I can't get feed for my Quail

[Momto6kiddos]

Hi all! I'm in a bit of a panic right now because I have been unable to find feed for my quail anywhere. I fed them their last bit this morning, which is enough to sustain them for the morning only. My local feed stores are closed due to Covid-19 and Amazon is not delivering in my area at the moment. By early afternoon my quail (Coturnix because I forgot to mention that) will be looking for something to eat and the only protein I have right now is mealworm (in the form of a "cake" which I bought as a treat for them).

What else can I feed them while I continue my search for feed? They are only 3 weeks old so I worry their health will decline fast if I don't find them some feed!

 

[Karen&Luke]

Oh no, what area are you located? Can you try any stores in nearby towns? Maybe try the quail groups, hopefully someone close by who has extra?

 

[Momto6kiddos]

Oh no, what area are you located? Can you try any stores in nearby towns? Maybe try the quail groups, hopefully someone close by who has extra?

I live in the US. I managed to get my hands on some layer crumble but it's only 16% protein. I need to figure out how to give extra protein to my quail. I got about 6lbs of it from someone who has chickens in the area. It's not ideal but it's what I have. Any ideas on what I should give my quail to fulfill additional nutritional requirements?

 

[Karen&Luke]

Maybe try any or all of these mixed with your chicken crumble.
Boiled chicken eggs including shells blended
broccoli & kale (45% protein)
dry cat food blended into crumble.

Hopefully someone else in here has some other ideas for you.

 

[Muraki]

Not optimal, but if I were to get in that situation, i'd make a mini chicken tractor. As long as you can provide the heat and reduce to many elements from hitting them should help supplement a food source. Just have some feed available along with letting them free range in a safe environment. This will prolong what resources you do have. At 3 weeks, they should be fairly feathered up and grown.

Do you have a tractor supply anywhere nearby? They say they are keeping their doors open, and they have a dumors feed that is at least 24% protein usually in stock. Not as good as the purina gamebird startena, but I have raised quail on it without issues.
https://corporate.tractorsupply.com...VID-19/?cm_sp=20200309-_-HP+GLOBAL-_-COVID+19

Not sure what state you are in, but the NC stores still have feed available in the surrounding Raleigh area.

 

[Vicky]

You can grow your own mealworms (it will take time initially) and a worm farm will provide castings and liquid for the garden plus worms for your quail. Put down wet cardboard in the garden in the evening and see if you can harvest insects in the morning from that? silk worms are another thing you can raise yourself for the animals, crickets can be kept in a similar manner to mealworms. Sorry, no real practical advice for the feeding them today, except digging in the garden for worms and insects.

 

[Vicky]

I also just read that brewers yeast and/or nutritional yeast can be a source of protien.

 

[reeeen4]

The protein that they use in the quail food is just meat meal or fish meal which is made from the leftover bits of fish, cows, pigs and other animals (NOT poultry) ground up and dried so you could just supplement some grain with some chopped up mince or something like that maybe if you are desperate.