Help! Getting 6-7 week old Cortunix next week have questions

[mckeesbackyard]

I am getting a cage tower made & 18 6-7 week-old cots (different breed subsets, 3 males, 15 females with 1:5 ratio in a 4x2 hold each).The breeder I'm getting them from said she feeds them regular chicken layer feed. I've read that quails need more protein. Should I change to gamebird feed with higher protein content? Also, I live in a colder part of the state & I will be putting them outdoors in our fenced in area--what should I be aware of temperature-wise? Basically what should I expect the first week of moving them? I know some have said they'll stop laying due to the move for some time..?

 

[veggiecanner]

The person I bought mine from fed regular lay mash too. I feed game bird layer mash which is 20%.
either way they need extra oyster shell. you need to gring it smaller for them.

 

[mckeesbackyard]

Ok, free feed on the oyster shell? And I heard you can use a coffee grinder to o that? Also what temperature is ideal for them?

 

[veggiecanner]

By 6 weeks they don't need to be in a brooder, if that's what your asking.

 

[mckeesbackyard]

I found Nature Wise Gamebird Feed at 22% here at CAL Ranch, was wondering if I could keep them on that feed even when they start laying & supplement with meal worms & oyster shell? Do quails need grit even if I will give them an area with sand fir dust bathing? Also when you say mash (they didn't have any at the store except pellets & crumbles) do you mean ground crumbles using a cofee grinder then kinda wet with water?

 

[Sycamore27]

That feed will be okay if that's all you have available in your area. If you intend to breed them I would find something higher protein for the chicks to feed through about 6 weeks old, or start a mealworm/BSF colony to supplement protein that way.
They will get the grit they need from their sand bath generally and won't need grit fed in addition to their oyster shell. Unless they are eating lots of whole seeds and plant matter they won't need much grit anyway.

Mash is similar to crumbles, if I recall correctly it just comes ground a little finer. Depending on just how course the crumbles are for the brand you're buying they shouldn't need to be ground any small except for in the case of new chicks. Of course the mill that makes what I get locally makes it too course so I do have to run it through the blender for a few seconds.

As far as heat goes they should be fine up to freezing, once it gets that cold it's a good idea to cover any wire floors with straw or hay to keep their feet warm as that's the biggest way birds lose warmth. Having a way to run a heat lamp to them would only be needed if it gets into the teens in your area I believe.

If the birds are laying already they will likely stop for a week or so after they are moved until they get settled, though you may see a few eggs the first couple days before they halt. Keep the oyster shell available free feed on the side and try to forget you're waiting for eggs, seems to be the best way to start getting them.

Cheers,
Jessie

 

[mckeesbackyard]

Thanks for all the good information! I wanted to ask you what kind of high-protein feed you guys use..? I've heard some would use turkey feed or all-flock or gamebird. But modt of the ones I found here have less than 20%. Any particular brand you'd recommend & aside from melworms & mashed boiled eggs what else can you give adult cots to increase protein in their diet?

 

[Kirtus]

Purina's Game Bird Startina is what a lot of people use.
Not sure the picture is correct but the link it is attached to definitely takes you to the Purina sites startina page.

 

[Sycamore27]

What I use is a locally milled game bird... starter I think. I seem to have ripped the tag off to put it some where safe and forgotten where that safe place was... Anyway, it is 28% protein and I had to go out to my home town, a farming community, to get it but they did have it regularly stocked.

Purina Game Bird Startena is 30% and tends to be the easiest thing to find, however the image above is the bag that all of their game bird chows come in, you will have to read the tags to see if it is maintenance, flight conditioner, or startena. If you're lucky they stack them separately but some places with lower demand will just pile all varieties together and you have to check the whole stack.

Turkey starter would be the highest protein turkey food and would be the one likely to be high enough for quail. If you've seen game bird flight conditioner or maintenance food at feed stores in your area, especially the Purina brand ones, then they can order starter for you. Depending how high volume they are it may take a long time to come in and you will have to make do with something else for a while. In my area I found small bags of Manna Pro Show and Game Bird food, I believe that was 24%, and I made due with that until I could get to the other feed store outside the city.

Outside of meal worms and egg you can get BSF at some pet store or attract the native population to a colony of your own design, you can find discussions about that here in both the quail and chicken forums. I have also heard of success with using commercial fish food, like the sort for catfish farming, mixed with lower protein chicken food. If I recall correctly if you're using equal parts of different items to mix a diet you add up the protein content of each and then divide the sum by the number of items mixed. For example if you mixed five pounds of 20% protein chick starter and five pounds of 32% protein game fish chow the resulting feed would be 26% protein, which would be perfectly suitable.

Cheers,
Jessie

 

[mckeesbackyard]

Jessie,
These are great information you're imparting. Thanks for taking the time to share your knowledge. I found out my feed store does carry the Purina Startena I was looking in the wrong isle! So feed that from when they hatch until adulthood? I've also read some discussions on the BSF (I call them the helpful flies). I might start something like that. Can quails eat scrap food like chickens? If I were given the chance to pick adult birds, what should I be looking for? All males can be together like let's say if I want a group just for the table & another group of just all females for the eggs..?