 2000 pound load of feed.

Today we aren't selling birds but we are getting prepared to. I am looking for that perfect balance. If nothing else we are having informative conversation....

 

[AGDependentFarm]

There are many ways to 'skin a quail', if everyone did the same thing, you could read about how to take care of them in 15 minutes.


If you're just raising them to butcher, then feeding high protein for the 'life' of the bird makes sense. (28 to 30% protein)

If you're just raising them for eggs, then switching to a lower protein feed or a layer feed is the norm. ( 16 to 20% protein)

If you're raising the to be breeding stock, then a 'middle of the road' feed would be best ( 24% protein)

Depending on what you want in a 'results', will define your methods and rearing protocols.
If you have to have you're mind changed by someone else, then maybe you're not 'cut out' for it....take what you think is best for you from other's methods and apply them to you're own program.

Thanks for your input. I am just making conversation and learning. I don't need you to change my mind but it makes for a catchy thread topic.

 

[AGDependentFarm]

This is something I am still reading and learning about so I am mostly here to follow the discussion.
I haven't settled on a permanent feed yet, my three have been getting a 24% starter but I just bought a bag of 18% layer. I've also recently found a place that has more variety of gamebird feed (when I first got my quail I couldn't find some anywhere), so I plan to have a look at what they have there.

You said for your 3. That is a game changer also. Today I have about 100 mature birds and 83 went in the brooder last night. We aren't at a commercial level but not quite a hobby either. lol We are mainly producing these birds for consumption either eggs or meat. I would love to be able to sell hatching eggs or hatched live birds. We just aren't there yet.

If you have 3, 6 or 12 birds the cost of their daily intake is meniscal in the big picture. You can afford to be very picky about the brand or ingredients. The more birds you accumulate the greater the expense comes and decisions are made to decide what the balance is.

 

[Huntmaster]

I do not intentionally raise Jumbos but did end up with a few. I want the birds to be at their best health but also there is a cost associated with all we do.

30% Protein Starter Game Bird and Turkey Feed, 40 lb. is $24.99 or .62 cents a pound at Tractor supply. DuMOR 16% Layer Crumble Poultry Feed, 50 lb. is $19.99 or .39 cents a pound. I go through about 60-70 pounds a week in feed to the Quail. We are also looking into local feed mill bulk purchasing but I do not have the storage for a 2000 pound load of feed.

Today we aren't selling birds but we are getting prepared to. I am looking for that perfect balance. If nothing else we are having informative conversation....

I defiantly know what you mean by cost of feed I been getting my 50lb bags of 28% game bird starter and 24% game bird grower for 19.99 a bag but have been getting it from same local feed store for many many years and has not raised price on me for a long time, but I'm sure it's coming with everything going on with supply chain and everything else. He orders it in for me specifically I get 40 bags of grower each month and that is just my turkey feed without spring starter. Haven't found a local mill to work with me yet so I been doing it this way for a long time. With all my different birds I specialize each feed for them like my ducks that feed would be way too high in protein. But going with it for my quail so that won't be a separate feed for them and it's in the range I want to be with them. I go through over 2500 lbs. of feed a month, so I feel you on the costs.

 

[HipMystic]

I start mine out on the 30% gamebird starter from TSC, and in the past I’ve always switched them over to the 16% layer that my chickens get (I’m not sure what brand - whichever one is the cheapest) around 8-9 weeks, whenever I run out of that last bag of starter. I’ve recently switched all my birds over to a 20% all-flock from a local feed store and everyone seems to be doing really well with it, so I think I’m going to keep them on this feed. Bonus points for this other store being cheaper than TSC

 

[BrandonsBirbs]

You said for your 3. That is a game changer also. Today I have about 100 mature birds and 83 went in the brooder last night. We aren't at a commercial level but not quite a hobby either. lol We are mainly producing these birds for consumption either eggs or meat. I would love to be able to sell hatching eggs or hatched live birds. We just aren't there yet.

If you have 3, 6 or 12 birds the cost of their daily intake is meniscal in the big picture. You can afford to be very picky about the brand or ingredients. The more birds you accumulate the greater the expense comes and decisions are made to decide what the balance is.

I don't know the conversion from kg to lbs and quite honestly I am too lazy to check. I assume a 40-50lb bag is what I know as 20-25kg, if this is the case find yourself some bulk ASAP! Quail eat a lot and don't produce much in reality so if you're going into business you need to be sensible about it and feed is getting pricey.

Last year and previous years I maintained 100-200 adults with a constant 55-64 chicks every 18 days I would offer them for sale but at 6 weeks kill the lads and when I needed the space or had the time I would later kill my ladies too.

I've really found my efficiency is best swapping to a layer feed at 6 weeks, males really don't grow much from here and the females don't grow enough to be worth the starter crumble costs (much higher here, £30/20kg Vs layer feed, £15-20/20+kg), a lot of their growth after 8-9 weeks is from eggs too not meat.

I've always had mostly Jumbo's and some mixed colour coturnix. I now have 12 permanent quail with chicks constantly being hatched and brooded.

Anecdotal, but my "friend" has had around 4000+ quail for 10+ years he used to: starter for 4 weeks, grower for 4 weeks then game layer. Three years ago went to 8 weeks starter to game layer and now does the same as me. He ran his tests at much larger scales than me and would recommend starter for 8 weeks if you can afford it as a luxary. The battery farm near us uses starter for 8 weeks then kills but actually claims to make more money killing at 6 weeks as it saves a lot of food Vs how much meat they gain. I don't like him to be honest I don't like his farm, but his birds do look surprisingly healthy. I still don't agree with his farm for the record.

 

[CovidtimeQuail]

There are many ways to 'skin a quail', if everyone did the same thing, you could read about how to take care of them in 15 minutes.


If you're just raising them to butcher, then feeding high protein for the 'life' of the bird makes sense. (28 to 30% protein)

If you're just raising them for eggs, then switching to a lower protein feed or a layer feed is the norm. ( 16 to 20% protein)

If you're raising the to be breeding stock, then a 'middle of the road' feed would be best ( 24% protein)

Depending on what you want in a 'results', will define your methods and rearing protocols.
If you have to have you're mind changed by someone else, then maybe you're not 'cut out' for it....take what you think is best for you from other's methods and apply them to you're own program.

So true. And honestly, I'd say most of my long-term birds are the 'middle of the road' path; I normally give them a handful of fresh mealworms daily alongside the layer feed. What's interesting is the mealworm raising group on Facebook. Other than commercial mealworm breeders, most large production is due to folks raising quail.

 

[CovidtimeQuail]

So true. And honestly, I'd say most of my long-term birds are the 'middle of the road' path; I normally give them a handful of fresh mealworms daily alongside the layer feed. What's interesting is the mealworm raising group on Facebook. Other than commercial mealworm breeders, most large production is due to folks raising quail.

Forgot to mention that once you get the mealworm raising thing down, it's pretty quick (and amazingly cheap).

 

[HipMystic]

So true. And honestly, I'd say most of my long-term birds are the 'middle of the road' path; I normally give them a handful of fresh mealworms daily alongside the layer feed. What's interesting is the mealworm raising group on Facebook. Other than commercial mealworm breeders, most large production is due to folks raising quail.

I had no idea quail people raised so many mealworms! Do you have the name of the Facebook group? Mealworms are one thing I’d like to try my hand at once it gets warmer here.