Feed for quail.

[poultryhaven]

I have 23 Coturnix Quail. They arent laying still! lol. I went to an auction friday night and a mans coturnix were already laying. I asked what he was doing. He said he feeds them Gamebird feed. I feed mine layer feed. Should I switch them to GB????

 

[fishman65]

how old are they. It usually takes about 8 weeks to start laying. They need about 14 hours a day of light and a min temp of 60 degrees. Given the right conditions you should get about 200-300 eggs a year. As far as feed goes as long as they have a high protien feed you should get healthy happy quail. I feed 16% layer with ADULT cat food added. Adult cat food is usually at least 31% protien. If you feed a GBS to your adult quail you are gonna need to add oyster shell for calcium.

 

[poultryhaven]

Oh wow uhmmmm. Well I know 10 of them I got last summer. The others im not sure but are old enough to lay. So if I add cat food, what do i do, crumble it up so they can eat it?

 

[Whitehouse Quail]

My coturnix lay at 7 weeks on the dot. But, the first three I had, I got ripped off because the seller gave me three males. Maybe that's your problem?

 

[poultryhaven]

Nope they are definitely not all males. I know how to vent sex them when they are mature. The first 6 I got were 1 Male and 5 females. I just want some eggs!

 

[CoopCrazy]

They should be on gamebird feed or at the least supplimentend with cat food.. My buttons werent laying when I got them, but after switching to gamebird I get an egg a day everday...

 

[fishman65]

just throw cat food in blender and make a coturnix smoothie. Keep things warm and give them plenty of light. If no eggs after a couple weeks just walk by the quail pen with a piece of kentucky fried chicken and stop and look at the quail and smile. You will have eggs the next day!!

 

[JJMR794]

Quote:
Ok remember that coturnix are the lovers of perpetual sameness!!! Any changes will halt egg production. Now having said that they are game birds--- not laying hens. chicken feed does not have the proper nutrition. CHICKEN FEED + CAT FOOD/ KITTEN FOOD/ ANY TYPE OF FELINE OR CANINE FOOD---- DOES NOT HAVE PROPER NUTRITION! Theres way more to it than just protien--- and protiens also come in many types-- most of the protien in these foods is useless to and cannot be readily absorbed in quail! These foods readily cost 2 or 3 times more per portion than a standard good quality game bird formula. As well as the fact that buying a premade commercial food eliminates all the mad scientist vs emeril action out in the barn that simply creates more work and consumes more of your time! Yes feed them GAMEBIRD FEED. This change will in effect be a change to their perpetual sameness and further your lack of egg production for a short time. Once they acclimate to the change those lil hens will fire up start rippin out eggs. Also poultry haven since your down here with me.... I do break the perpetual sameness rule during the hottest months but what i do does not affect them as far as making them stop laying, it in fact bolsters their egg production--- vitamin c in their water fonts during the really hot and humid months--- every other day. The vitamin c helps them with heat stress and supports high egg production during times of heat stress in coturnix. The best way to manage coturnix is set them up the way they are going to be for eternity, let them accept this routine and then, CHANGE NOTHING forevermore.... (with your vitamin c being the only exception..)

 

[Plain_View_Farm]

We feed ours Purina Game Bird Layenna and get LOTS of eggs now that they started laying for the season.

David

 

[Bettacreek]

Coturnix are pretty undemanding. I had a set that were fed on 24% chick starter with no added calcium or protein, and they did just fine. Right now, I started this group on 20% chick starter and switched them over to 20% Purina game bird layena. I added lights, and they've started breeding and crowing. I expect eggs within 3 or so more days, so long as I can keep it drilled in the guys' heads to STOP TURNING THE LIGHT OUT! That's really where I think most of it comes from. You need light and unstressed birds. The only time I ever set my last set of coturnix off lay was when I tried weighing everyone and had to chase everyone throughout the house like a crazed idiot.