first my thoughts on feed:
*minnows: we have some that live in the creeks and lakes around here. would minnows be a good source of protien?
*frogs/toads/tadpoles: there are a bit around here but i wouldnt want to deplete the population. though i could always pick up a few that get hit on the roads or whatnot.
*roadkill: i live out in the sticks and there is most always a bit of roadkill. i know that in the great depression people would brings home roadkill and the chickens would get whatever wasnt good enough to be eaten by the family. so i thought why not quail? though this wouldnt be a continuos supply all the time so i would have to have other sources of protien to be able to fall back on.
*sprouts: i am about to start a little experiment and grow sprouts and feed them to my rabbits. any thoughts on this? i was thinking some seeds might be best sprouted and chopped a bit (like beans) and others might be eaten as seedlings or young grass (sunflower, pumpkin, wheat, oats). is there anything that i shouldnt feed them sprouted? anything they might eat at a certian stage versus another?
*any foods they should not eat? the only thing i have found is avacodo.
* willow and pine? i saw somewhere that they eat them.
~~~things i have listed that i am thinkin of growing/harvesting to feed them:::
*apples/ crabapples- when they are in season i can get some from a few apple trees we have. could i dry them and feed it dried and chopped maybe?
*sprouts- talked about them above
*boiled and crushed egg
*beetroot leaves- found this on another website. not sure if this is a certian plant or just the leaves of beets..? can they eat the beet itself?
*cucumber- this would only be while i am harvesting it from the garden. unless anyone has some idea of how to dry it and feed it. if so then i would be very interested in hearing
*cabbage- i have not had any luck with cabbage yet but if i got some growing then i would feed it to them
*dandelions- lots of those everywhere! haha. and i harvest these already for the rabbits.
*daddy long leg spiders- there are plenty of these but i'm not sure how i would collect them to feed other then leaving a few quail in a smallish cage where there are alot of daddy long legs at. had a thought of a sort of flypaper type trap. not sure on this though.
*worms- been thinkin of starting some worm bins. would quail eat worms? any certian type? i know about mealworms but i dont do beetles or maggot/grub type things. just yuck. but regular worms i can do. i was thinkin i could get enough worms just by diggin about the yard that i wouldnt even need to buy them from anywhere. unless quail prefer a certian type of worm. if so where do i buy worms to breed and whatnot in bins?
*millet, quinoa, amaranth, indian corn- i have not grown any of these yet so i'm not sure how well i can grow them or how much i can harvest but these are the grains i have in mind. the indian corn would not be alot in the mix as i have read that is isnt really a good feed for them but it would be mostly for keeping em up during the winter as it is cold here in winter! lol.
*melons- when i harvest them from the garden
*pumpkin- when harvested from the garden, throughout the year via kept whole pumpkins or dried chopped parts
*sunflower seeds- i have some white/black/gray striped seed and some black seed that i will be growing. was thinkin they would be best fed by cracking them open or smashing them. grindin them down in a mortar and pestle for the younger birds and just smashing them open for the older birds.
*marigolds
*nasturtiums
thanks! any thoughts or tips or comments are welcome!
*minnows: we have some that live in the creeks and lakes around here. would minnows be a good source of protien?
*frogs/toads/tadpoles: there are a bit around here but i wouldnt want to deplete the population. though i could always pick up a few that get hit on the roads or whatnot.
*roadkill: i live out in the sticks and there is most always a bit of roadkill. i know that in the great depression people would brings home roadkill and the chickens would get whatever wasnt good enough to be eaten by the family. so i thought why not quail? though this wouldnt be a continuos supply all the time so i would have to have other sources of protien to be able to fall back on.
*sprouts: i am about to start a little experiment and grow sprouts and feed them to my rabbits. any thoughts on this? i was thinking some seeds might be best sprouted and chopped a bit (like beans) and others might be eaten as seedlings or young grass (sunflower, pumpkin, wheat, oats). is there anything that i shouldnt feed them sprouted? anything they might eat at a certian stage versus another?
*any foods they should not eat? the only thing i have found is avacodo.
* willow and pine? i saw somewhere that they eat them.
~~~things i have listed that i am thinkin of growing/harvesting to feed them:::
*apples/ crabapples- when they are in season i can get some from a few apple trees we have. could i dry them and feed it dried and chopped maybe?
*sprouts- talked about them above
*boiled and crushed egg
*beetroot leaves- found this on another website. not sure if this is a certian plant or just the leaves of beets..? can they eat the beet itself?
*cucumber- this would only be while i am harvesting it from the garden. unless anyone has some idea of how to dry it and feed it. if so then i would be very interested in hearing
*cabbage- i have not had any luck with cabbage yet but if i got some growing then i would feed it to them
*dandelions- lots of those everywhere! haha. and i harvest these already for the rabbits.
*daddy long leg spiders- there are plenty of these but i'm not sure how i would collect them to feed other then leaving a few quail in a smallish cage where there are alot of daddy long legs at. had a thought of a sort of flypaper type trap. not sure on this though.
*worms- been thinkin of starting some worm bins. would quail eat worms? any certian type? i know about mealworms but i dont do beetles or maggot/grub type things. just yuck. but regular worms i can do. i was thinkin i could get enough worms just by diggin about the yard that i wouldnt even need to buy them from anywhere. unless quail prefer a certian type of worm. if so where do i buy worms to breed and whatnot in bins?
*millet, quinoa, amaranth, indian corn- i have not grown any of these yet so i'm not sure how well i can grow them or how much i can harvest but these are the grains i have in mind. the indian corn would not be alot in the mix as i have read that is isnt really a good feed for them but it would be mostly for keeping em up during the winter as it is cold here in winter! lol.
*melons- when i harvest them from the garden
*pumpkin- when harvested from the garden, throughout the year via kept whole pumpkins or dried chopped parts
*sunflower seeds- i have some white/black/gray striped seed and some black seed that i will be growing. was thinkin they would be best fed by cracking them open or smashing them. grindin them down in a mortar and pestle for the younger birds and just smashing them open for the older birds.
*marigolds
*nasturtiums
thanks!
any thoughts or tips or comments are welcome!
