Questions about what quail can eat.

[Avian Egg Farms]

I'm glad I'm giving your food for thought, at least.

I am still going to recommend a commercial feed over trying to create one by hand. Have you considered black soldier fly larvae? They are easy to raise, and they are high in protein, low in fat, and contain calcium. I plan to add them to my quail's diet in addition to their regular commercial feed.

I haven't been able to find commercial feed where I live, and anywhere else I find is expensive, so that's why I considered making our own. Black soilder larvae? I've heard of them but I'm not sure how to raise. I may look into it, thank you!

 

[Nabiki]

I haven't been able to find commercial feed where I live, and anywhere else I find is expensive, so that's why I considered making our own. Black soilder larvae? I've heard of them but I'm not sure how to raise. I may look into it, thank you!

I haven't had a chance to revisit my projects since a possum found and ate all of my larvae, but this is an article I wrote starting them off.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/nabikis-black-soldier-fly-project.76873/

 

[Sally PB]

I haven't been able to find commercial feed where I live

Are you in the US? You can add your location (state, or country. if not in the US) to your profile. That info can be important, so advice is tailored to your location.

 

[Ital]

@Avian Egg Farms
This I’ve discovered is a particularly contentious subject as I’ve tried to get similar advice.
Unfortunately I have to avoid contact with certain foods so a pre mix is not an option for me.

I spent quite a bit of time adding up different ratios of ingredients to meet the targets for quail at the different stages of growth and found that the wider variety of ingredients I included, the easier it was to meet the targets without needing to add too much of any one item. Problem is, some of the ingredients I can’t find the nutritional values for, so without sending samples off for nutritional analysis (not cheap) I’d just be guessing.

In addition to that, their needs are different from each other’s and change depending on whether or not they’re laying, the temperature and various other factors. If you’re providing the food as a blend you are dictating a nutritional ratio that could cause problems with development and health issues later on if they are getting any excess or deficiency.

In the end I decided to let them choose, if you make sure you are providing a wide enough range it’s quite difficult to get wrong, so even if they’re making random selections they’ll get everything they need and hopefully learn to avoid anything that’s giving them issues and to eat more of things that help.
Some foods have complete amino acid profiles, low fat, and high protein, which will make it easier to balance so I would definitely include..

Nettle powder, crickets, cannabis seeds and spirulina, but there’s a lot else to consider so variety is the key.

Mine will also be getting..
Black soldier fly, mixed micro greens, mealworms, teff, amaranth, kefir grains, quinoa, buckwheat, dubia roaches, corn, wild rice, raw honey, salt, sesame seeds, poppy seeds, flaxseed, purslane, apple cider vinegar (with the mother), oyster shell, sunflower seed, split peas, soya flakes, meridian yeast extract, millet, chilli, garlic, oregano, peppermint, chia, and whatever else I can forage at the time.. daisies, cleavers, fresh fruit and veg, echinacea, self heal, dead nettle, ribwort plantain, dandelion ect.

I suspect that my quail will be better fed and produce more eggs with a better nutritional profile that taste better than any on commercial pellets but I doubt it’ll be cheaper if that’s what you’re hoping for.

All you’ll get here is people saying don’t do it, except maybe @Perris who has a good thread on the topic.
Not sure how to post a link but it’s titled

new research debunks trad views on nutrition​

 

[Avian Egg Farms]

I'm glad I'm giving your food for thought, at least.

I am still going to recommend a commercial feed over trying to create one by hand. Have you considered black soldier fly larvae? They are easy to raise, and they are high in protein, low in fat, and contain calcium. I plan to add them to my quail's diet in addition to their regular commercial feed.

I've found a food blend that is specifically formulated for quail. I'm going to use this now

 

[Avian Egg Farms]

With respect, that's not a recipe. It looks like something come off of a web page by some well meaning person whose depth of knowledge is very shallow.

If it came from your vet, I again recommend finding another vet.

As to fermenting feed - fermenting *can* make some nutrients more bioavailable, others less. Which ones and how much depends on what you are fermenting, how you are fermenting, and what you are fermenting with. In stark terms, would you mistake kim-chi for wine, beer, or yogurt? They are all fermented. DETAILS MATTER.

Anybody telling you differently is inviting you into their magical world - all you must do is abandon your own reason and experience.

I've nothing against magic, personally. Most magical systems have a somewhat cohesive set of rules regarding their practice, which make sense from their own perspective. When it comes to feeding my animals, I prefer a more reliable, predictable practice than hopes and prayers - though at times I sprinkle that liberally as well (particularly with regard my pasture.)

I've found a food blend that is specifically formulated for quail. I'm going to use that now

 

[Avian Egg Farms]

@Avian Egg Farms
This I’ve discovered is a particularly contentious subject as I’ve tried to get similar advice.
Unfortunately I have to avoid contact with certain foods so a pre mix is not an option for me.

I spent quite a bit of time adding up different ratios of ingredients to meet the targets for quail at the different stages of growth and found that the wider variety of ingredients I included, the easier it was to meet the targets without needing to add too much of any one item. Problem is, some of the ingredients I can’t find the nutritional values for, so without sending samples off for nutritional analysis (not cheap) I’d just be guessing.

In addition to that, their needs are different from each other’s and change depending on whether or not they’re laying, the temperature and various other factors. If you’re providing the food as a blend you are dictating a nutritional ratio that could cause problems with development and health issues later on if they are getting any excess or deficiency.

In the end I decided to let them choose, if you make sure you are providing a wide enough range it’s quite difficult to get wrong, so even if they’re making random selections they’ll get everything they need and hopefully learn to avoid anything that’s giving them issues and to eat more of things that help.
Some foods have complete amino acid profiles, low fat, and high protein, which will make it easier to balance so I would definitely include..

Nettle powder, crickets, cannabis seeds and spirulina, but there’s a lot else to consider so variety is the key.

Mine will also be getting..
Black soldier fly, mixed micro greens, mealworms, teff, amaranth, kefir grains, quinoa, buckwheat, dubia roaches, corn, wild rice, raw honey, salt, sesame seeds, poppy seeds, flaxseed, purslane, apple cider vinegar (with the mother), oyster shell, sunflower seed, split peas, soya flakes, meridian yeast extract, millet, chilli, garlic, oregano, peppermint, chia, and whatever else I can forage at the time.. daisies, cleavers, fresh fruit and veg, echinacea, self heal, dead nettle, ribwort plantain, dandelion ect.

I suspect that my quail will be better fed and produce more eggs with a better nutritional profile that taste better than any on commercial pellets but I doubt it’ll be cheaper if that’s what you’re hoping for.

All you’ll get here is people saying don’t do it, except maybe @Perris who has a good thread on the topic.
Not sure how to post a link but it’s titled

new research debunks trad views on nutrition​

Thank you! I think what would make it cheaper is raising bugs, we have a small dubia roach colony for our lizards so we may raise some for our quail (depending on how well the colony does..) but I've found a seed blend using some of the ingredients you mentioned so I hope that does well for them. I agree with the topic on commercial pellets, it just seems odd that what I'm getting eggs from would eat these hard grey things with several preservatives in them..
I've heard chilli pepper does well for pest control and health, along with oregano. May I ask what pepperment and garlic do? I have some peppermint and garlic, I wasn't sure about adding either though out of worry of flavoring the eggs.

 

[Nabiki]

I've found a food blend that is specifically formulated for quail. I'm going to use this now

When you get a chance, post a picture of the nutrition label.

 

[Ital]

Thank you! I think what would make it cheaper is raising bugs, we have a small dubia roach colony for our lizards so we may raise some for our quail (depending on how well the colony does..) but I've found a seed blend using some of the ingredients you mentioned so I hope that does well for them. I agree with the topic on commercial pellets, it just seems odd that what I'm getting eggs from would eat these hard grey things with several preservatives in them..
I've heard chilli pepper does well for pest control and health, along with oregano. May I ask what pepperment and garlic do? I have some peppermint and garlic, I wasn't sure about adding either though out of worry of flavoring the eggs.

Vampires ah ha haaa.. good idea to grow all the bugs, it’s loads cheaper and you can make sure they’re well fed.

Make sure the dubia have a wide range of foods to choose between with differing protein levels for the different stages of growth because they store excess protein as uric acid which will cause issues for any lizard or quail that eats them.
Dubia won’t over consume protein if given the choice but will develop growth and reproductive issues that can span generations even after being corrected if they don’t get enough. Requirements change significantly depending on gender, age and pregnancy.

Garlic contains allicin which is a natural antiviral, antibiotic and inhibits some parasite growth, probably where the vampire thing originated. It has a long history of medicinal use and good protein levels.

Peppermint for digestion.
If they eat enough of anything to flavour the eggs then there’s probably a reason for it, issue they are trying to resolve.

I suspect much of our understanding of nutrition and medicine came from watching livestock with various ailments targeting specific foods and that we still have a lot to learn.
Chilli I’m adding for the nutritional profile, its impressive.

Whether human, quail, or roach, variety is the key and if you keep everything as whole as possible it’ll be easier for them to pick and choose what they need at the time.

 

[DvorahChanah]

Vampires ah ha haaa.. good idea to grow all the bugs, it’s loads cheaper and you can make sure they’re well fed.

Make sure the dubia have a wide range of foods to choose between with differing protein levels for the different stages of growth because they store excess protein as uric acid which will cause issues for any lizard or quail that eats them.
Dubia won’t over consume protein if given the choice but will develop growth and reproductive issues that can span generations even after being corrected if they don’t get enough. Requirements change significantly depending on gender, age and pregnancy.

Garlic contains allicin which is a natural antiviral, antibiotic and inhibits some parasite growth, probably where the vampire thing originated. It has a long history of medicinal use and good protein levels.

Peppermint for digestion.
If they eat enough of anything to flavour the eggs then there’s probably a reason for it, issue they are trying to resolve.

I suspect much of our understanding of nutrition and medicine came from watching livestock with various ailments targeting specific foods and that we still have a lot to learn.
Chilli I’m adding for the nutritional profile, its impressive.

Whether human, quail, or roach, variety is the key and if you keep everything as whole as possible it’ll be easier for them to pick and choose what they need at the time.

I don't mean to hijack this thread but -- I am new to the forum, having a difficult time finding threads on my specific questions without wandering around the forum for hours, and you folks here look to have similar goals as I do, (optimal organic) so here goes:

I am new to quail, have 20 adults. I live overseas where there is no commercially made quail food/mixes. Only chicken mash and wild bird/finch mix. I read the ingredients on the wild bird/finch mix and it wasn't impressive.. Mostly millet. The package did not list protein profile and whether or not the seeds/grains were GMO. I'm trying to keep things as organic as possible.

My question is on mealworms: How much dried mealworms per day per bird? And why are so many people concerned about fat content?? It sounds to me like the same reasoning (misinformation) on fat in the human diet. Healthy fats do not make people fat. Simple carbs do. A high fat diet AND lots of simple carbs are the worst combination for people. Maybe that's the rub? Grains/seeds are necessarily high carb, so is that why fats need to be limited?

I understand that quail are not people...just trying to learn what makes an optimal, home made, organic feeding program for my quail and I also know conventional "wisdom" on nutrition is usually way off the mark for people, so possibly also livestock.

In the wild, do quail eat a lot of bugs or do they mostly stick to seeds and grains??

I also read that adult quail don't over-eat and are generally good at self-regulating. On the other hand, some are cautioning me to not feed them too many mealworms? So, which is it? Can adult quail self-regulate or not? Or is it just when they're fed mealworms (or BSF larva) when they lose their ability to self-regulate?