Feeding chickens and ducks feed meant for quail/game?

[Cazook]

I have chickens, ducks and a few quail. Getting a 20kg bag of feed just for quail means it will be out of date before they reach the end of the bag. The quails are just about to come into lay so need their quail laying pellet. I wonder if I can also feed this to laying chickens and ducks? Is there any nutritional difference? It is advertised as "game feed - quail and partridge layer pellet - 17%"

Thanks

 

[Bird_Lover_17]

I wouldn't give game feed to chickens and ducks.
Give game feed to quail and partridge , and layer feed to ducks/ chickens.

 

[NatJ]

I have chickens, ducks and a few quail. Getting a 20kg bag of feed just for quail means it will be out of date before they reach the end of the bag. The quails are just about to come into lay so need their quail laying pellet. I wonder if I can also feed this to laying chickens and ducks? Is there any nutritional difference? It is advertised as "game feed - quail and partridge layer pellet - 17%"

I would expect it to be fine for chickens, and I don't know about ducks.

You might also be able to feed chicken food or duck food to the quail, if you don't want to have too many kinds of feed.

Baby quail apparently need much higher protein than baby chickens & ducks, but the layer food you're discussing for adult quail is about the same protein content that's recommended for adult chickens & ducks.

 

[Dephora]

Some feeds can be fed to Quail and chickens...and other game birds. It will say on the bag.Look for the words "multi-flock" or "all in one". My local mill has a game bird layer/chicken layer feed. The main difference is that game birds need more protein than chickens, at any age. I feed my chickens a higher protien because I do a duel feed, but never have had issues. In fact everyone has always had great feathers.
https://shop.grangecoop.com/products/rogue-quality-feeds-all-in-one-poultry-feed-25lb-93684.html
Blue seal feed also has duel feed. But that would be hard to get if you don't live on the east coast.

Are these layer quail? If you are doing meat Quail I don't think you will find many duel feeds. For extra help, this article goes into what vitamin requirement to look for depending on what you are doing with your quail, if you find a chicken feed that matches that, well even better. https://www.thepoultrysite.com/articles/feeding-quail

 

[Cazook]

Yes, laying quail. Though I still don't know their sex, lol. Probably end up with all males somehow which will make this endeavour pointless

A lot of the multi feeds advertise as "and ornamental poultry" which I've been advised include game birds/quail/bantam chickens?

The ducks have always been on chicken feed (though they get more wheat + corn) except getting brewer's yeast when they were younger due to the niacin thing. From what info I can find there's not much difference in nutrition requirements of chickens and quail except the quail's higher protein requirement. They're still on the medicated 27% (very annoying since I can't give it to the layer chickens). Not going to be feeding chickens 100% quail food, it's more for a small addition just so I can get to the end of the bag before the 'best before' date.

Quail layer pellet = 19.5%
Chicken/gamebird pellet = 16-17% (not actually on layer feed atm due to new batch still growing. plenty of oyster shell around though, and since it's winter hours they're barely laying anyway). Add wheat and corn to lower the protein % since I don't want them to grow too fast and get funky legs or whatever.

 

[NatJ]

Not going to be feeding chickens 100% quail food, it's more for a small addition just so I can get to the end of the bag before the 'best before' date.

Quail layer pellet = 19.5%
Chicken/gamebird pellet = 16-17%

It should be fine to feed that to the chickens & ducks.

 

[larrynflo2004]

I have chickens, ducks and a few quail. Getting a 20kg bag of feed just for quail means it will be out of date before they reach the end of the bag. The quails are just about to come into lay so need their quail laying pellet. I wonder if I can also feed this to laying chickens and ducks? Is there any nutritional difference? It is advertised as "game feed - quail and partridge layer pellet - 17%"

Thanks

I just called my local feed store to ask what kind of feed can I transition my young ducks into and he recommended “quail” feed, yes you heard me right a wild game bird feed is given to ducks!! Each different person has their own ideas for what they feed on their farms but yes “quail wild game bird” feed is given to ducks. The man said they can’t keep it on the shelves because they buy it up for ducks. God Bless

 

[NatJ]

I just called my local feed store to ask what kind of feed can I transition my young ducks into and he recommended “quail” feed, yes you heard me right a wild game bird feed is given to ducks!! Each different person has their own ideas for what they feed on their farms but yes “quail wild game bird” feed is given to ducks. The man said they can’t keep it on the shelves because they buy it up for ducks. God Bless

The feed might be labeled for ducks or quail or chickens or turkeys, but it is pretty much all made from the same ingredients. The different kinds have a bit more of one ingredient or another, to make it have more or less protein, or different amounts of one or another vitamin or mineral. But as long as you check the protein level and any special nutrients (like niacin for ducks), it does not really matter what kind of bird is named on the label.

yes you heard me right a wild game bird feed is given to ducks!!

Ducks are not really any more domesticated than quail. There are wild forms of each, and domesticated forms of each.