Raising chickens and quail

MrRedLight

Member
Joined
Dec 26, 2020
Messages
10
I want to raise my own quail for meat and eggs.

What would be the best feed for quail and chicken to keep PUFA as low as possible?
 

haidut

Member
Forum Supporter
Joined
Mar 18, 2013
Messages
19,798
Location
USA / Europe
I want to raise my own quail for meat and eggs.

What would be the best feed for quail and chicken to keep PUFA as low as possible?

I think allowing them to free-range is best as they would eat a lot of insects, worms, fruit, and other non-grain food. In addition, giving them chopped liver (preferably beef/lamb) once weekly is great for both their health and the quality of the eggs they produce. If you do feed them grain-based food, it would be healthier if you mix some coconut oil or butter with it so that the ratio of SFA/PUFA is high.
 

postman

Member
Joined
Mar 3, 2016
Messages
1,284
You can probably feed them your own food scraps.

Potato is probably the best cheap starchy food, almost no fat and very nutritious. Probably needs to be cooked, maybe premade potato feed exists. Hydrogenated coconut oil. And whatever low-fat protein you can get.
 
OP
M

MrRedLight

Member
Joined
Dec 26, 2020
Messages
10
I think allowing them to free-range is best as they would eat a lot of insects, worms, fruit, and other non-grain food. In addition, giving them chopped liver (preferably beef/lamb) once weekly is great for both their health and the quality of the eggs they produce. If you do feed them grain-based food, it would be healthier if you mix some coconut oil or butter with it so that the ratio of SFA/PUFA is high.
Do you think that sprouted grains would be better?
 

mostlylurking

Member
Joined
May 13, 2015
Messages
3,078
Location
Texas
I think allowing them to free-range is best as they would eat a lot of insects, worms, fruit, and other non-grain food. In addition, giving them chopped liver (preferably beef/lamb) once weekly is great for both their health and the quality of the eggs they produce. If you do feed them grain-based food, it would be healthier if you mix some coconut oil or butter with it so that the ratio of SFA/PUFA is high.
I've had chickens for over 20 years. I try very hard to feed them a healthy diet. I tried mixing a little melted coconut oil into their soaked/partially germinated grain and they turned their beaks up at it.

I'm in Texas out in the country, no neighbors, lots of deer. We're in a serious drought. The chickens free range over about 3 acres. They ate all the bugs by mid-June. There aren't any left. Everything turned brown last July and it never got much rain in the fall so it's pretty dusty/dead desolate out there. Maybe in March it might rain. We've been in a drought since 2007.

This is what I feed to keep my layers happy and healthy and producing:
1. Organic layer pellets, non GMO, no soy, no fish meal, always available.
2. organic freshly sprouted triticale grain twice a day; sprouting increases the available protein.
3. organic store bought kale once a day, they'll eat collards too
4. any protein containing table scraps there might be
5. watermelon maybe 5 times a week.
6. they love cottage cheese, but so do I so they don't get it very often.

These are very spoiled chickens. They lay nice eggs. Of all the things I feed them, the kale is their favorite. It makes their combs red which means they are fit enough to lay eggs.

I don't think that minimizing PUFA is a big concern because their body temperature (and their metabolism) is considerably higher than ours. That said, I do avoid commercial chicken scratch that has more PUFA added to it to make it pretty and shiny. Mine like scratch (whole mixed grain) but I don't feed it very often. I feed the sprouted triticale grain instead.
 
Last edited:

hierundjetzt

Member
Joined
Feb 27, 2020
Messages
239
I have a friend who just let the chickens graze in the garden, no feed required at all! Just make sure they have some water point. He got eggs daily which were really tasty.
 

hierundjetzt

Member
Joined
Feb 27, 2020
Messages
239
I am pretty sure that corn oil contains a high amount of pufa...ergo corn must also contain some pufa.
 

Nemo

Member
Joined
Jul 8, 2019
Messages
2,163
I've had chickens for over 20 years. I try very hard to feed them a healthy diet. I tried mixing a little melted coconut oil into their soaked/partially germinated grain and they turned their beaks up at it.

I'm in Texas out in the country, no neighbors, lots of deer. We're in a serious drought. The chickens free range over about 3 acres. They ate all the bugs by mid-June.

You can raise bugs and frogs by throwing bales of straw around and keeping them moist, but it takes water and that might not work with your drought.

My chickens, like yours, used to love watermelon and cottage cheese and sprouted grains. They were crazy about grapes too.
 

mostlylurking

Member
Joined
May 13, 2015
Messages
3,078
Location
Texas
You can raise bugs and frogs by throwing bales of straw around and keeping them moist, but it takes water and that might not work with your drought.

My chickens, like yours, used to love watermelon and cottage cheese and sprouted grains. They were crazy about grapes too.
Fortunately, we have a tank (that's Texan for "pond") and an abundance of frogs, the chickens' all time favorite! We've gotten a little bit of misty sprinkle (can't call it actual rain) and right now there is a lot of new spring grass to eat so chicken life is good. Things will get worse as we get into summer and everything burns up. I'm still buying them organic kale from the health food store. These are lap chickens, not Sunday dinner chickens you see.
 

mostlylurking

Member
Joined
May 13, 2015
Messages
3,078
Location
Texas
What breed do you have...
Are you asking me? I'll assume yes. I have a motley assortment, including: Americanas, Buttercups, a Blue Andalusan, a barred rock, a couple of pencil rocks, a partridge rock, a dominicker, a white faced black spanish, and an Americana/white leghorn cross rooster. I've found that the lighter weight birds (that can fly) last longer here; we have a lot of foxes, etc. The rocks are too heavy to fly. The Americanas are nice birds that get along with the others; the barred rock is a bully. The Buttercups are smart and personable; both hens have wicked stiletto spurs and are pretty spunky little birds that like to sit in your lap if it's their idea.
 

Mathgirl

Member
Joined
Dec 3, 2022
Messages
124
Location
United States
Are you asking me? I'll assume yes. I have a motley assortment, including: Americanas, Buttercups, a Blue Andalusan, a barred rock, a couple of pencil rocks, a partridge rock, a dominicker, a white faced black spanish, and an Americana/white leghorn cross rooster. I've found that the lighter weight birds (that can fly) last longer here; we have a lot of foxes, etc. The rocks are too heavy to fly. The Americanas are nice birds that get along with the others; the barred rock is a bully. The Buttercups are smart and personable; both hens have wicked stiletto spurs and are pretty spunky little birds that like to sit in your lap if it's their idea.
Thank you! I'm looking for a breed that would be fairly docile, friendly and quiet as I live close to neighbors and I have young grandchildren that visit. And small-my area for their hen house is limited.
 

mostlylurking

Member
Joined
May 13, 2015
Messages
3,078
Location
Texas
Thank you! I'm looking for a breed that would be fairly docile, friendly and quiet as I live close to neighbors and I have young grandchildren that visit. And small-my area for their hen house is limited.
I think it might be helpful for you to do a little research about chicken keeping. Although a small hen house would work for night time, chickens need to be able to get out into the yard (or run) to scratch around to be happy. Mine roam around a area that's about 3 acres, but lots of chickens are kept in runs with a secure lock-up house for night time.

link: Chicken Information
 

Kyle970

Member
Joined
Jun 24, 2022
Messages
158
Location
United States
I modified a dog kennel. Wheels and a roof. Kind of a diy chicken tractor. They can free range and be protected. Wild food is always best.
 

:M :B.

Member
Joined
Feb 17, 2022
Messages
274
Location
[]
has anybody nixtamalized corn for chicken feed? that plus doing some of the things georgie has mentioned.
 

Similar threads

Back
Top Bottom