good and not good foods/plants for coturnix quail?

[ohiogoatgirl]

i am hoping to be as self sufficient as possible. i am looking into coturnix quail for a bit and they seem to fit my needs. i was wondering what i might be able to grow or harvest to feed them myself. i understand they need lots of protien,etc so i am not expecting to be able to feed them completely without a bought ration. but every little bit helps.

corn- can they eat it? i'm thinkin yes because i am readin that people start or grow them completely on chicken/turkey starter/mash. what would be best for them, indian corn that will be cracked or sweet corn cut from the cob and dried? (dried so it will store a bit so i could have some in the winter though i could feed it on the cob for them to peck at i suppose in the summer). and i say indian corn because that is what i have seed to grow.

sunflower seed- i have alot of seed saved from last years garden and i want to try planting some black seeds from the birdseed bags i buy (i feed them to the rabbits) and see how they grow. the seed i have saved up isnt black. its black/grey/white striped seeds. not sure of the name of the packet it was from. i would also crack these to feed them.

what other foods can they have? any that are harmful or poisonous? other then avocado. which is the onlyt hing i have read anywhere that is poisonous to quail...
any garden plants or wild plants that i could harvest?

thanks!

 

[mossypath]

One of the supplements I have been looking at besides bugs is duckweed.
Info to start your search is at http://www.microponics.net.au/?cat=18
I hope this decision will take off because a lot of Quail people reasons for the birds is to find alternatives to relying so heavily on the food, feed chain we are all so relent on.
I will add more when I can spend the time on it.
GOOD TOPIC.

 

[ohiogoatgirl]

thanks. i will be lookin at that more in depth later when i have more time. but that seems to be very good for animal feed. high protien is great. especially since i was worried that in a home grown feed mix i would be lacking in protien.

 

[ohiogoatgirl]

alrighty... more thoughts on foods:

amaranth- can they eat it? can they eat the sprouts?

quinoa- can they eat it or the sprouts?

sprouts- any that they cant or shouldnt eat? am thinkin this could be very good for a natural diet as quail came about from running about and eating seeds of grasses anyway. so things like amaranth, quinoa, wheat, oats, barley, milo, millet, etc

duckweed- i think we may have some naturally growing in some old stock tanks and troughs. is it just an algea or does it have to be the round leaf looking stuff? i know we have algea growing! lol... what is the protien content on this? anyone know?

worms- doe they eat regular worms or only mealworms? could you have like a mealworm growing bin like you would any other type of worm bin? or do mealworms require some other type of care? this is have not looked up any info on yet.

thanks

 

[ohiogoatgirl]

so i'm back to being a bird brain

new thoughts, buy something like this 16% protein crumble and in addition feed:
cracked sunflower seed (more in winter to keep em fat and warm in our ohio winter weather)
lots of duckweed (anyone feed this? anyone know if dried or fresh is better or liked more by quail?)
worms (just regular ol yard worms collected and kept up by me)
apples (slices as goodies from a few wild trees on the farm)
pumpkin/squash (as goodies and mostly to keep em fat in winter)

i would be growing these added things. working on the duckweed "pond" and worm bins but wont be able to grow sunflowers until next year :/ but i could feed store bought seed this winter if i get them by then.

 

[Doriss]

alrighty... more thoughts on foods:

amaranth- can they eat it? can they eat the sprouts?

quinoa- can they eat it or the sprouts?

sprouts- any that they cant or shouldnt eat? am thinkin this could be very good for a natural diet as quail came about from running about and eating seeds of grasses anyway. so things like amaranth, quinoa, wheat, oats, barley, milo, millet, etc

duckweed- i think we may have some naturally growing in some old stock tanks and troughs. is it just an algea or does it have to be the round leaf looking stuff? i know we have algea growing! lol... what is the protien content on this? anyone know?

worms- doe they eat regular worms or only mealworms? could you have like a mealworm growing bin like you would any other type of worm bin? or do mealworms require some other type of care? this is have not looked up any info on yet.

thanks

Not too much mealworm due to the high fat content.

 

[Doriss]

Not too much mealworm due to the high fat content.

Earthworms contain gape worms, a parasite.

 

[Doriss]

"Quinoa:

Saponins and oxalic acid[edit]​

In their natural state, the seeds have a coating that contains bitter-tasting saponins, making them unpalatable.[12][24] Most of the grain sold commercially has been processed to remove this coating. This bitterness has beneficial effects during cultivation, as it deters birds and therefore, the plant requires minimal protection.[25] The genetic control of bitterness involves quantitative inheritance.[24] Although lowering the saponin content through selective breeding to produce sweeter, more palatable varieties is complicated by ≈10% cross-pollination,[26] it is a major goal of quinoa breeding programs, which may include genetic engineering.[24]

The toxicity category rating of the saponins in quinoa treats them as mild eye and respiratory irritants and as a low gastrointestinal irritant.[21][27] In South America, these saponins have many uses, including as a detergent for clothing and washing, and as a folk medicine antiseptic for skin injuries.[21]

Additionally, the leaves and stems of all species of the genus Chenopodium and related genera of the family Amaranthaceae contain high levels of oxalic acid.[28]"_ Wiki

 

[Blue Penguin]

I've been wondering what to plant in my soon to be new quail house. I got some bok choy growing already in a pot and some spinach. Thought of grapes and tomatoes, but I read tomato leaves were harmful to quails if they eat them.

 

[Nabiki]

I've been wondering what to plant in my soon to be new quail house. I got some bok choy growing already in a pot and some spinach. Thought of grapes and tomatoes, but I read tomato leaves were harmful to quails if they eat them.

Tomato leaves are definitely harmful. They can probably eat the tomatoes, but I would keep the portions down or skip them entirely. The other plants you list would be fine.