What is the best and most protein-rich commercially available food for Quails?

[CoturnixComplex]

Yeah, I'm not sure where the "keep the protein low" sentiment is coming from (you would think we'd all have similar results!) but I also feed up to 30%. There is a marked difference in growth and laying age. I would never feed below 24%. The one time I had to for a few weeks all my birds started having health issues.

Turkey starter is fine; ducks turkeys quail and pheasants have more similar nutrition requirements than chickens.

 

[Fur-N-Fowl]

Yeah, I'm not sure where the "keep the protein low" sentiment is coming from (you would think we'd all have similar results!) but I also feed up to 30%. There is a marked difference in growth and laying age. I would never feed below 24%. The one time I had to for a few weeks all my birds started having health issues.

Turkey starter is fine; ducks turkeys quail and pheasants have more similar nutrition requirements than chickens.

I wasn't sure where else to comment this but I just wanted to say your Quail on your profile picture is so nice!

Wow, it's colours are so pretty and unusual

My whites look drab compared to that one!​

 

[CoturnixComplex]

I wasn't sure where else to comment this but I just wanted to say your Quail on your profile picture is so nice!

Wow, it's colours are so pretty and unusual

My whites look drab compared to that one!​

Thank you so much! I love him. He is one of my favorites.

I bet there is a lot of overlap between colors we can get but I know of at least a couple you have that we dont (European pansy ) and I'm sure it goes in reverse too.


Edit: I can't grammar today.

 

[Fur-N-Fowl]

Thank you so much! I love him. He is one of my favorites.

I bet there is a lot of overlap between colors we can get but I know of at least a couple you have that we dont (European pansy ) but I'm sure it goes in reverse too.

He'd definitely be a favourite of mine to if I owned him!

Oh yes the Pansy has really nice markings. I've been tempted to get Quail eggs of nice colourations posted to me but I've never had that experience before so I'm not sure how reliable it is or how Quail eggs manage through postage.

Even the majority of the English white breeders around me have crossed them with the Italian so they end up a right mix match of colours...

I also really like the leucistic coloured Coturnix but i've never found anyone's near me that breeds them (or even has any).

I managed to hatch 6/6 of my paired Whites eggs yesterday. My first ever hatch! You probably have more experience with hatching Quail than I do but I was so pleased with them!

It's probably too early to tell but some look purer white than others so hopefully I end up with a white with no patches!

Maybe one day I'll be able to get my hands on some 'nicer' coloured Quail.​

 

[CoturnixComplex]

BAHHH! They are so cute! And you are a much better photographer than I am.

I'm not that good at hatching I mean I'm not bad it's just you're only as good as your incubator and mine is...cheap. I just set twice as many eggs as I want and it works out

Yeah, a mix of Italian, white, and extended red (red range/rosetta/Tibetan) are the most common to find around here. I had to order all my real fancy ones online.

Unfortunately you really might not want all-white. I don't think anyone's ever bred a totally healthy strain. Total removal of pigment seems irrevocably linked to health issues regardless of whether it comes from white, silver, or albino genes. Even the little wee spot of color seems to mitigate them somewhat.

 

[Fur-N-Fowl]

BAHHH! They are so cute! And you are a much better photographer than I am.

I'm not that good at hatching I mean I'm not bad it's just you're only as good as your incubator and mine is...cheap. I just set twice as many eggs as I want and it works out

Yeah, a mix of Italian, white, and extended red (red range/rosetta/Tibetan) are the most common to find around here. I had to order all my real fancy ones online.

Unfortunately you really might not want all-white. I don't think anyone's ever bred a totally healthy strain. Total removal of pigment seems irrevocably linked to health issues regardless of whether it comes from white, silver, or albino genes. Even the little wee spot of color seems to mitigate them somewhat.

They've currently got a pink bunny plush to cuddle into near their heat it's so adorable they all snuggle under it!

Thankyou too, trying to focus my camera on little jumping Quail babies wasn't easy

Ah what you say about the incubator is true...my Mam wanted to hatch some of her duck eggs so she bought one of those yellow lid ones (the cheap non branded one not the brinsea one) and the humidity in it was dreadful. It hatched 2 ducks out of about 24 and they hatched with swollen heads and looked like they hadn't developed right. Poor ducklings didn't make it.

I then decided to get a incubator as I'm wanting to breed my Silkies so I read about the Rcom 10 Pro Plus and it had good reviews. It pretty much does everything for you all the way through the process. It's a little pricey but I guess my quail hatching test of it proves it does the job!

If you do ever plan on getting another I would reccomend that one for successful hatching.

Yea loads of 'breeders' here are just ones that breed them to take to the auctions. They aren't breeding them for their colours and such. Like you did I may have to order online too.
It would be nice to have a decent breeder around me focusing on their Quail rather than just the ones doing it for no apparent reason.

Ah yes I did read somewhere about the pure whites having issues and not living very long I think it was. That's a shame but that's true I wouldn't want Quail that are unhealthy. Maybe best for me to stick with the patchy ones (unless I manage to order some nice colours).

I just hope these babies all do well ​