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Quail diet question.

Discussion in 'Quail' started by farmmom2u, Sep 22, 2011.

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  1. Sep 22, 2011 #1
    farmmom2u

    farmmom2u New Egg

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    I have been told that quail work out very well in pigeon lofts as they eat the food that drops and in turn keep the pigeons healthier. We recently built a gorgeous pigeon loft with a nice fly pen. It would be a huge improvement in living quarters for the quail as well.

    With this, I want to know if quail can live (healthily) on pigeon food alone? In the past they always ate a game bird crumble with pigeon seed and sod as treats.

    If they need to have crumble, is the crumble okay for the pigeons?

    Thank you!
     
  3. Sep 22, 2011 #2
    coturnixX

    coturnixX New Egg

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    Sep 22, 2011
    Not sure what pigeons need to eat, nor what is good for them, but I feed my coturnix 30% protein game bird starter. It is good for them, and if it chokes a pigeon....So be it!

    All my quail are 100% free of pigeon poop. [​IMG]
     
  5. Sep 22, 2011 #3
    Missi

    Missi Chillin' With My Peeps

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    Quote:[​IMG]
     
  7. Sep 22, 2011 #4
    animal8

    animal8 Chillin' With My Peeps

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    Quail are often used in avairies to clean up spilt seed, but they need to have a more suitable food available, eg game bird starter crumbs, which has the required amount of protein for them.
     
  9. Sep 22, 2011 #5
    The Critter Place

    The Critter Place Chillin' With My Peeps

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    Quote:I agree.
    In the past I kept quail in an aviary of parakeets. But I did keep a dish of their crumble right next to the water.
    It is also my understanding that when given a diet with seeds, they will need to have grit available to them. I don't know what your flooring is like, but mine were in a natural setting with soil/sand and plants.
     
  11. Sep 22, 2011 #6
    Dingo

    Dingo Chillin' With My Peeps

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    I would think you'd run into the same concerns as you do when keeping quail with chickens. They can carry communicable poultry diseases that may wreak havock on your colony.
     
  13. Sep 22, 2011 #7
    The Critter Place

    The Critter Place Chillin' With My Peeps

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    pigeons or parakeets?

    Button Quail are very popular as aviary birds to "clean Up"

    I've never had my pigeons in the same aviary, due to their size, so never really thought much about disease. They just always had their own place, and no quail.
     

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