Duckweed for button quail?

[fiberdrunk]

I was reading elsewhere on this forum of people feeding duckweed to their chickens. Apparently it is higher in protein than soy (some estimate 30-50% protein!) I have a 10-gallon aquarium with firebelly newts-- the newts came with some duckweed in their baggie of water from the petstore, and, well, the stuff quickly spread in the aquarium and now the top is completely covered with the stuff. I got to thinking maybe my button quail would enjoy it, and sure enough, they gobbled it down! Has anyone else tried duckweed to supplement their quails' feed? I'm thinking of setting up a children's pool in the backyard for it, to grow enough for the chickens, too.

 

[GrandmaBird]

I have not heard of it but if it is a green lettuce type food then I am sure they would love it. Just do not overfeed as I am not sure of the nutritional value for your buttons. Feed as a treat, once or twice a week.

 

[fiberdrunk]

Duckweed usually grows on the tops of ponds. It grows so fast that it can choke out a pond. There are tons of videos on YouTube about it. It's a highly nutritious plant, quite high in protein. It has the ability to help purify and oxygenate water. The one tidbit I picked up is if you skim the stuff from a really dirty pond (or aquarium), to transfer it to a clean bucket of water for a few days. This will give it a chance to "self-clean" before feeding it to critters. I know many feed it to chickens and other farm animals. I just wondered if any quail owners had tried it and if there were any cautions I should be aware of. So far my buttons seem to be doing well with it.

 

[CJ_PH]

Duckweed usually grows on the tops of ponds. It grows so fast that it can choke out a pond. There are tons of videos on YouTube about it. It's a highly nutritious plant, quite high in protein. It has the ability to help purify and oxygenate water. The one tidbit I picked up is if you skim the stuff from a really dirty pond (or aquarium), to transfer it to a clean bucket of water for a few days. This will give it a chance to "self-clean" before feeding it to critters. I know many feed it to chickens and other farm animals. I just wondered if any quail owners had tried it and if there were any cautions I should be aware of. So far my buttons seem to be doing well with it.

Any update on this? I have some coturnix and was wondering what to give them as organic food

 

[JacinLarkwell]

@Nabiki , any idea? It's an old thread, but it might help people that don't want to feed soy to their birds

 

[shrimpsilkies]

Any update on this? I have some coturnix and was wondering what to give them as organic food

My coturnix like greens, and I have given them a sampling of duckweed before. They’ll eat it, but I don’t know how much they would want to rely on it as a big part of their diet.

 

[CovidtimeQuail]

Duckweed is blech-y. I wouldn't want to raise pond slime just for the sake of the quails.

 

[Nabiki]

I have no idea of the nutritional value of duckweed. I try to keep my birds on a balanced feed and give them a few treats now and then. It would take me more research than I have time for right now to make sure they had a balanced diet otherwise.

 

[CovidtimeQuail]

This is one of the more appealing photos I could find. Check it out on http://www.gardenpondskauai.com/invasive-water-garden-plants/

Duckweed is considered an invasive plant. If you live in Hawaii, you can probably get a whole bunch free on Craigslist, where people are anxious for you to remove it for them.