Feeding quail

[LayZ]

Hello,
I have a small flock of quails and I have been feeding them chicken layer feed because here in morocco we don't have quail feed, and it has only 16% protein in it. I did some reserch and found that quail need at least 26% protein to produce eggs.
I started giving them vitamin supplements twice a week two weeks ago.
I have 47 femals and they produce about 30 eggs a day.
Do I really need to add protein, if yes what can I add to their diet.
Thanks.

 

[The Birb King]

Mealworms are a good source of protein

 

[Acre4Me]

Mealworms are a good source of protein

Mealworms are also about 50% fat, so the excess fat can cause issues like fatty liver disease.

 

[Acre4Me]

Quail aren’t chickens, so here, in USA, I’ve used “gamebird feed” the nutrients and amino acids are different, along with protein level. It is good you are adding vitamins, but may need additional amino acids.

For protein, you can add any meat, chopped fine. Watch the sodium content, less/none is best. Fish food (yes, flake fish food) can be high in protein (not sure about salt content). Dry cat food is higher in protein, so you could crush some and add a bit of water (or not)- ok to give but only Small amounts as it isn’t quail food.

 

[LayZ]

Mealworms are a good source of protein

thanks for the advice

 

[LayZ]

Quail aren’t chickens, so here, in USA, I’ve used “gamebird feed” the nutrients and amino acids are different, along with protein level. It is good you are adding vitamins, but may need additional amino acids.

For protein, you can add any meat, chopped fine. Watch the sodium content, less/none is best. Fish food (yes, flake fish food) can be high in protein (not sure about salt content). Dry cat food is higher in protein, so you could crush some and add a bit of water (or not)- ok to give but only Small amounts as it isn’t quail food.

thanks for the advice, we don't have gamebird feed here, I guess cat food is the cheapest option but I've heard that it's bad for them, I've seen someone mentioning soybeen on the forum.
is the average of 30 eggs per day good or bad for 47 females ?
thanks alot

 

[Acre4Me]

thanks for the advice, we don't have gamebird feed here, I guess cat food is the cheapest option but I've heard that it's bad for them, I've seen someone mentioning soybeen on the forum.
is the average of 30 eggs per day good or bad for 47 females ?
thanks alot

I’d look more at a 7-10 day average. So, if you got 470 eggs in 10 days, that is awesome (but probably not happening). Otherwise, you’ll be looking to see trends up/down/steady. Laying varies somewhat due to time of year, age, and light exposure. When we had quail - in our garage by a north facing window, they just seemed to pump out the eggs.

30 eggs per day for 47 seems pretty good, but it does mean that 1/3 are not laying on any given day. You may have some that are not laying at all. Maybe separate into a few pens to see if you have lower/no producers. Over time, without proper nutrition they may lay less, so keeping track of production will help you to see when problems occur.

 

[LayZ]

I’d look more at a 7-10 day average. So, if you got 470 eggs in 10 days, that is awesome (but probably not happening). Otherwise, you’ll be looking to see trends up/down/steady. Laying varies somewhat due to time of year, age, and light exposure. When we had quail - in our garage by a north facing window, they just seemed to pump out the eggs.

30 eggs per day for 47 seems pretty good, but it does mean that 1/3 are not laying on any given day. You may have some that are not laying at all. Maybe separate into a few pens to see if you have lower/no producers. Over time, without proper nutrition they may lay less, so keeping track of production will help you to see when problems occur.

Thank you so much