Soy free feed mix for quail?

[vjbakke]

We feed organic and soy free to our chickens, ( for many reasons) . I have not seen any game bird feed here that is organic or soy free. Is there a way to mix your own that could work for quail?

Thanks

 

[TwoCrows]

Chickens and quail have different needs as far as feed and of course a very high need for protein. Many people have tried mixing their own feed, but in the end, the feed never meets up with what the quail really need for good health. And making your own from scratch requires a lot of knowledge to exactly what quail truly need for a good diet. A lot of work and expensive.

 

[laseterlass]

I spent a bunch of money on Non Corn Non Soy Feed for my chickens. They hated it. Lost weight in the winter and that was the end of that. I actually compared our locally milled gamebird grower to out 20% layer pellet. Close enough that I feed the grower to my bantiees too and save space in the shed.

 

[vjbakke]

We feed a soy and corn free feed, our girls do well on it. It does have fish in it for more protein ( only 16% though). We have allergy issues with soy so we can't use a feed that has it. How do they get enough protein in the wild? I guess we may not be able to do quail.

 

[laseterlass]

Insects are packed with protein.

 

[TwoCrows]

Wild new world young quail live exclusively on bugs and insects for the first 3 months of their lives. Animal protein is a complete protein, where as some plant proteins are not and are not easily broken down enough in the quail's system to get the most out of it. Hence the need for animal protein in feeds.

 

[SuseyQ]

VJBakke,
I was wondering what brand of soy and corn-free feed you have found? I'm looking for soy and corn-free feed for quails.

Thank You,
SuseyQ

 

[Em Ty]

Not sure what brand it is, and I know it's $25 a bag (probably 55 lbs), but Jack Spirko of http://www.thesurvivalpodcast.com gets a soy-free feed for his ducks and quail. It's protein is peanut based, so avoids soy and his customers that have egg allergies don't have any issues with his eggs. I'd see if he can tell you what he uses. It's not cheap, but it's soy free and non-GMO.

 

[SuseyQ]

EmTy,
I have found one brand that is soy-free that will work for young quail (28% protein). It is H & H Soy Free Non GMO Gamebird. I'm not sure what percent of protein the older quail need, but this would work. I have also attempted to contact Jack, so we shall see what happens. I did check the soy-free forum on this site, but it was mostly for chicken feed. Of course the downside with that peanut butter feed is I'm also allergic to peanut butter. I will check this other and possibly add treats such as mealy worms to make it a tad more interesting. I have heard that some birds don't like this feed, but I suspect if they are raised on it, it should work.

Thank You,
Sue

 

[SuseyQ]

Two Crows,
Have you found a starter feed that is made up of animal protein and is soy free that works well for your quail or do you make your own food?

Thank You,
SuseyQ