Feeding button quail - need to jerry rig something!

[AngeJD]

Hi all, I have 2 dozen button quail incubating and expected to hatch in about 8-9 days, and I have been looking everywhere for gamebird starter. I'm in the city, and the nearest feed store is about 1.5 hours away and won't ship, since it's a 50lb bag. I was able to find an online store willing to ship, but the cost to ship it was $40, double what the bag of feed actually cost!

Reading up on the protein requirements, I was able to find unmedicated chick pre-starter crumbles (in smaller bags that qualify for free shipping) that are supposed to be fed to chicks for the first week, and is 23%. At my local pet store, they have "egg protein food" for budgies, canaries, etc. that is to be used as a supplement - has dried and powdered egg in it, honey, flax, hemp, and other seeds/grains in it that are husked.

Would I be able to mix the 23% pre-starter crumble with some of the egg protein food (which is 17%), and get away with feeding this to the button quail when they hatch? I was actually debating using the 23% for the adults as well.

Thank you in advance!

 

[AngeJD]

For reference, this is the pre-starter: https://www.mrpets.ca/main/natural-harvest-step-1-23-poultry-pre-starter-crumbles-3kg.html

And this is the egg food: https://www.mondou.com/en-CA/p-read...anaries-tropical-european-finches-1kg/1004699

 

[Ravenlover]

Hi all, I have 2 dozen button quail incubating and expected to hatch in about 8-9 days, and I have been looking everywhere for gamebird starter. I'm in the city, and the nearest feed store is about 1.5 hours away and won't ship, since it's a 50lb bag. I was able to find an online store willing to ship, but the cost to ship it was $40, double what the bag of feed actually cost!

Reading up on the protein requirements, I was able to find unmedicated chick pre-starter crumbles (in smaller bags that qualify for free shipping) that are supposed to be fed to chicks for the first week, and is 23%. At my local pet store, they have "egg protein food" for budgies, canaries, etc. that is to be used as a supplement - has dried and powdered egg in it, honey, flax, hemp, and other seeds/grains in it that are husked.

Would I be able to mix the 23% pre-starter crumble with some of the egg protein food (which is 17%), and get away with feeding this to the button quail when they hatch? I was actually debating using the 23% for the adults as well.

Thank you in advance!

Which ever feed you go with make sure to crush or blend it up for the new born buttons

 

[Nabiki]

23% protein is pretty low for button quail chicks. It's okay for adults, but not for chicks. Have you checked chewy.com or amazon.com? You should be able to find something appropriate for them.

 

[Tankueray]

No Amazon option for you up there? Purina packages their 30% game bird starter in 5lb bags if you can find somewhere that will ship it to you. Here's a locator (they call it Startena in Canada) https://multipurina.ca/en/locate-a-retailer

You can use this calculator to determine if your protein percentages will be correct: https://www.metzerfarms.com/FeedConversion.cfm?affiliate=undef&CustID=28644824 You may be able to mix your own feed based on the grains listed at the bottom if they're easier to find.

The fat content of that egg food is pretty high, most "pet bird" foods are that way because they load them with seed, and it's actually bad for the pet birds too.

Generally with ducklings, you can get away with unmedicated chick starter as long as you boost the protein with something on that metzer list, like rolled oats or alfalfa (your pet store should have alfalfa cubes for hamsters), and add in the specific vitamins ducks need like niacin (in the form of an injectable cattle solution or brewer's yeast).

So I suggest taking the chick starter (turkey starter would be better) and adding in only the other specific things you need to. Something to boost the protein and a powdered vitamin/mineral supplement (from the pet store bird aisle) should be sufficient. Use a coffee grinder to get it blended and small enough. (Don't get too heavy with millet or other fatty seeds or mealworms or other high protein/high fat bugs.)

Something else you may be able to do is contact your local zoo and find out whether their supplier would be willing to ship you a 50lb bag in their next shipment, or what they use if they mix their own feed.

 

[Tankueray]

If you need some specific vitamin/minerals, I have an old feed mixing book that lists values for different common feed ingredients.

 

[AngeJD]

23% protein is pretty low for button quail chicks. It's okay for adults, but not for chicks. Have you checked chewy.com or amazon.com? You should be able to find something appropriate for them.

I'm in Canada and they won't ship

 

[AngeJD]

I have regular unmedicated chick starter that I add nutritional yeast and brewers yeast in for my ducklings, but game bird starter is impossible to find. I could find turkey starter at 26% but only medicated, and I'd have to drive 3 hours round trip for it. I'm debating just sucking it up and spending the $40 on shipping.

Someone had told me to add bone meal or soy meal to the 23% chick starter, but again, 50 lb bags that is pick up only...

I may need to add a vitamin supplement instead as suggested, and add scrambled eggs to their feed instead.

 

[Tankueray]

I think it would behoove you to make the drive and get the food you really want, and pick up a couple of bags of duck food while you're there too, they start to go through it fast. You're not going to be able to afford the shipping or order enough small bags to keep up with their food needs unless you figure something else out.

 

[Tankueray]

Bone meal and soy meal are cheap ways of adding protein, but they're not good ways nutritionally. I would only use bone meal to add phosphorus and find a better quality protein.