Do Your Quail Need More Calcium?
You go out to your quail cage and there is an egg waiting for you. You're excited and pick it up. But it's so soft you have to be careful to not break it open in your hand. Your quail need more calcium.
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Do Your Quail Need More Calcium?
I didn't think about the amount of calcium that our quail might need outside of their feed until we had a couple of eggs laid without much of an outer shell. They were soft or broken in their coop. The first one I am going to mention
Crushed Up Eggshells
This is the fastest, most accessible way for getting more calcium into our quail. Eggshells are readily available in our home.
I bake my eggshells on a parchment-lined cookie sheet. Low temperature for about 10-15 minutes. I use a coffee grinder to crush them up finely once cooled.
I sprinkle the ground-up eggshell over their wild game feed, which they quickly eat up as a treat. It isn't something I give them all the time, just when I get a soft, or shell-less, egg.
Oyster Shells or Limestone
Feed your laying chickens oyster shells or limestone. Simply put the oyster shell or limestone in a separate container and allow birds access free choice. Your girls will take what they need.
It does come in larger bags but you aren't going to be buying it often as it's going to go a long way.
Fresh Vegetables
Fresh vegetables can be a great source of calcium for your Coturnix quail. Now your birds might not gobble them down like chickens or turkeys but they will peck away at them.
- broccoli
- brussels sprouts
- collards
- kale
- Swiss chard
In providing your birds will a variety of vegetables you might not ever see more than the odd egg that is soft or shell-less. It's about providing them with what they need.
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