Many poultry farmers successfully bred quail even in urban apartments. Having adapted bird cages for their living, you will consistently receive a harvest of delicious eggs, and by creating a small farm, you will provide yourself with dietary meat. How to do this, read on.
Why quail?
Quail are the smallest birds from the order of the chicken and the pheasant family. The weight of such a bird is about 150 g, and the length of the body is not more than 20 cm. They are increasingly bred at home and in the country in connection with three points:
- This is a great alternative to classical poultry farming, since you do not need to build a large chicken coop, walk the bird and think about what to feed it. So, for the maintenance of 50 quails, several square meters are required, if you correctly approach the organization of space.
- Despite their modest size, quails are excellent laying hens. Certain species can produce up to 300 eggs per year. On average, from 50 birds a day you can get about 45-48 eggs, which is equivalent to 8 chicken, but they are more useful than their counterparts, because they contain several times more vitamins of group B, copper, potassium, iron, phosphorus and cobalt. It is noteworthy that they can be consumed raw, since they are not carriers of salmonellosis.
- Poultry meat is dietary and also rich in B vitamins, iron, copper, potassium and beneficial amino acids. It is especially recommended for people who have problems with the gastrointestinal tract, heart and blood vessel diseases, as well as diabetes, tuberculosis, asthma or anemia.
Quail meat can be stored for a long time, as it retains its beneficial properties even after freezing.
How to choose a productive breed?
Quail breeds are divided into egg and meat ones, depending on the purpose of cultivation. The characteristics of popular breeds can be found on the table:
Name | Group | Egg production, pieces / year | Egg mass, g | Live weight, g | Fertility,% | |
male | females | |||||
Japanese | egg | 250-300 | 9-11 | 110-130 | 130-150 | 80-90 |
Pharaoh | meat | up to 220 | 12-16 | 200 | up to 300 | 80-90 |
White english | egg | about 280 | 10-11 | 160 | 190 | 75 |
Black english | egg | 280 | 10-11 | 170 | 200 | 75 |
Tuxedo | egg and meat | 280 | 10-11 | 140-160 | 160-180 | 80-90 |
Marble | egg | 260-280 | 9-10 | 110-120 | 130-150 | 70 |
Manchurian | meat | 220 | 16 | 150-200 | 300 | 80 |
Estonian | egg | 300-310 | 12 | 170 | 200 | 95 |
Population of NPO Complex | egg and meat | 260 | 11-12 | 150-170 | 180-200 | 70-80 |
The most popular are the following breeds:
- Japanese. Females begin egg laying at the age of 1.5-2 months. Up to 300 eggs can be laid per year. It is undemanding to habitat conditions, resistant to diseases. Domestic quails have a color similar to birds living in the wild.
- British (English) white and black. Less egg-laying than Japanese (280 eggs per year), but slightly larger. Received from mutations of Japanese quail. They have black plumage with a brown tint. Black quails have a higher mass compared to white species.
- Manchurian Golden. Egg production up to 250 eggs per year. They have a very beautiful color of feathers - brown in half with wheat, which gives the bird a pleasant golden hue.
- Pharaoh. It is in steady demand among farmers. Its color resembles Japanese quail. They begin to rush at the age of 40-50 days, but they give relatively few eggs - about 200 pieces per year. Such quails are actively used for breeding broilers.
Japanese breed of quail
British white quail
English black quail
Manchurian Golden Quail
Quail "Pharaoh"
For home breeding, Japanese, Estonian, marble and British white / black breeds, as well as Pharaoh, are often selected.
Arrangement of premises and cells
To successfully grow quail, the room should be equipped with ventilation, lighting, heating. Convenient cages, feeders and drinking bowls should also be prepared. Every detail needs to be given due attention.
Lighting
The room should be bright for 17-18 hours. Incandescent lamps should be turned on at 6-7 in the morning and off at 11 o’clock in the evening. With round-the-clock lighting, females begin to rush more often, but this leads to their rapid "wear". Bright lighting is not recommended, as it can provoke restless behavior and aggression among birds. Quail can begin to brawl and bite eggs.
To illuminate a room of 16 square meters. m enough one lamp of 40 watts. In summer, under sunny daylight, plenty of natural light is enough.
If there are no windows in the room where the birds are kept, except for lighting with incandescent lamps, quails must be illuminated with ultraviolet lamps. They create an imitation of sunlight and prevent rickets in birds.
Humidity and temperature
The moisture content in the room is allowed no more than 50%. The optimal value is 60-70%. With excessive dryness, quail rarely rush, and their plumage becomes brittle. You can correct the situation if you put a bucket or a cup of water near the cage. In damp rooms, on the contrary, birds can catch a cold and die.
The temperature in the room should be from 18 to 24 degrees. It should be borne in mind that if it drops to 5 degrees, then the birds will die out. It is important to ensure that in winter the temperature in the room is not lower than 18 degrees, otherwise the egg production of birds can be severely affected. It is important to prevent temperature changes, as this will also affect bird performance.
Ventilation
If the birds are raised in an apartment environment, it is necessary to establish good ventilation, since the smell of litter will be drawn into the neighboring apartments, and this threatens very unpleasant showdowns with neighbors. In this regard, it is easier to breed quail in the country or in a country house.
Cells
For quail housing, ordinary bird cages are sufficient. They should be organized according to the following rules:
- make the frame of the cell from a galvanized mesh, but in extreme cases, metal can be used;
- to withstand between the rods such a size so that the bird could stick its head in, otherwise it will not be able to reach the feeder when feeding;
- the height of the cage is not less than 20 cm, otherwise the quail can break their head when they bounce;
- provide a place for two trays in the cage: one for eggs and one for litter, otherwise the eggs will be dirty and an infection may occur.
In this case, the following nuances should be taken into account:
- keep the cells in a quiet place, but not on the windowsill, strongly lit by the sun;
- in a cage measuring 30x30 and 25 cm high, you can keep 3 females and 1 male;
- if you plan to place the cages on the loggia, you must take care of its tightness and insulation, as drafts and temperature fluctuations can lead to diseases and death of birds;
- paper must be put at the bottom of the cage, or chips or sand can be poured, but they should be changed daily;
- wash cells at least every 2-3 months.
You can arrange racks of cells along the walls in a barn or other utility room. You can make them yourself from utility tools.
Feeding troughs and drinking bowls
Hopper feeders can be made of roofing iron, but they should be deep and high - at least 10 cm in height. For water, it is best to use ordinary cups or clean tin cans. They can be installed behind a cage so that birds cannot overturn them while drinking.
Mating and feeding the parent herd
Having organized suitable conditions for keeping quails, you can go directly to their mating and pay special attention to feeding.
Pairing
For breeding, it is necessary to select females aged 3-8 months, and males - 3-6 months. Not closely suited for pairing quail of different breeds and closely related, as well as birds from the same producer.
If you limit the number of mating females, then the hatchability of the chicks will increase. There should be no more than 4 females per male. Often the male avoids mating with high-grade layers, preferring low-grade ones. In such cases, the worst specimens are simply discarded and cleaned.
During the mating season, quail must receive a large amount of protein and vitamins. You can purchase various vitamin supplements for these purposes. Well suited for bran bran (preferably wheat rather than rye).
The parent flock must be kept separate from the meat breeds of birds. Over time, egg production in females may begin to fall and males will need to be replaced. This does not always go away calmly, as females are usually taken in hostility as a new producer. They can drive them around the cage, pull out feathers and keep them away from them. Egg production during the habituation period decreases by about a week, but then is successfully restored.
Feeding
As for the feed, older quail feed on the finished mixture of cereals, like chicken. At the same time, for the growth and health of birds, it is separately worth giving such products:
- bone or fish meal (2-3 times a week);
- chalk or lime;
- small pebbles and eggshells.
To diversify food, you can give:
- boiled potatoes;
- chopped greens;
- fresh vegetables, but finely chopped;
- sunflower seeds;
- grain waste.
Feed is at the same time 2-3 times a day. The optimal serving size is 30 g per bird.
In order to keep the cage clean and feed less, the feeder should be placed outside the cage, but at such a distance that the quail can reach their food.
Artificial incubation
As domestication, the females lose their ability to hatch eggs, so artificial incubation can be successfully used to obtain young animals. In this case, the hatchability of the chicks is 60-70%.
An incubator can be made independently, but many prefer to buy a ready-made device. The most economical option is a foam incubator. It is not durable, but has a reasonable price and is suitable for home use. There are also incubators with the option of automatic egg flipping, but they are large and more often used in industrial production.
The incubator must maintain the desired temperature and humidity, and it must also have ventilation.
For incubation, eggs of medium size and weight, of the correct oval shape, should be taken. The shell should be the usual color, without chips and damage. The incubation itself is carried out in the following order:
- Do not wash the eggs, but the dirt should be cleaned with the finest sandpaper.
- Warm the incubator well, and then lay the eggs at the same time or in several stages. It should be borne in mind that the prepared eggs are placed in a heated incubator no earlier than a day after laying. Until this time, they must be stored in a cool place for up to 6 days.
- Lay eggs in the incubator on their sides or with the sharp end down. Eggs lying on their sides should be turned over after 2 hours to warm evenly.
The duration of incubation depends on the quail breed chosen:
- in Japanese and ordinary - 17 days;
- the Chinese have 16;
- in California - 22;
- Virgin - 23.
In order not to confuse the incubation dates, a record book should be kept.
As soon as the quails are born, they immediately begin to move actively. They should be quickly pulled out of the incubator, carefully inspected and sorted.
Keeping and growing young animals
Growing young quail is reduced to a healthy diet and the creation of favorable conditions for life. After birth, they need to be transferred to a warm room and planted in boxes made of cardboard or plywood. The bottom should be covered with paper. Boxes must be large enough to accommodate at least one hundred chicks.
The room where the quail cells are located should be washed, disinfected and warmed up.
Migrants must be given water with potassium permanganate diluted to light pink. In the first hours after birth, they literally have to pour water in the neck so that the chick can later drink on its own.
Quails are able to eat from the very first days of life. It is best if their feed is ready-made feed for chicks and young animals. If this is not the case, then you can feed hard-boiled and finely ground eggs. If these are quail eggs, then they can be given with a shell crushed to a powder state. The egg mixture may be supplemented with:
- soaked millet;
- boiled fish (crushed together with bones);
- crushed crackers;
- fresh herbs - nettles, chives, dandelion, plantain (greens need to be chopped and sprinkled on top of the feed).
Spread food at least 6 times a day, after removing uneaten residues. After a few days, gradually remove the eggs from the diet, and increase the amount of feed.
As a dietary supplement for quail, you can use food that is intended for broiler chickens.
Health quail
Healthy birds have a bright clean plumage, not cloudy eyes, strong and strong legs. To monitor their proper development, it is necessary to regularly inspect the birds. In addition, you need to adhere to the basic rules:
- The room where the birds are kept should be clean, well heated and ventilated. In the house, it is necessary to carry out disinfection in a timely manner, carefully processing the cells and feeders.
- All feed must be of good quality and with an expired shelf life. When adding wild greens (collected on the site), it is necessary to carefully monitor that there are no traces of droppings of wild birds on the leaves.
- The quail must not be allowed to come into contact with wild and poultry during the walk, as dangerous diseases are transmitted through the litter.
- Once a week, put a cask of wood ash in a cage so that the quail can bathe. This is a simple measure, but it reduces the likelihood of parasites.
If you do not comply with these recommendations, quail can be affected by such diseases:
- Oviduct prolapse. Often provoked by a lack of vitamins. A veterinarian can prescribe vitamins and minerals to restore metabolism.
- Shedding. In the private sector, in this case, a herd renewal is required.
It should also be noted that quail can be injured if they fall from a height of more than 0.5 m or fight among themselves. In addition, this can be triggered by awkward human actions. The bird’s wound should be treated with brilliant green or iodine, and until completely recovered it should be kept in a separate chamber.
For any mass illnesses and injuries, be sure to contact the veterinary service. You can read more about the most common quail diseases here.
Preparing for slaughter and slaughter
At the age of one month, the quail is divided by gender. Substandard rejected females and excess males are transferred for fattening and prepared for slaughter. It is necessary to maintain the following rules:
- Feed the birds 3-4 times a day with plenty of high-calorie foods. The diet consists of a grain mixture in combination with feed fat. For adult quails, feed must also be used.
- Fatten withstand 1.5-2 months. Upon reaching this time, the weight of the bird is usually 130-160 g.
- 12 hours before slaughter, remove water and feed from the cage, which is necessary to release the intestines of the bird.
When slaughtering, adhere to the following scheme:
- Cut off the bird’s head with scissors, secateurs or a small hatchet.
- When all the blood comes off, start processing the carcass - cut off the legs and the lower part of the wings.
- Dip the carcass into hot water, then pluck it and gut it. It takes a few minutes.
Wrap the finished carcass in a plastic bag and freeze.
Quail cultivation is associated with great care for these birds.If you are ready to invest your efforts, time and some money in this profitable business - go for it! Providing the diet with healthy dietary products in this case is guaranteed to you.