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Hi JJ!
Aside from a ton of chickens, I have only a handful of button quail now. I intend to have a few more, once eggs set start hatching. So, an amount like this is WAY too much. I've been feeding my adult button's a mix of vita finch, purina game bird chow, + sprouted millet, teft, oats, and wheat and quinoa as a treat. They also get baby mealworms and pill bugs and cockraoches when I find them. Plus, they have the run of a planted dirt floor cockatiel aviary that's about 8X10 with lots of little palms, seed sproutlings and liriope grass to hide in.
I was planning on using Purina game bird starter for the chicks, spun a few times in the blender.
I'm new to the quail thing an am so happy I'm on BYC for advice.
One lady told me to buy Mazuri gamebird only. Jeez, it's expensive..
What's your advice/
#1 FOR BUTTON SPECIFIC INFO ASK QUAILLADY OR SHELLEY... WHILE I HAVE DONE "PIGMY'S" THEY WERE SIMPLY FOR PET STUFF AND MY EXPOSURE IS LIMITED, I CAN ANSWER MANY BASIC QUESTIONS BUT NOT IN DEPTH
#2 MAZURI IS PURINA, MUCH LIKE A AVALANCHE BY CHEVY IS A CADILAC ESCALADE... SAME FOLKS DIFFERENT NAME HIGHER PRICE TAG--- IF YOU LOOK INTO IT FAR ENOUGH YOU'LL SEE THAT MAZURI IS OWNED AND OPERATED BY PMI... AS IN "PURINA MILLS INC"
THE BIGGEST DIFFERENCE IS THE PURINA BRANDS ARE MANUFACTURED ALL OVER THE COUNTRY WHERE AS THE MAZURI BRAND IS ONLY MADE IN ST LOUIS AT MISSION CONTROL AND SHIPPED ALL OVER (GUESS THEY DONT WANT TO SEND THE RIGHT BAGS TO ALL THE MILLS???)
IN MY EXPERIENCE LATE JUVENILE AND ADULTS IN BUTTONS CAN AND WILL EAT STANDARD PURINA CRUMBLE SIZE WITHOUT ANY PROBLEMS, BUT YES THE LIL FUZZIES NEED IT GROUND FINER
PERSONALLY I AM NOT A FAN OF PLAYING MAD SCIENTIST FIXING DINER FOR BIRDS... I SIMPLY HAVE TOO MANY TO SPEND MORE TIME ON EACH INDIVIDUAL SPECES MAKING THEIR DINNER THAN I DO ON MINE.. WHICH WHEN I AM BACHELOR MODE 1/2 THE WEEK, GETS DUMPED OUT OF A CAN AND NUKED FOR 2 MINUTES APPROX 80% OF THE TIME
THE REMAINING 20% IS LEFT OVERS FROM WHERE I HAD THE KIDS AND DID ACTUALLY COOK...
ASIDE FROM MY PERSON TIME CONSTRAINTS I DO NOTE THAT IT IS EASY TO SPOIL THE LIL BOOGERS AND ALSO CAUSE A MALNUTRITION BY IN EFFECT CAUSING A PROTIEN DEFICIENCY OR STARVE OUT, THEY ARE HIGH PERFORMANCE MACHINES AND THEIR FUEL IS PROTIEN. YOU DONT WANT TO DUMP DIESEL FUEL IN YOUR HIGH TECH SUPER DUPER LAMBOURGHINI--- BAD THINGS WILL HAPPEN! SAME CAN BE TRUE TO AN EXTENT WITH MANY GAMEBIRD SPECES, SO JUST KEEP IN MIND VOLUMES AND USEFUL VS GARBAGE CONTENTS OF WHAT YOU OFFER THEM... THE GIRLS ARE PIGMY GURU'S AND CAN BETTER ADVISE YOU ON SPECIFICS THAN I CAN