Organic Quail

[BackyardFarmMom]

Does anyone make their own quail feed? I want a good recipe to feed my babies as natural as possible while providing enough protein.

Do you supplement with shell for calcium as with chickens?

What kitchen scraps do your quail prefer?

I am expecting chicks in May. I believe they will be cots.

Is there an organic feed that you most recommend?

I ask because we have a friend that wants some of the eggs and he is on a very strict diet. He eats only organic due to health issues.

What are your opinions on keeping a few quail indoors? They will be allowed roam time outside during the day, but I have a ton of raccoons around my house and am afraid to keep them out at night.

What is a good wire to keep out coons and red squirrels that won't rust? How tall do I have to make a fence or should it always be covered?


Thank you for your help!

 

[TwoCrows]

Does anyone make their own quail feed? I want a good recipe to feed my babies as natural as possible while providing enough protein.

Do you supplement with shell for calcium as with chickens? Offer up oyster shell when the females begin to lay.

What kitchen scraps do your quail prefer? Quail love greens, veggies, sliced apples, peaches, grains, seeds, hard boiled eggs..similar to what chickens will eat.

I am expecting chicks in May. I believe they will be cots.

Is there an organic feed that you most recommend? When you find someone with a recipe, please let ME know as I am always looking to feed my birds a more natural diet. LOL

I ask because we have a friend that wants some of the eggs and he is on a very strict diet. He eats only organic due to health issues.

What are your opinions on keeping a few quail indoors? They will be allowed roam time outside during the day, but I have a ton of raccoons around my house and am afraid to keep them out at night. You can not freerange quail ever. If you keep them outside they must be kept in pens, cages or an aviary style set up. If one escapes, you may never catch it. As far as indoor quail, they make huge dust and dander however many folks do keep a few as pets indoors.

What is a good wire to keep out coons and red squirrels that won't rust? How tall do I have to make a fence or should it always be covered? Again, no freeranging. You need to use 1/4 inch hardware cloth and build something that is 100% varmint proof. Once you have build something, build over it again. The night time critters have a TON of time on their hands and will dig, climb, rip and destroy things to get at quail. So build it like Fort Knox. Oh, and good luck with your new babies!


Thank you for your help!

 

[BackyardFarmMom]

Thank you
That gets a few things out of the way

I will build a closed top run. Depending on how many I get, they will either come inside at night or be locked in a coop.

I will be getting them from a teacher that plans on incubating eggs in the class room! So I am not sure how many I can expect yet!!! I hope it is no too many!
I do hear there is a funny sickness going around called chicken math, though

My mom had ducks and we had a case of "duck math" for a few years!!

 

[BackyardFarmMom]

Okay, new question...
Can I make them too fat by feeding them too many mealworms and things of that yummy sort?
How would I know if they were getting too fat?

 

[TwoCrows]

Feed them a high percentage gamebird food, somewhere between 24% and 28% protein. Meal worms won't make them fat. Too many oily seeds might make them fat. Just as you would chickens, they need to eat their regular food most of the time and treats are occasional.

I offer my quail greens every day. I never miss a day giving them snap peas in the pod or greens of some sort. Not only do they love the stuff, but these are the things they would eat in the wild. During breeding season the females especially go nuts for meal worms and I also offer them up a handful a day of them.

Birds should be relatively slim and you should be able to feel their keel or breast bone. If the breast bone starts to disappear then you know they are getting fat. I have never had a fat quail, at least nothing that endangered their lives. So I don't think you need to worry about that.

Treats are fine if once a day and just enjoy your quail! Again, no free ranging and be careful not to lose one if you are transporting them from an inside enclosure to an outside one. If they escape the chances of getting them back are near zero.