Quail Eggs

[raintyger]

I was in a really good and impulsive mood on Fri., before the holiday weekend. So I wound up with a package of quail eggs after visiting the Japanese market.

But...Now what?

Do I hard boil them? They're really small, so feeding it raw would be a really tiny amount since you don't give the whites raw.

They sure are pretty, though.

 

[ldg]

I remember making quail egg salad once - for a large party. Talk about a PIA! (But it was worth it - it was different than regular egg salad, and SO fluffy!)

Actually, the egg yolk has a LOT of biotin, so it's balanced for the avidin in the white. You can feed the whole egg raw. Or cook them. Doesn't matter much.

 

[raintyger]

Thanks, Laurie!

I think I will hard boil a few and give them along with the quail that I got for Poppy. My first experiment with homecooked. I will use some old TC Feline I have around the house. Not too concerned with balancing yet, as this will only be for a meal or two.

The great thing about quail is that they are so small you don't have to cook a big bird and wind up with a ton of leftovers.

 

[ldg]

But it's a lot of work getting rid of those bones, no? Or are you cooking the bird for you? :lol3:

I feed my kitties quail once a week, but I feed it raw, bone-in. :lol3: (Well - there are three that won't eat the bones, so they get meat cut off of the bird).

 

[raintyger]

But it's a lot of work getting rid of those bones, no? Or are you cooking the bird for you?

I feed my kitties quail once a week, but I feed it raw, bone-in.

(Well - there are three that won't eat the bones, so they get meat cut off of the bird).

Argh, I hadn't thought of the deboning! Well, we'll see how it goes. I got these at the Chinese supermarket (meat sourced in U.S.) and they had plenty of protein choices (quail, duck, goose, rabbit, venison--the Chinese sure like variety!), so it was worth the trip even if the quail doesn't work out.

 

[ldg]

The ONLY reason I don't like living in the boonies where we do is our lack of access to markets like that! That's awesome!

 

[ritz]

Any idea about feeding the SHELL as a replacement for bone?
I'll do some general research about using egg shell (why can't I just feed it to her whole versus pulvarized) as a substitute for bone, but was just wondering about quail egg shells. A woman at the local farmer's market sells quail eggs, so I know the quail is high quality.
After almost 10 days of Ritz not throwing up, she has now pucked these past two nights even if first fed white/mild meat, and then dark meat, including bone.
Thanks.
PS: FWIW, Ritz is having an acupuncture treatment Monday, first time in over 2.5 years. Her twitches are most prevalent after she eats.

 

[ldg]

Spooky is on only eggshell, she only gets ground bone in the whole animal mix I feed 4x a week. Carolina's cats are on solely eggshell as the source of trace minerals and calcium. People with CRF kitties use eggshell instead of bone. I see no reason not to use eggshell instead of bone entirely.

The reason for powdering is because each eggshell is a different size, thickness, etc., so unless it's powdered, you don't know how much shell you're feeding.

I did a quick search for quail eggs - I didn't have time to read through it, I have NO idea if this discusses shell properties, but it is a study of the eggs: http://tru.uni-sz.bg/tsj/Vol10N2_ 2012/At.Gen4ev.pdf

 

[ritz]

Thanks!

 

[ldg]

I looked through that article, not thoroughly. I didn't find the shell info. I found it here: http://www.gobookee.org/get_book.ph...3aWxsIC0gQ2hlbWljYWwgUGFyYWRpZ21zIC0gaG9tZQ==

Quail Egg Calcium vs Egg White and Brown.JPG

• ldg
• Nov 20, 2013

The research I have indicated that white chicken eggs were 97% calcium carbonate, and this coincides with the recommended amount to use with the Alnutrin powder, so I'm not sure what to make of this table.

If it is correct for quail eggs, we know that calcium carbonate is 39% elemental calcium. This means there is 2g of elemental calcium per teaspoon, and 62.45mg per 1/32 teaspoon. I plugged it into the table I used to create the Ca ratios for white eggshell powder, and the Ca ratio with 1/32 teaspoon per ounce of meat and organ works out to be roughly 1.16 per ounce of meat (vs 1.3 for eggshell), and for the organs, at 3/64 teaspoon per ounce:

Beef liver 0.86
Chicken liver 1.14
Duck liver 1.27
Lamb liver 0.93
Pork liver 1.18
Turkey liver 1.2

Beef kidney 1.34
Lamb kidney 1.4
Pork kidney 1.67

Beef pancreas 1.04
Lamb pancreas 0.85
Pork pancreas 1.46

Beef spleen 1.15
Lamb spleen 1.22
Pork spleen 1.31

 

[ritz]

Thanks. I need to do more reading before I even begin to formulate my next question

I would like to stick with bone for several reasons--Ritz really does love bone (and I love to hear her crunching), it takes a milli-second longer for her to chew bone than meat, and I think it's better for her teeth/gingivitus. She had a cleaning about two years ago and the vet said this time last year, she'll probably be due for another one in early to mid 2014. I will try giving her bone in the morning; she rarely throws up then.
But I am relieved to know there are experts like you who can guide and help me should Ritz no longer be able to obtain calcium through bone. (She is having problems with gizzards, too.)

 

[ldg]

I'd hardly call myself an expert. But I'm willing and able to do the research.