Grit for quail

[workindog]

I know some people say sand doesnt work as grit for chickens because its too small. And some people say sand is fine for chickens.

My question is, for quail because they are smaller, do you think sand would be ok to use?

Ive been giving a little bit of egg shell in the sand, they take dust bathes in it and eat it too. But once they start laying, i will offer more.

Thoughts?

 

[ShangoBunny]

I found this stuff called Chit Grit on Amazon. It's supposed to be smaller so that chicks (chicken chicks) can eat it too. It'a about the same size as crumbles.

 

[DK newbie]

Sand can be many things. Sometimes it's packed in bags with specific grain sizes, like 0.7-1.2 mm, sometimes it's just a little of everything. I wouldn't choose one with a specific grain size unless I'm sure it's the right size for my birds, but if you use the kind with a little of everything for your dust bath, you should be covered.
Actually quail don't even need grit unless you feed them seeds. Crumble feed is water soluble. They do need calcium though, which is what they get from egg shells, but this doesn't really count as grit as it is digestible.
To ensure that your quail always have enough calcium, you can give them crushed oyster shells, egg shells or similar alone in a dish. They'll eat what they need and you can easily see if they run out.

 

[workindog]

What about if i offer them dried mealworms as a treat? Will they need grit for that? Ty

 

[DK newbie]

I actually don't know about the meal worms. I've heard live meal worms can be hard for them to digest, but I imagine the dried ones wouldn't be much trouble because they are so brittle?

 

[Dee Clyne]

Quail only need grit if fed seeds? What about veggies like alfalfa, do they need grit then? Also when do you suggest offering crushed oyster shells?

 

[Nabiki]

If you're feeding them veggies and such, they should probably get some grit. Construction sand works well. Don't use play sand, since it sometimes has chemicals in it and is intended to clump, which you don't want to happen in your bird's crop.

I start offering crushed egg or oyster shells at around 6 weeks. That's usually about when they start thinking about laying.

 

[Dee Clyne]

What about scrambled eggs? I shouldn't need grit for that right?

 

[Nabiki]

What about scrambled eggs? I shouldn't need grit for that right?

Probably not. I don't give my quail grit, but they're on the ground, so they forage their own.