Loquat fruit bad to quail?

[PortugalBreeder]

I have "tons" of excess loquat fruits, are they good for quail to eat?

 

[Rozzie]

That's a fairly unusual fruit to most people in the US and Canada. I don't think you'll find a lot of people who can help you with that specific fruit and any knowledge of toxicity for it.

However, I suggest that you stick primarily to a diet of non-medicated game bird starter. If that is not available where you live, use turkey starter, also non-medicated. If nothing suitable is available in the region or country where you live, use non-medicated chicken feed, but supplement by adding appropriate amounts of soybean meal to bring it up to the proper level of protein. (Others here can help you determine the amounts based on what is available where you live.) Small quantities of mealworms are also good for grown quail. Do not feed mealworms or other live food to babies as they can start confusing toes and mealworms and peck off the toes of the other birds in the pen -- or even of themselves.

Feeding anything else to your birds will take their dietary protein levels down to an insufficient level, and effect your birds negatively. They also may not get their full range of nutrients.

Folks: When you answer this, please remember that this poster may not be in the U.S. Look at the user name, Portugal Breeder. He/she may not have access to the same feed that many of us have in the U.S.

 

[Rozzie]

Confirmed. This poster is in Portugal, not the US.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?pid=6033442#p6033442

Feed availability will probably be very different from what we have here in the U.S.

 

[7L Farm]

Loquat grows all over in Texas . Its a citrus like Kiwi. I'm not sure about nutritional value for birds how ever for human consumption their tasty.

 

[MobyQuail]

We eat them here in Florida. I had a tree outside the house, I had to be fast or the neighborhood kids would eat them. squirrels eat them, don't remember alot of birds going for them, but we do have a wild cherry tree the birds hammer each fall.

I read that they are high in Pectin, like cherries and apples. - http://www.crfg.org/pubs/ff/loquat.html

The loquat is comparable to the apple in many aspects, with a high sugar, acid and pectin content. It is eaten as a fresh fruit and mixes well with other fruits in fresh fruit salads or fruit cups. Firm, slightly immature fruits are best for making pies or tarts. The fruits are also commonly used to make jam, jelly and chutney, and are delicious poached in light syrup. Loquats can also be used to make wine.

Then I researched "Pectin and animals" and came up with this. http://healthhubs.net/heartdisease/pectin-reduces-cholesterol-levels-heart-disease-risk/

where I read this.

Another study, published in the Journal of Nutrition, found that a diet consisting of 7% pectin reduced blood cholesterol levels in rats by 27% and liver cholesterol levels by 17%. The researchers believe the reduction in serum cholesterol is caused by an increase in the excretion of bile acid in the body which in turn stimulates the production of bile acid in the liver. Bile acid is produced from cholesterol so an increase in bile acid production leads to a decrease in cholesterol stores. The rats on the pectin diet experienced a 168% increase in fecal bile acid secretion.

just info for "discussion", not a defensible theory by me- just yet.

TD​

 

[welasharon]

My hens were fighting over some yesterday that had fallen out of the tree. They are still alive so I guess they can eat them. I have a bumper crop this year too!
sharon

 

[JJMR794]

Quote:
KIWI IS A BERRY, NOT CITRUS

 

[MobyQuail]

"loquats" are known as japanese plums. and here it does say the "seeds" are toxic.- http://www.pickyourown.org/unusualfruits.htm

and "kumquats" are in the citrus family.

we have both here in gville, threw me for a bit.

TD

 

[welasharon]

Mine leave the seeds but love the fruit. I hope I have as good a crop of kumquats this year as the blooms indicated.
sharon

 

[JJMR794]

Yes Most Common Here In The States That Would Even Come Close To Loquats Would Be Something Like Persimons Or Maybe Crab Apples?? Not Even Sure If They Are In The Same Type Of Family?? But That Would Be The Closest 2 Things I Could Think Of