What is the best Coturnix quail feed

[Jessica Lyn]

Hey! I've been going thru and finding different feed info and I KNOW I'm overthinking it.

Can you guys help me out a bit and let me know what food you feed yours with? And what extras or 'snacks' they enjoy having in their diet in addition to the normal feed ?

I found the starter grower I like -a purina gamegird 30% starter- and everything falls in the parameters below (feed info from myshire- do yall agree?) but I can't seem to find a layer feed with enough protein and high enough calcium. -The best I've found is purina flock raiser, but the calcium is too low - would be nice if I didn't have to add in extra calcium if I don't need to, but what do you guys do?

The info I found for feed - use crumble all life stages

Starter grower
between 25 and 32% protein for the best results from 0 to 8 weeks old for standard and 0-10 weeks old for jumbo
Cruid fat between 2.5-3.5%
Cruid fiber 8%max
Calcium 0.75% to 2%
Phosphorus 0.5% to 1%
Salt NaCl 0.25% to 1%
When jumbo start laying supplement their calcium with oyster shells or crunched up quail egg shells

regulars at Week 8 to week 9 transition from starter to layer - feed 2x a day 1st with one feed, second with the other feed ? For jumbo quail transition at 10-11 weeks in the same way --- can't I just mix the feeds half and half at first?? This is just the info I found

Layer feed between 17-23% protein
Cruid far 2.5% to 3.5 %
Max fiber 8%
Calcium 2-3.5%
Phosphorus .4-.7%
Salt NaCl .1-.8%
For standard at 8 weeks and for jumbo after they hit 10 weeks

Do you guys agree with these parameters? Or do you go by something different?

Thanks so much for the help!

 

[raingarden]

I don't think you will find anythng as good as Purina gamebird chow. Dust it with avian calcium supplement or flaked oyster shell.

I tried crushing layer pellet to get it to the right size but the birds didn't want to eat it after growing up on the gamebird chow.

 

[Ebony Rose]

You can use the gamebird starter for life and supplement with dark leafy greens for calcium. If memory serves me, 30% protein is more than enough for starters AND for laying.
Dark leafy greens like spinach, broccoli, okra, kale and collard greens are high in calcium.
Some seeds are high in calcium including poppy, sesame, celery and chia seeds. Seeds also deliver protein and healthy fats.
Beans and lentils are a good source of many nutrients, different varieties offer differing amounts of both protein and calcium. Important to note that beans should be fully cooked, and lentils may be served raw or cooked.
Or... you can purchase a vitamin/mineral supplement that is added to their fresh water daily. I use a product called "Chick Booster"by Neurovet.

 

[Jessica Lyn]

I don't think you will find anythng as good as Purina gamebird chow. Dust it with avian calcium supplement or flaked oyster shell.

I tried crushing layer pellet to get it to the right size but the birds didn't want to eat it after growing up on the gamebird chow.

Thank you!

 

[Jessica Lyn]

You can use the gamebird starter for life and supplement with dark leafy greens for calcium. If memory serves me, 30% protein is more than enough for starters AND for laying.
Dark leafy greens like spinach, broccoli, okra, kale and collard greens are high in calcium.
Some seeds are high in calcium including poppy, sesame, celery and chia seeds. Seeds also deliver protein and healthy fats.
Beans and lentils are a good source of many nutrients, different varieties offer differing amounts of both protein and calcium. Important to note that beans should be fully cooked, and lentils may be served raw or cooked.
Or... you can purchase a vitamin/mineral supplement that is added to their fresh water daily. I use a product called "Chick Booster"by Neurovet.

Thank you so much! What about sprouting the seeds/ beans?

 

[FloorCandy]

I use Hudson feeds gamebird feed for adults and Hudson feed multiflock starter for pheasants quail and turkeys, for the chicks. I get it all from chewy, and it is cheaper than going to my local feed store for what they carry. I’m not a fan of any purina feeds, so I don’t have any experience with their livestock feeds.

 

[Ebony Rose]

bean sprouts are fine, but the BEAN is not. Raw beans have a toxic chemical in them that is removed by thoroughly cooking them. Lentils do not have this toxic compound.

 

[Jessica Lyn]

bean sprouts are fine, but the BEAN is not. Raw beans have a toxic chemical in them that is removed by thoroughly cooking them. Lentils do not have this toxic compound.

What about things like alfalfa and quinoa sprouts? I think I'll just stay away from the beans cause I dont feel like actually cooking for the birds lol. Thank you for the info!

 

[Jessica Lyn]

I use Hudson feeds gamebird feed for adults and Hudson feed multiflock starter for pheasants quail and turkeys, for the chicks. I get it all from chewy, and it is cheaper than going to my local feed store for what they carry. I’m not a fan of any purina feeds, so I don’t have any experience with their livestock feeds.

Thank you for your input! I'll have to check chewy out, I already order all my dog and cat stuff from them

 

[EmmaRainboe]

I typically mix purina gamebird starter with purina layer feed, I don't have an exact ratio, if I had to guess I'd say I typically do a 1:1 ratio.

However that's purely because I have a whole 50lbs of starter that needs to be used up, otherwise I'd probably offer exclusively layer crumble for most of the year, then switch back to the starter for higher protein and less calcium in the winter.