Will 24% Chick starter work?

[ILoveChickens01]

Hello!

I am looking at getting some quail. I read that I need gamebird feed. I can't find gamebird feed in my area. I can get chick starter that is 24% protein. Is that enough? Will I need protein supplements?

Thanks!

 

[Chick Charm]

Yes, it can. It is best to give em more protein, like 28%. However 24% can work. Give em some eggs & bugs as a supplement and it can/should work out fine for you.

I have raised Cots on 24% and the results were good.

Wish ya the best.

 

[ILoveChickens01]

Great!

Should I give them quail eggs scrambled or hard-boiled. Or do they like Chicken Eggs?

Thanks!

 

[Dragons4u]

My laying feed I'm giving my cots is 24 percent, but I fed them 30 percent until six weeks old. So, yea 24 percent will work, when young, less than six weeks, they may just grow a little slower.

 

[ILoveChickens01]

Will they survive young on 24%? I did find a gamefeed in my area, but it is 3x the cost, and still 24% protein. I cannot find 30%.

 

[Dragons4u]

Yes they will survive and do pretty well. They just may take a littler longer to reach full size, not always a bad thing.
I would switch them to the game bird feed because of the vitamins and minerals in the feed, but that's me. I'm only paying sixteen bucks for fifty pounds of Purina game bird feeds.

 

[ILoveChickens01]

Where are you buying that game feed?

I was looking at Tractor Supply for feed, and the 50LB Chick Starter is $18, and the biggest bag of gamebird feed is 5LB at $7. I will buy 50LB gamebird feed for $16, but I can't find it for that price.

 

[Dragons4u]

I get mine from Greenville, Ohio, at Keller Feed and Needs drive-thru.

 

[ILoveChickens01]

Okay. I was hoping it was somewhere online. I will keep looking for 30%, but I just might use 24%.

 

[dc3085]

Turkey starter will be 26-28% and works fine for quail.

ETA: chicks can survive on 24% and won't be runted or anything (seen it done plenty of times) but obviously it may alter their physiology in a way that causes maladies later in life.