Quail feed

[farmerbud]

Is it safe to feed quail crushed oyster shells , I have a couple of hens that lay soft shell eggs every now and then , or should I just cull them .

 

[BobwhiteQuailLover]

I am pretty sure it is OK.

 

[Stellar]

Yes, it is perfectly fine

It is part of my Gamebird recipe for all my quail!

 

[Robo]

They need oyster shell. I put a rabbit feeders full of grit and oster shell in the cages once a month, and leave them in there for a week so they can eat it when they feel like it. I do not reccomend mixing grit and oyster shell with their feed. As for culling them almost all hens will lay one bad egg in their life anyways. If you have never given them much calcium they will lay soft shell eggs from time to time.

 

[JJMR794]

Quote:
ACTUALLY A COMPLETE GBS SHOULD PROVIDE ALL THE CALCIUM THEY NEED. QUAIL UNLIKE CHICKENS ARE VERY EFFICIENT AT ABSORBING CALCIUM FROM THEIR DIET, SO TECHNICALLY OYSTER SHELL IS NOT NEEDED-- IT CERTAINLY WONT HURT THEM, BUT IF FEEDING PROPER NUTRITIOON IT IS MERELY UNNECESSARY SUPPLIMENT.

NOTE ITS NOT UNCOMMON TO GET SEVERAL SOFT SHELLED, OR SHELL-LESS EGGS A YEAR FROM COTURNIX, ITS JUST SOMETHING THEY DO FROM TIME TO TIME, NO NEED TO CULL ANYONE (UNLESS YOUR JUST HUNGRY

) ALL ARE CAPABLE OF IT BUT IT SHOULD BE A RARE OCCURANCE.

 

[Robo]

Are they inbred? Oh, and I didn't know starter had enough calcium in it. Thanks JJ.

 

[Rozzie]

I also buy cuttlebone in bulk. They love it & pecking away at it gives both the coturnix and the button quail something to do.

 

[Stellar]

The Button quail are not getting enough calcium through the GB feed. I HAVE to give them ground oyster shell. If not, eggbound hens, remember everytime a hen lays an egg they loose 50% of their water and calcium. This is why I add oyster shell for all my quail.

 

[shelleyd2008]

I'm not going to get into the 'quail do or don't need oyster shells' debate. All I'm going to say is that most other birds don't eat it unless they need it. I give my coturnix oyster shells and they do eat it, so that tells me that they need it. It certainly won't hurt them to have it.

 

[farmerbud]

Thanks for the input everyone .