Feeding quail is not difficult, but it would be nice if you know what foods are suitable for them, as well as how to feed them with a balanced diet. How to feed quail depends on the age of the bird, the purpose of the feed, and most importantly, the technique you want to use to do this.
Step
Method 1 of 4: Providing Food and Water Kebutuhan
Step 1. Purchase quality quail feed from a feed store or online store
Unlike other birds, quail is greatly affected by the quality of its feed. This is very important to know, especially if you want to breed it for sale and produce eggs. If you can't find quality quail feed, look for high quality bird feed. You can also try feeding turkey which has a higher protein content than chicken feed and is suitable for quail to eat.
- Chicken feed can be a good substitute for quail feed.
- If you choose to use turkey feed, make sure it is not medicated.
- Consult a nutritionist before giving a substitute meal.
- About 80% of quail's diet is wheat germ. Most quail or other bird foods contain dry corn crumbs, assorted wheat, millet, milo, crushed oats, popcorn, safflower seeds, and sunflower seeds.
Step 2. Give the quail enough food, and make sure that the texture is just right
Quails are easy to feed so you don't have to be afraid to give them too much food. They will stop eating when they are full. However, quail are very picky about the size of their food. If the grain or feed given is too big or small, they will not want to eat. It really has to be the right size.
- If the food is in the form of pellets, try to break it down to the size of the quail's food. Make sure the size of each grain is consistent or the quail will only eat the part they like. This can lead to an unbalanced diet.
- Do not feed powder, if possible. If you have to use powdered feed, make sure it's not too fine. Fine powder from bird feed can get into the quail's feet and cause infection.
- Adult quail will eat about 20 to 25 grams of feed per day.
Step 3. Keep bird feeder containers clean, dry and within easy reach
Make sure you place the bird feeder in a dry place, away from rain, snow, sunlight and wind. You should also place it away from the water. If the feed is wet, the feed container will grow moss which can kill the quail. Also, you need to empty the container as often as possible. Wash the feed container when it is dirty or if the feed inside is wet.
- Make sure the bird feeder is level with the bottom of the quail cage.
- Try to install a long feed container so that the quails don't scramble to eat.
- Depending on the number of quail you have, you may need to empty the feed container at least two to three times a week, or even daily.
- Quail usually eat messy. Try to fence the feed container with “spill-proof spokes”.
Step 4. Provide plenty of water and make sure the quail has easy access to the water container in the cage
According to the general rule, the water should not be higher than the bird's back. Most quail breeders also recommend placing marbles in the bottom of the water container. This is not only useful for attracting birds' attention, but also gives them a foothold to get out if they fall into the container.
Quails like to nest in burrows. Make your own burrow by making a shallow hole in the ground, covering it with plastic, then shaping the soil around it to form a slope
Step 5. Keep the water container clean and change the water in it daily to minimize bacterial growth
Clean the container three times a week with an over-the-counter non-toxic disinfectant. Do not pour any remaining water into the cage. The aviary must be kept dry.
- Watch the water in the cage carefully in winter. Don't let the water freeze.
- Add a little apple cider vinegar to the water every now and then. This can kill parasites and make the bird's feathers softer.
Step 6. Store the feed in a clean and dry container, and make sure it has not expired
If you don't store the feed properly, it can get mossy, making it dangerous for quail to eat it. The feed can also be eaten by small animals, such as insects and mice.
- Use feed before it expires – usually 3 weeks after the production date. You may need to use it sooner if you live in a hot and humid place.
- Discard food that is stale and smells bad. This indicates that the feed has expired or is overgrown with moss.
- Rats are not only fond of eating quail feed, but also contaminate it.
Method 2 of 4: Providing Supplementary Feed
Step 1. Provide several types of fruits and vegetables
About 20% of the weight of the quail's diet consists of vegetables, fruits, leaves, and several types of compost. Don't be afraid to give them other food. However, try to consider the conditions of the quail's natural habitat. For example, if you have quail from the desert, give them a cactus.
- Try growing a variety of berries, such as blackberries, currants, huckleberries, manzanita, Oregon grape, salad, serviceberry, and snowberry.
- Give vegetables, such as broccoli, cabbage, carrots, cucumbers, peas, lettuce, and turnip greens.
- Be careful when giving tomatoes. Quails can eat ripe tomatoes, but they cannot eat other parts of the fruit, such as the leaves and stems.
Step 2. Try to give some other types of food
The main part of quail feed is matched feed. However, you can also provide other types of food, such as cakes, pasta, rice, and sweet corn.
- Quail loves nuts and seeds. Try to plant some trees that grow seeds and nuts, such as ash, cascara, pecan, and oak. Quail will eat nuts and seeds that fall from trees.
- Quail also love insects, especially the little ones. Insects are full of protein that birds need to lay eggs.
Step 3. Be aware that some types of food can be toxic to quail
Some of these include avocado, caffeine, chocolate, grape seeds, red meat, parsley, rhubarb, tomato stems and leaves, as well as salty foods, such as raw potatoes, and sour fruits.
- Quail will not eat dangerous food except when starving. This means that you have to feed them regularly.
- There are many types of plants that are toxic to quail, but you usually won't find them over the counter. However, it is important that you understand this.
- Do not feed quail the plants that grow in your garden. The quail will know where its food is coming from, so it can try to find its own food. This will damage your garden.
Step 4. Provide a bowl of soil for your quail
This will help the quail digest the food. However, if they are often allowed to roam freely on the grass, you need not worry as they will find soil to digest the feed provided.
Method 3 of 4: Feeding Quail according to their Age
Step 1. Give starter feed to the newly hatched quail chicks until they are 6-8 weeks old
The chicks need to eat a lot of the protein in the starter feed. This feed also contains various nutrients and vitamins that can help quail grow healthy.
- Use straight shaped food containers for quail chicks. Change the container to a round one when the chicks are 2 weeks old. Use a small container to hold the water.
- Chicks can eat fine crumbs up to 6-8 weeks of age. Feeds with a coarser texture or in the form of pellets are more suitable for adult quail.
- When raising quail chicks, teach them to dip their beaks in a bowl. If the chick has a mother, you don't need to do this.
Step 2. Feed the quail high quality developer feed at 6-8 weeks of age
The best feed for quail is bird feed that has at least 20% protein content. Quail feed should have a lot of protein for a balanced diet so that the birds will grow up healthy and perfect.
- If you raise quail for meat, you don't need to provide developer feed. Just feed it.
- If you're raising quail to breed and lay eggs, slowly change your bird's diet before 10 weeks of age.
Step 3. Feed your quail with layered pellets when they start laying eggs
Layered pellets provide calcium intake so that birds produce healthy and quality eggs. Make sure you soften the pellets a little if they are too large. This is important, especially if you buy chicken pellets, because the size of the chicken pellets is too large for the quail. Be careful not to grind the pellets to a powder.
Step 4. Always provide fresh water
Clean the water bowl one to three times a week and refill the water once a day. The bowl of water must get dirty easily, because the quail will stand on top of it, splashing mud and dirt!
Method 4 of 4: Feeding for Different Purposes
Step 1. Find out what your goal is to raise quail
Do you want to take the eggs, the meat, breed them, or just raise them? Quail workers need to be fed according to the purpose of their rearing. There are four types of feed that can be given, namely:
- Starter
- Developer feed
- Layered feed
- Finished feed
Step 2. Feed the quail a mixture of starter and finished feed if you want to sell the meat
The finished feed will help fatten the bird until it is ready for slaughter. This feed has a higher fiber content than other feeds.
Start by feeding the quail starter feed until they are 6 weeks old. Replace feed with finished feed after 6 weeks. Continue to provide the finished feed until the bird is ready to be slaughtered
Step 3. Feed the quail a mixture of starter and developer feed if you want to make it a fighting bird
This food intake is also suitable if the quail is to be kept as a pet. The developer feed has more protein content than the finished feed.
Feed the quail a starter mix until they are 6 weeks old. Replace feed with developer feed after 6 weeks. Continue until the bird is 16 weeks old
Step 4. Pay more attention to the birds you want to raise to breed and collect their eggs
Quails that are bred and used as laying eggs require special food intake when it is time to lay eggs. If not given the right feed, the eggs may become weak or break easily.
- Feed the quail to be bred with starter feed until 6 weeks of age. Replace with developer feed after 6 weeks. Continue until the bird is 20 weeks old. Then, layer feed once the bird is 20 weeks or older.
- Feed Coturnix quail (also known as Pharaoh quail) starter feed until 6 weeks of age. Replace the feed with layered feed after 6 weeks. You don't need to use developer feed.
Tips
- Do not give frequent treats to quail, as this is bad for their diet. It's a good idea to give them regular feeds to ensure they get enough nutrition.
- You can buy quail feed at your local feed store, pet store, or online.
- Give the quail enough food and don't let them starve.
- Don't be afraid to overfeed because the quail will stop eating when it's full.
- If your quail is low on protein, try adding a small amount of chicken feed or a feed with a 20% higher protein content. You can also add turkey feed.
- Add crushed clam shells or egg shells to bird feed. This is very important, especially if the eggs they produce are of poor quality and break easily. Shellfish and eggshells contain a lot of calcium so they can turn quail eggs hard and healthy.
