Hello quail friends

[hokiedokie]

Love it! My birds aren’t bothered by my dogs either. I just hatched 12 coturnix quail this week. One of them sure squeaks a lot. When do you start adding shells? Are there other options besides for oyster that people use?

My dog is bothered by them

Once quail are laying eggs, you can crush empty eggshells to feed back to them to reduce how much calcium (oyster shells*) are needed but shells don't provide 100% of what's needed for their diet. You don't give young birds extra calcium too early, I'm not sure the exact time other than studies like:

Mississippi State says calcium % is 0.85 for 0-6 wks; 0.65 after 6 wks for meat birds; and 2.75 after 6 wks for egg layers. There are other studies too. Check the "quail stickies" posts. If you hatch a not-hard egg then the diet might need more calcium too

*Limestone and other calcium alternatives like fresh veggies of kale and broccoli. It's best to offer it free choice to egg layers so they graze what they need

 

[hokiedokie]

Hello and welcome to BYC!

Congrats on the quail hatch, Coturnix are a fun breed to keep! I have a Soy allergy too, gotta read those labels on everything!

Make yourself at home here!

Thanks! You wrote the Coccidiosis article I saved before joining BYC! Great info, thanks

 

[dawn335]

My dog is bothered by them

Once quail are laying eggs, you can crush empty eggshells to feed back to them to reduce how much calcium (oyster shells*) are needed but shells don't provide 100% of what's needed for their diet. You don't give young birds extra calcium too early, I'm not sure the exact time other than studies like:

Mississippi State says calcium % is 0.85 for 0-6 wks; 0.65 after 6 wks for meat birds; and 2.75 after 6 wks for egg layers. There are other studies too. Check the "quail stickies" posts. If you hatch a not-hard egg then the diet might need more calcium too

*Limestone and other calcium alternatives like fresh veggies of kale and broccoli. It's best to offer it free choice to egg layers so they graze what they need

Thank you so much for all of the information! I just so happen to grow more kale than I can keep up with, so I will offer that to the bigger birds as an option too. I’m still new and making my way around the site. Love this place, so much great advice.

 

[Debbie292d]

Thank you so much for all of the information! I just so happen to grow more kale than I can keep up with, so I will offer that to the bigger birds as an option too. I’m still new and making my way around the site. Love this place, so much great advice.

My chickens LOVE kale. I either grab a bunch and hold it out while they munch or tear it up and toss it in the yard. We have ours fenced off so they can't get to it or they'd mow it down.