Quail feed question...

[enigmachick]

Bizarrely I cannot find the answer to this question! I have looked online and on BYC and even through Karen Puddephatt's book and I still don't know. I am trying to find out, what do Coturnix quail eat once they are adults (laying)? I know the chicks need a game bird starter with high protein but can you just keep them on that their entire lives? I have read in some forum posts that laying quail can have normal chicken laying crumble (but my book seemed to counter that notion entirely). I haven't found any apparent "adult" game bird feed and I'm sure it's complicated by my desire to find an organic feed. I was going to just order https://www.chewy.com/modesto-milling-organic-turkey/dp/235899 Modesto Milling game bird chick starter but it is a 50 pound bag! There's no way 15-20 chicks will go through that in 6 weeks, do I keep feeding them that or do they need something else? It says to be fed until 6 weeks A chicken owner recommended just feeding chicken feed with grubs but I don't know what I'm doing yet and not sure at all what their needs are.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

I feed mine just layer crumble. After they start laying or crowing. Before then, it's the 30% game feed. I haven't had health problems, and my older ones are at about 20 months now.

Mine seem more aggressive when I provide more protein, wwhich is part of the reason I don't keep them on higher amounts.

 

[007Sean]

I have my feed custom milled due to the fact, commercially available feed may or may not contain the proper amount of essential minerals and vitamins and essential amino acids. A lot of the commercially available feeds now days, do not have Methionine + cystine nor lysine at the correct levels or are not even included in their feed rations due to cost....sad but true....those AA's are very important in promoting a good immune system as well as promoting over all health and converting the available protein to body mass.(muscle)

That having been said, I feed a 24% protein feed ration from hatch till death. My feed is milled based on a 2,800 kcal ME/kg diet...which is adequate for every age of the bird.

The higher % protein feeds of 28 to 30% are good for starting meat type birds, where the bottom line is to achieve a market weight quicker than using a lower % protein feed. Higher % protein feed use in adult birds can cause many issues with internal organs (fatty liver disease) and have digestive issues as well.

There are some good and not so good manufacturers of poultry feeds. Find one that can give you a factual, reliable list of the AA's and vitamins they use in their feeds. Most manufactures list them on the feed tag but those are for the most part a + or - of the actual % of the vitamins and minerals actually in the feed due to variance in manufacturing equipment and machine operators. Some may not give you the actual percentages, claiming 'proprietary' information but it's worth the 'try' to find out what is actually in the feed.
You will pay more for a quality feed but it is worth it in the long run.

 

[FloorCandy]

I purchase my feed thru chewy.com. I feed the chicks Hudson feeds multiflock starter which is for turkeys quail and pheasants. And I feed the adults Hudson feed gamebird pellets.

Recently there was a discrepancy with the tags, and I contacted them. The woman in the office didn’t know which tag of the 2 I showed her was correct, and I’ve been concerned they changed the recipe. She asked the president of the company and he wasn’t sure, so they sent it out to the lab so they could be certain. They assured me they haven’t changed the recipe. Despite this confusion, I’ve found them easy to contact and willing to go the extra mile.

 

[QuailTail]

I feed my adults a game bird layer feed with 20% protein - I've heard that Turkey feed is fine (we don't get it here in Australia, so that's just hearsay).

 

[Kiki]

I feed my adult quail chicken layer crumble.
It works perfectly for my birds.

I usually switch my birds over at about 5 to 6 weeks of age to the layer feed from the 28% turkey starter.

 

[Kiki]

Bizarrely I cannot find the answer to this question! I have looked online and on BYC and even through Karen Puddephatt's book and I still don't know. I am trying to find out, what do Coturnix quail eat once they are adults (laying)? I know the chicks need a game bird starter with high protein but can you just keep them on that their entire lives? I have read in some forum posts that laying quail can have normal chicken laying crumble (but my book seemed to counter that notion entirely). I haven't found any apparent "adult" game bird feed and I'm sure it's complicated by my desire to find an organic feed. I was going to just order https://www.chewy.com/modesto-milling-organic-turkey/dp/235899 Modesto Milling game bird chick starter but it is a 50 pound bag! There's no way 15-20 chicks will go through that in 6 weeks, do I keep feeding them that or do they need something else? It says to be fed until 6 weeks A chicken owner recommended just feeding chicken feed with grubs but I don't know what I'm doing yet and not sure at all what their needs are.

Quail grow really fast.
I can tell you that a 50 lb bag of 28% game bird feed will probably last you about 5 or 6 weeks with 20 chicks.

 

[RoosterML]

I would not listen to what @Kiki says her knowledge of quail is limited to the 3 she has. While I find her helpful with poop trays any other advise she gives I would take with a grain of salt.

 

[Kiki]

I peed in my pants.