Quail feed Barley?

[Singulargravy9]

Hi ive just joined byc and am wanting to know if I can grind up barley and mix it with chicken feed to feed my quail chicks when I get them cause its high in protein I use to raise them but now I want to know the secret to game bird crumble/mash

 

[brittanimck]

Sprouting it is best. But, you can just grind some. Coffee grinders work great for this. I had great success raising quail chicks on a mix of crushed oats, barley, and wheat. They also got the occasional scrambled egg and fresh greens.

 

[Singulargravy9]

cool so you just raised them on barley oats and wheat did you know the ratios.

 

[brittanimck]

Roughly 33% each. But you do need to watch for lethargic behavior. If in doubt scramble up an egg! Haha really worked wonders. And make sure to give them some grass and other greens regularly.

 

[Singulargravy9]

so the eggs really helps them how does that work I need to know more.

 

[brittanimck]

The eggs are the power bar for birds. The eggs are packed with nutrition, which is why birds sometimes eat eggs.

 

[Singulargravy9]

Would you happen to know what special k is.

 

[brittanimck]

No, sorry.

 

[brittanimck]

It is much easier to just buy a bag of flock raiser.

 

[dc3085]

Quail will not thrive on chicken feed. You have to consider that you picked a bird that requires a special diet. It is now your responsibility to provide it with the proper feed. Some flock raisers are ok for flight conditioned birds but I wouldn't use it for breeders it's still too low in protein. Good healthy input leads to good healthy output.

Adult laying quail require 24% protein chicks 30%. Most chicken feeds are around 16% protein and flock raiser is usually 20%, it's just not enough. Many of us only feed 30% for the life of the bird as it provides some benefit and has no downside really. Turkey starters are ok replacement feed for game bird starter if you can't get it.

At home it is nearly impossible to properly formulate feed because you cannot control even distribution. If quail don't like it they won't eat it, they're very picky. That also goes for things they do like, however. The bird will eat the most of what it likes and avoid the rest. It's impossible to tell if the birds are actually getting the proper vitamin and mineral content from the food let alone protein.