making your own feed?

[firefowl]

Having trouble sourcing feed locally that is suitable for quails. Currently use chicken feed which works but they would probably produce more eggs with higher protein. So what components typically make up quail feed? Specifically what accounts for the high protein content? And what other components are required for a balanced diet?

 

[HeritageGoose13]

It can be done. There is a recipe somewhere on this site but I cannot find it. You might also want to look into growing fodder for quail and fermenting feed.

 

[kingmt]

The biggest problem with chick feed is most of it is medicated. Fermented fresh feed is way higher in protein but I'm not sure if fermenting dry feed increases protein. That just doesn't seen posable but probably does change the feed to something their system can process better. You can supplement your feed with cat food to boost the protein.

 

[HeritageGoose13]

I found this online, it's meant for chickens but I think you could tinker with it or supplement the protein somehow.

Homemade Chicken Feed

4 parts soft white wheat
3 parts hard red wheat
2 parts sunflower seeds
1 part hulled barley
1 part millet
1 part oat groats
1 part split peas
1/2 part fish meal
1/2 part flax seeds
1/2 part kelp

 

[thegawd]

I feed Purina Gamebird startena 30% up until the coturnix are 7 weeks then switch right to Purina Gambird Layena 20% to my layers, extra males are fed scratch mixed with turkey finisher for another couple weeks until processed. I get an egg a day from every hen, fertility and hatch rate is darn near 100%. I breed the James Marie Jumbo line and the Texas A&M coturnix aswell as California Valley Quail.

A wise man once told me, "let the experts make the feed, theres many years of research behind them."

check the Purina website for a local dealer, thats how I finally found a source for it here. theres lots of Purina distributers and they dont always carry it in stock but can order it in for you.

 

[HeritageGoose13]

You can't get purina in some places.

 

[thegawd]

that mix has no animal protein in it... quail need animal protein for optimum health... and with there small beaks that would have to be ground up VERY fine... when I was looking into making my own quail feed the best recipe I could find was for turkeys and I think it was out of a storeys guide to raising turkeys... check that one out if your guna make your own.

 

[HeritageGoose13]

that mix has no animal protein in it... quail need animal protein for optimum health... and with there small beaks that would have to be ground up VERY fine... when I was looking into making my own quail feed the best recipe I could find was for turkeys and I think it was out of a storeys guide to raising turkeys... check that one out if your guna make your own.

yes, thats why i said it needs to be tinkered with. although isnt fish meal animal protein?

 

[thegawd]

oh yeah... it is LOL.

 

[HeritageGoose13]

Do you or anyone know what the kelp is for? I see it in a lot of chicken feed recipes and am wondering what it is for and what could be used as a substitute.