Quail (almost) on hunger strike!

[Carlyn Marie]

Hi everyone.. I wonder if you can help? As the days have become shorter and colder my 30 month old Quail have gone off their usual feed and even refuse egg, courgette, mealworm and lettuce.. They continue to eat wild bird seed and drink water, they seem calm and look OK chirping and dust bathing.
Nothing has changed in their lives for over a year!

Can anyone suggest how I can tempt them to eat something more nourishing?

Any advice would be gratefully received. Thanks

 

[feedman77]

Withold all feed you don't want them to eat.
Only put in food you want them too eat. Eventually they will get hungry and eat it.

 

[DK newbie]

Try gamebird starter. In my experience, they recognize it as food right away, so although they like bird seeds better they will eat the gamebird feed when hungry - and it pretty much covers their nutritional requirements in just one kind of feed (you only need to supplement calcium).

 

[Carlyn Marie]

Try gamebird starter. In my experience, they recognize it as food right away, so although they like bird seeds better they will eat the gamebird feed when hungry - and it pretty much covers their nutritional requirements in just one kind of feed (you only need to supplement calcium).

Thanks DK Newbie, but they are 17months old now and have been on a gamebird feed for much of that time now, it's just recently they have decided to ignore it!!

 

[feedman77]

Since they have been on it for awhile and only recently decided to ignore it.

Is the feed a new bag that gas just been purchased??

Maybe if it's the same feed. The formula may have changed or it may be some old stock that is past it's expiration date.

 

[Carlyn Marie]

Since they have been on it for awhile and only recently decided to ignore it.

Is the feed a new bag that gas just been purchased??

Maybe if it's the same feed. The formula may have changed or it may be some old stock that is past it's expiration date.

Hi.... All great ideas, but it's the same as they have always had, the bag is one they have happily been eating from for a while, so I don't think it's an issue with the formula, and it seems to be in date still... I'm stumped!

 

[007Sean]

Hi.... All great ideas, but it's the same as they have always had, the bag is one they have happily been eating from for a while, so I don't think it's an issue with the formula, and it seems to be in date still... I'm stumped!

Even though it may be a fresh bag of feed, it could be stale? Just a thought!