Quail: we breed, feed and keep it right

Breeding poultry is a familiar activity for many. However, most often people choose chickens or ducklings. And in the 90s on the territory of the Soviet Union they started talking about very useful products - quail meat and eggs. In an era of total shortages, it was unrealistic to see these products on store shelves, but persistent rumors claimed that quail meat and eggs were on the tables of the political elite of the country almost daily. Fortunately, today these dietary products are freely available everywhere. Yes, and everyone can engage in breeding this unique poultry.

Quail in a cage

How to choose a breed?

Despite many years of domestic breeding, quails remain semi-wild birds. Most often, the choice is stopped on the Japanese breed of birds, since it has a high egg production and is quite unpretentious in care. In addition to them, birds of the Chinese, Virginian, Marble and English breeds are bred. Despite the fact that the main parameter in breeding is egg production, it is worth paying attention to the size of individuals, and when kept in urban apartments, the noise of birds.

The most common Japanese quails on our farms are the quietest. Their second name is the Mute. The mass content of this breed of birds causes an increased interest in breeding, due to which several breed varieties have appeared. So the Marble and English breed was bred on the basis of the Japanese. The main differences are plumage color and character.

From meat breeds, breeding Pharaoh quails is optimal. They are bred not only at home, but also in serious farms.

Quail can be bred in an apartment

Subtleties of maintenance and care

It is desirable that it be possible to connect a backup power supply when the light is turned off. Since it is important for the cells to be illuminated for at least 15 hours a day to maintain productivity.

The technology of keeping quails in farms is based on 18 hours of continuous lighting. This is followed by 2 hours of complete darkness, then 2 hours of light and again 2 hours of complete darkness. If the duration of the illuminated period is longer, then the birds age faster, and food consumption increases. With a decrease in daylight hours, birds starve and rush worse. In industrial poultry houses without windows, UV lamps should be turned on periodically.

Industrial cages for quails

If the birdhouse is not equipped with a stationary heating system, then portable heaters are installed in winter. This is necessary because the temperature must be at a certain level. In order not to lose the egg production of females, they should not be allowed to hypothermia. The optimum temperature for birds is + 18°C. It is permissible to increase it to + 25 ° C, but it should not fall below + 10 ° C. The temperature of +5°C can become critical for the number of birds, they will die from hypothermia.

Cages with quails should not stand in direct sunlight, from this the birds are overexcited.

It is undesirable to place winged pets near noisy roads and airfields, near establishments with high noise levels: industrial workshops, cafes with live music, karaoke.

If breeding is supposed not in an apartment or house, but in a special industrial poultry house, then it can be located no closer than 300 meters from housing. Breeding in commercial poultry houses also requires cages.

Ventilation and cleanliness requirements

The ideal option is to create two-level ventilation. The upper level, located under the ceiling in a poultry house or shed, will remove ammonia from the room, and the lower level will remove hydrogen sulfide and carbon dioxide. In this case, the upper level can be provided by installing a forced exhaust or sub-ceiling pipe. At the lower level, you can place household fans, the main thing is not to direct them to one point, but to set the rotation mode. This will provide the necessary air flow to the cages with the birds, and will speed up the exchange of air in the house or barn. In winter, it should be possible to temporarily block the subceiling pipe to maintain the temperature regime. But it is necessary to ensure that the smell in the room does not become too strong when the ventilation is closed, and when the ventilation pipe is open, the temperature does not fall below the permissible level.

Quails can be kept in the yard

In an apartment, cages can be placed in the kitchen or on a heated loggia. If the balcony or loggia is not heated, then sharp fluctuations in temperature make these rooms unsuitable for keeping quails, especially in winter. In summer, it is easiest to provide for normal ventilation in these rooms. However, care must be taken to avoid drafts, as quails are prone to colds.

One of the indicators of the presence of drafts is the loss of feathers. This should serve as a signal to inspect the room or redirect the air flow from the fans.

It is important to understand that no ventilation system can replace the cleaning of the room and cage. Quail care involves cleaning the litter in the summer - 2 times a week, and in winter - once a week. Daily cleaning of industrial farms exposes the bird to stress, which leads to nervousness and reduced egg production.

How to equip a cage? Settlement options for quail families

For keeping quails in a city apartment, ordinary cages for decorative and songbirds are suitable. The pallet is covered with sand, sawdust or covered with thick paper, cardboard. Quail care in a residential apartment involves daily cleaning of the cage tray. This will prevent an unpleasant smell that can bother not only you, but also the neighbors. Birdcage nests are not installed. Quails rush straight to the floor. Various poles and perches are necessary only for the California quail breed. For the cell, you need to choose a quiet and warm corner, but not a brightly lit window sill. Otherwise, the quails will fight and peck at the laid eggs.

Aviary for decorative quails

For egg-laying and meat quails, you can equip a compact cage with a mesh floor; spacious but closed enclosures are suitable for decorative breeds.

There are several options for settling families to receive eggs:

One male settles in a cage, and with him up to five females. For the Japanese breed, the cage is not higher than 17 cm, so that the quails do not get hurt when trying to take off. The cage floor size is approximately 50 by 25 cm. Such breeding is possible in an apartment.
A young female at the age of 25 days is planted in a cage, the floor size of which is a square with a side of 15 cm. The cage can be multi-level, one female settles on each floor. In this case, the quail lays food eggs every 16-20 hours. Such a settlement facilitates care, suitable for installation in a residential apartment.
Resettlement in cages for 30-50 individuals. The floor of the cage is at least 60 by 60 cm, with a slight slope (up to 12 °). From the front side, the floor of such a cage is pushed out and bent so that the eggs roll down, but do not break. Floor cells 15x15 mm. The distance between the bars is no more than 25 mm so that the birds can stick their heads out for feeding, but do not crawl between the bars. On the floor, under the cages, trays are installed for the litter, which must be cleaned regularly so as not to worsen the smell. By the way, litter can serve as an excellent fertilizer for a summer cottage or indoor flowers.

If the breeding of quails has led to the keeping of birds of different ages in one cage, then they must be marked. Quails of the same age can be ringed with wire or marked with paint.

What else do you need to know about grooming?

Metal cages for quails

The breeding room must have a certain humidity. The minimum rate is 50%. If you notice that the plumage of birds is brittle and disheveled, the beak is open, and breathing is quickened, this indicates that the room where the cages are placed is overdried. This is especially true in winter, when the air in the apartments dries up due to the inclusion of batteries. Lack of humidity, as well as low temperatures, can affect egg production. In the apartment, it is desirable to carry out wet cleaning more often, and install a humidifier in winter.

Cages and rooms should be disinfected quarterly. For this, birds are planted in a free cage or aviary. Disinfection is carried out with cleaning or antibacterial preparations. The cells are thoroughly dried after cleaning.

Getting young. Incubator

Quails are not able to hatch the young on their own, because they actually lack the instinct of incubation. If you want to start breeding, you will have to equip a special incubator. Ready-made incubators can be purchased at specialized stores, but the smallest of them is designed for 300 eggs. For home use, this is a lot, so it's worth making an incubator yourself. To do this, you will need a box and a layer of roll insulation. For ventilation, make a couple of holes that can be periodically opened and closed.

Quail incubator

The principle of manufacturing an incubator:

The box must be overlaid with foam and sheathed with plywood, lay out a layer of rolled insulation from the inside.
Poke a few holes in the bottom.
In the lid, cut and close the window with glass to control the condition of the eggs and temperature.
Electrical wiring and lamp sockets are held in each corner of the box.
The quail egg tray is mounted on a support 10 cm high.
A metal mesh is stretched over the tray.
Water containers are placed at the bottom of the box. From above, they are covered with a fine-mesh net so that newborn chicks do not get into the containers.

The temperature in the room where you install the quail incubator should not be lower than 20 ° C. The temperature in the incubator itself is 38 ° C, the humidity is about 70%.

Hatching eggs must be fresh, the maximum age is 5 days. The process itself takes 17 days, pecking of the chicks can last several hours.

Growing process

Breeding and rearing quails is a very interesting process. Day old chicks, after they have dried, are placed in a box with high walls. The box should be in a warm room where the temperature is not lower than 36°C. The box in which the first days of a quail's life are spent is called a brooder. Here, day-old quails will live for the first 14 days.

Inside, the quail egg was rolled into a compact ball. After pecking, it is covered with down, has vision, is able to move around, drink and take food on its own. Daily chicks weigh about 8 g. Chickens and cockerels are reared together. Sexual separation occurs in the third week of life. Around the eighth week, males reach their maximum growth, and at 35-40 days they reach sexual maturity.

Cultivation of young females takes a little longer. Their growth continues for 9 weeks. The mass by this time becomes about 135 g.

Breeding of young animals is facilitated by the fact that behavior can be used to judge the state of the chicks. Chicks are naturally mobile and active. If they are huddled together and loudly expressing dissatisfaction, then it is cold in the brooder. If they spread out around the perimeter of the box, sit or lie with their beaks open, then the chicks are hot.

Raising chicks requires attention as they tend to hide in nooks and crannies. It is necessary to ensure that the young growth does not get stuck anywhere, otherwise it may die.

For 14 days, the brooder with chicks is illuminated around the clock, then the illumination is gradually reduced and brought to normal.

Starting from the tenth day of life, the temperature in the box where the young are located is gradually lowered to + 30 ° C. In the third week, the chicks can be moved to cages for adult quails.

quail chick

The difference in feeding young and adult birds

Feeding the chicks is not very difficult, given that from the very birth they can eat on their own. The first time the quail should be interested by tapping near the feeder with a thin object. The chicks will decide that it is an insect and begin to peck. Baby food should be high in protein. The composition should contain vitamins and minerals. This is due to the fact that the chicks grow quickly.

For the first three days, a finely chopped boiled egg is used as feed. As a feeder, you can adapt a small but wide dish. Then cottage cheese and crushed corn are added to the egg. The next step is to add chopped greens to the feed. After two weeks, you can start feeding with compound feed for chickens.

In the third or fourth week of life, chicks can be transferred to feeding with standard feed.

Regarding water, it must be in the brooder. At first, vacuum drinkers for decorative birds are used.

Adults are fed by the hour. Feeders are placed on the outside of the cages so that the birds stick their heads through the bars. This is done in order to reduce the scattering of feed and reduce its consumption. Meals should be three times a day, at the rate of 30 g of feed per bird. You can feed quails with compound feed for laying hens. Top dressing is made with chopped herbs, seeds, sprouted grains, boiled vegetables. Twice a week, bone meal and boiled fish are added to the diet. Of the mineral additives, chalk and crushed shells are used. Earthworms, various insects and larvae are offered as a treat.

Quality food for quails

If not egg, but meat breeds are bred, then males and females are kept separately. Lighting is reduced, and the temperature is set within 20°C and above. Feeding in this case is done 4 times a day, portions for each adult are increased. Twice a day, grain waste or grain is given, and 2 more feedings consist of chopped greens and corn. Technical fat is added to the grain portions of the feed.

What should be included in cereal, animal, vitamin and mineral feeds?

Cereal feeds may consist of: beans; wiki peas; boiled buckwheat; hemp seeds; corn; oats; millet; millet; wheat; barley and other crops.
Feeds of animal origin are: feed fat; blood and blood meal; sour milk; cottage cheese; bloodworm; flour worm; earthworm; maggots; chopped fish; fish fat; chicken and quail eggs.
Vitamin feed is: boiled potatoes; greenery; cabbage; carrot; onion; beet; pumpkin; coniferous or herbal flour.
Mineral additives are coarse quartz sand or finely crushed gravel; bone flour; special mineral chalk; coarse table salt; crushed shells; eggshell.

The diet may include protein and vitamin supplements, yeast and permixes. To stimulate growth, veterinary drugs are produced.

A varied diet is the basis of population health

Owners should not take birds in their hands without special need. This causes not only a nervous shock, but also pain from the displacement of feathers. Quail is a cautious and cowardly bird. She tries to escape from the master's hands and takes a long time to come to her senses. You should also carefully approach the cells. You can not make sudden movements, clothes should be selected in light colors. If the Japanese quail is frightened, then he raises a panic among the inhabitants of his cage, and tries to take off. This leads to head and wing injuries.

When breeding quails, you should always have a supply of feed. If, due to inattention, it is over, then you can feed the bird with carrots, cabbage or greens with the addition of protein. Feed containers should always be tightly closed, as they provoke the appearance of moths and rodents.

In early spring, it is useful for quails to feed the shoots of nettles and dandelions. They must be collected in clean places, away from roads.

Japanese quails are stressed by the sight of other birds. It is impossible to build dovecotes next to the quail house. It is also impossible to temporarily plant pigeons or larger birds on quails.

When transplanting young females from brooders into a cage with an adult male, care must be taken that the female does not suffer from excessive attention.

Conflict can arise in a close cage

Who is more profitable for home maintenance?

If we are talking about city apartments, then it is difficult to find a more profitable option than keeping quails. On a relatively small area, up to 50 individuals can be placed in cages at several levels.

Consider the fact that females of the Japanese breed begin to rush from one and a half months, and chicken - from 6 months. Ostriches generally begin laying eggs from 2-3 years. The quail has a high percentage of hatchability, rarely gets sick, and has valuable dietary meat. Quail eggs have a high nutritional value, low cholesterol content, and are considered a suitable food for allergy sufferers and people on various diets.

So do not be afraid of the expected difficulties and boldly take on the provision of a family or the nearest grocery store with healthy dietary products.