pure coconut vinegar

[quailmann]

Thanks 2crows, will both have opposite effects or one negate the effect of the other?
Btw how about adding vitamin supplements with vinegar... is it ok?

 

[TwoCrows]

Vinegar in the water should be given by itself and nothing else mixed in with it. BUT....you can put these EM's or probiotics in the feed and that way they are getting both.

Don't use the vinegar for long periods of time. I like to use it for one week a month for good health. The birds need to drink pure clean water for much of the time for the rest of the month. This will still give them the added benefits of the vinegar and not over load them or cause them to stop drinking which can happen.

 

[quailmann]

Thanks again. I've seen you post on probiotics before. Can you tell me what your setup is? How many sq per bird you use? How many birds? Do you feed ad lib? Any added vitamins etc? Greens?

 

[Sill]

Strengthen gut micro flora
Reduce poop odour
Increase feed conversion

You can do the above by fermenting your feed. You can always add a bit of ACV to your feed as it ferments. I usually add yogurt and/or kefir which can do much the same thing as the ACV. Once your quail have acclimated to eating fermented feed they will prefer it to dry feed. I'll usually also add some finely shredded veggies too. Kale, carrots and wheat grass are big favorites. The later I grow in fodder trays and chop into fine pieces.

 

[quailmann]

Hi Sill

I tried fermenting and things went berserk. Quails got so hungry the only thing they wanted to do was eat eat eat. Dying for food ALL time. Soon egg production also dropped. Maybe I did something wrong.

Whats your laying percentage?

 

[TwoCrows]

Thanks again. I've seen you post on probiotics before. Can you tell me what your setup is? How many sq per bird you use? How many birds? Do you feed ad lib? Any added vitamins etc? Greens?

I use aviaries for my quail and set them up with brush piles and other things that mimic a natural environment. Each bird has at least 10 square feet per bird just because I enjoy doing it. I have kept quail for about a decade and I am now winding down on them so I don't have many quail left. I am now working on building up my chicken flocks.

But yes, my quail get all kinds of greens, veggies and fruits once a day. I will cut things up or quarter the fruit so it is easier to eat. They get a tray of it in the morning to start their day. They get gamebird food with a few wild bird seeds thrown in each day as well just to keep eating interesting and boredom to a dull roar.

I add probiotics or ACV occasionally for a good tonic. I rarely add vitamins to their water or diet. Too much vitamins can throw off the balance they get in their regular quail feed. However during the summer when it is hot, during molting or if someone is sick, I will add vitamins to the water occasionally.

I tried fermenting feed for my chickens and quail and because my climate is so arid, I had a hard time keeping it moist and not turning into cement. LOL But this is a great way to feed your birds. Use your own judgement on your flock if it works for them or you.

 

[quailmann]

Thanks 2crows, 10sq feet sounds great. I'm thinking a dirt floor will be good? They will scratch etc and keep it turned too I guess.

You chop up greens or put it whole for them to pick on?

 

[TwoCrows]

I use grass hay or sand on the floor. You need something to absorb and catch poop. And a nice sand pile in the corner will be a good place for dust bathing. You can give them 20 square feet if you have the room. The more space they have the less aggression you will have.

What breed are you raising again?

Yes, I tear up greens or cabbage, sliver carrots, veggies and such. Just make it a bit easier for them to eat. They have tiny beaks and can't rip apart food like chickens. But they can nibble on things like corn on the cob. But they do better with things like apples or peaches if you quarter them so the flesh is showing.

 

[Invision]

I've only been giving my Quail FF for about 2 months now and they are always full after about 5 minutes, I feed once in the morning and once in the evening and they are doing fine. I've also been sprouting Barley grass and bird seed (they love it). Mine are in cages though and don't have access to the ground, I use too but had some issues with flight predators...

If your FF is done correctly I don't see how you've had an issue.

First batch sits for a week, top it off with equal parts of new feed and water when it gets down to a serving or two. Keep in temperatures between 60 and 70, too little of temp and it wont ferment, to high and it goes bad... Depending on how many quail you have, you just need to figure out what they can eat in 30 mins.

Like I've said my birds do fine and don't bug me for food, unless I call them when I'm bringing it to the cage. Then they mob my plate and hand trying to get first dibs on the sprouts...

 

[quailmann]

@2crows - I'm raising coturnix. I give them kale sometimes finely shred. Need to try sprouting soon. Fed them some pumpkin and they liked playing ball with it. I had a few on dirt earth inside a cage. Smell was zero but after 2 weeks I found that same of them had formed dirt balls on their toes

@invision - maybe I did it wrong. I followed Sill and let it ferment for a day. I added effective micro organisms (lactic acid bacteria) and it was bubbling away after 12 hours or so

I'm thinking of increasing my layers upto 400 birds so I can make some $ selling eggs so I dont think FF would work at that scale