Coturnix (jumbo/normal) food?

[Bettacreek]

How much do jumbo coturnix eat per day or from hatch to 8 weeks? Also, how much would a regular coturnix eat per day?
Also, some places say to give them 28-30% protein feed, but I can only find the 24% chick starter, is this fine, or will it slow growth and maturity?

 

[gypsy2621]

For chicks I use TSC brand kitten food, comes in a purple bag, its 40 % protien,
I use a coffee grinder and grind it down fine then sift for babys, add this to the ground starter feed mix well.
I cant say exactly how much mine eat as they are on free feed constantly. but for 3 baby chicks in a brooder I usually put in 1 tbs 2 x's a day

I got in a batch of Pharoah a few weeks ago tha had little to no feathering and beings they were 3 weeks old they should have had some feathers, I put them on this mixtrue and also ground up some bird seed fine added it to the mix and with in a week they were fully feathered out.
tis is the same mixture I use when hand feeding baby pigeons and I have had great success using it.

 

[monarc23]

Quote:
^^ its nice to read someone else using kitten/cat food to help their birds! Some people think this is a bad thing not realizing that cat food from farm and grocery stores is actually BETTER for birds thanit is for cats lol! (grains---cats can't process those well)

 

[monarc23]

as for how much food they go through.....depends on how many birds you have *shrugs*


It took me over 5 weeks until I ran out of feed for my 6 coturnix im keeping indoors all winter. Now they're on adult feed and I can't tell you how much they eat because they're sharing 50lbs amung 5 chickens, and 40 other coturnixs lol!

 

[Mrs MIA]

I have one of the hanging rabbit-feeders for 13 jumbo coturnix... and I fill that up twice a day with a large yogurt container. Probably 2 pounds a day, max... they'd probably eat more if I let them.

 

[Bettacreek]

Thanks guys.

An unending source of information.

 

[gypsy2621]

Quote:
^^ its nice to read someone else using kitten/cat food to help their birds! Some people think this is a bad thing not realizing that cat food from farm and grocery stores is actually BETTER for birds thanit is for cats lol! (grains---cats can't process those well)

I wouldnt concider raising game birds with out kitten chow for them , I have seen marked differences with pigeons
did a trial wih hatch mates, one was fed plain seed mix and game starter the other was fed game starter, seed and kitten food.
The hatchling getting only game starter and seed had delayed feathering up to a week and a half later than the hatchling getting the 3 way combo. feather quality was also a factor.

Little Squabbling( baby pigeon) came home with barely her pin feathers out, maybe 2 weeks old(but doubtful). long story short, baby pigeon in with 20 adults and beaten bloody.
with in a week she had nice little pin feathers busten out all over the place being fed this mixture.Today she is a sleek sassy bratty spoiled little bird. (white Homer).

 

[MissPrissy]

If you plan to eat any of those birds they will begin to taste like cat food. Yuck. The same as when people feed left over dog food to pigs and that taste gets in the meat and won't leave.

I feed gamebird crumbles and worms to mine. I fill a 3lb feeder every other day for 6. My breeder stock for the season just started laying again. I have 5 females and a male. I am getting 5 eggs a day as of this week.

 

[gypsy2621]

I have never tasted the " cat food" in any of the birds I have raised for the table?

Im sure if they are fed an exclusive diet of cat or dog food then yes the taste would be present.

I remember back a few years ago my sister had went halves with a friend on a pig, the pig wasnt grain fed, but fed well to be blunt garbage leftovers.
and yes the meat was totally digusting, tasted just like garbage smelled, so much so that the 1/4 wolf I was raising wouldnt even touch it.

I never put more cat food to game crumbles and seed, I will have to measure next time I am feeding it out, right now my quail are off that mixture and onto big bird food.

If I was to guess the measurments it would be 2 cups game starter,1 cp seed and 2 tbs of ground kitten chow. I make up a batch for a few days at a time so it doesnt get a chance to sour over.

 

[UrbanMama]

Hey Gypsy...what kind of quail are you raising up there now?

Off-topic...sorry....