Problems getting feed...found 24%

[Sushi]

This might be controversial to some on here, but I live in the city and have a hard time getting out to a feed supply store. I use dry cat food or premium puppy food. It's usually somewhere between 27-33% protein. I also use mashed up hard boiled egg yoke. For those that live in the city, a lot of body builders eat nothing but egg whites and throw out the yolks. Its worth the time to put a flyer up on the bulletin board at the gym looking for their discarded egg yolks. Just have them throw them into a ziplock bag and into their freezer and pick em up once a week from them. Free for you, and no guilt about throwing out good food for them.

 

[Sushi]

Oh, also, I've bought beta food for my button quails. It's mostly fish meal and the pellets are really tiny.

 

[Buttercup Chillin]

First to hatch: Yes they have Dumor. How can I put this. I walked right past it, unseeing, really. It actually never occured to me to look and see what they had in that line. It might as well not even have been there. My mind did not accept it as a solution. Strange.

I tried Dumor for my chickens a few years ago. They were dull and had no color, they did not grow well. Actually I still have a couple of the hens from that batch, because they are sweeties. They are very small compared to their daughters and others that I have had and do have. The later birds being raised on Lonestar Brand.

I switched to Lonestar Brand ( local in Texas, I think) and have been very very happy with it. But right now, there is a problem getting it. I prefer it over Purina feeds. But when it comes to the Quail, I have had a devil of a time getting the Lonestar Gamebird feed unless a larger breeder was also ordering. (My first hatch there was a breeder raising a large hatch of Blue Scales).

Evidently that goes for the Purina Gamebird also, cause they didn't have any of that either and they usually get that in. Like I said I bought the last bag they had 2 weeks ago. I tell you it is a shock, to go into your feed store after you know the truck has come in and the floor is still practically bare. You look up at the front of the store and the cashier is cringing, cause she knows about your order and she knows your a regular and your in there every week for feed or seed. And she has to explain why they don't have any food for your flock. I let her off easy, its not her fault.

If I had no other choice I would get the Dumor or make up my own recipe from what I could get and settle for smaller quail or try to grow them out longer. I raise the Jumbo Quail for ourselves not to sell. But they are hungry babies, this hatch eats all the time. I think they really need that high Protein and they are going to get it.

But I also have the same problem for my Ducks and Chickens, no feed at the store. I breed Sicilian Buttercups, I don't want to buy Dumor for them again. I don't know, maybe because of the heat and humidity here, it just doesn't work out so well for me. Buttercups should be bright, colorful and full bodied, not dull and skinny. I believe the feed is very important at the baby stage, just like kids.

I got a few bags of the Nutrina to last a week with what I have in case my order still doesn't come in. If not, I'll drive a few miles and try out the Nutrina for a month if I can't get Lonestar for all of my birds. At least I know now that they carry Gamebird feed all the time and I won't have to order it.

I just can't keep switching them around, every time I get feed its a different brand. This is crazy. It stresses me out to no end every time I hatch anything. This is the first time ever I have not been able to get at least grower feed.

 

[First To Hatch]

Quote:
If I start raising quail again I'm going to try and get my TSC to order this for me http://www.wildlife.purinamills.com/products/ECMD2-0017382.aspx but thats after I make sure its not to expensive lol. But I've thought about the simple dumor 24% with raw peanuts and black oil sunflower seeds but that'll prolly just end up costing the same as this.

 

[shelleyd2008]

Quote:
I have not noticed any size difference in mine from feeding them the 20% feed, they just take a little longer to get to full size

ETA: I feed ALL my babies the 20% feed: Ducks, geese, quail, chickens, turkeys, guineas, pheasants...they all do well on it

 

[Buttercup Chillin]

First to hatch: that Purina is what I have them on now. They are out and none came in, because they were ordering my Lonestar they probably didn't order this one. I actually like Lonestar better. But this Purina Startena is good and it is cheaper than the Lonestar. But they are out and no one else close around here carries it.

Shelleyd: I'll keep that in mind. I did try 1 bag of Flockraiser once around the 1st of this year (when TSC started carrying it) and it was almost completely yellow. The chickens loved it. The ducks ignored it. They really are picky, aren't they? The chickens thought it was candy. They went crazy for it. Their reaction actually scared me off of it. (Worse than ducks with peas). I was afraid it was mostly corn or something it was so yellow I couldn't see how it could have that much protein. Is yours really yellow? Just trying it once, I might have gotten a bottom of the batch bag or something. But I would try it for the flock. It is cheaper than the Nutrena that I found, cheaper by $2.50 a bag. But right now everyone is out of it. Right now it is not an option.

Is there a problem with feed grains right now? Or distribution or something? Cause its not just Lonestar Brand.
.

 

[Buttercup Chillin]

Sushi: I have all the eggs I will ever need to give even my 100 quail. Of coarse my neighbor won't like my giving the eggs I would have sold her to my quail but that's life. But thanks for the heads up on the beta food. I used to have Ciclids and fish food might work to add protein. Only thing is it has added salt that might be to much for quail.

I remember giving some left over fish food (when a hurricane got rid of all my fish) to chicken chicks and they all got sick, I lost a few before I got things back under control. Could have been something else though. I don't know about that.

I try to get them a feed specifically meant for them or come up with what they would eat in the wild.

I got to go, I am exausted, mornings coming soon enough. I'm out of here.