(Some things you need to know)
One of the most pressing problems facing a beginning quail breeder is the lack of experience and necessary information to get started. I want to give some basic information for those visitors to my site who are thinking about getting into quail farming. Boris Kovalenko.
These tips in no way claim to be a complete and comprehensive course for a beginning quail breeder, but I think that they can help you avoid some mistakes that arise at the beginning of your work.
1. Decide on the purpose and number of quails you want to raise.
The very first thing you need to decide on is the purpose for which you want to start breeding quails. Their number on your home quail farm depends on this. There are four options to consider here:
1) up to 20 birds. A quantity sufficient to meet the needs of you and your family with valuable quail eggs.
2) up to 100 birds. In this case, in addition to providing for your family, part of the quail eggs can be sold, bringing up to 1000 rubles of additional income per month.
3) from 500 to 1000 birds. This is already semi-industrial content. The income from sales can be much higher, but a sales market needs to be organized.
4) over 1000 birds. This is already industrial (or farm maintenance). In addition to the sales market, a number of issues arise, such as registration of entrepreneurial activity, the availability of a person (or several) for constant care of quails, the availability of appropriate premises for their maintenance, etc.
2. Decide on a place (room) to keep quails.
1) if the number of birds is up to 20, this issue can not be considered. The place where they are kept can be any corner of an apartment or private house where you can place a cage with a bottom size of about 40 x 60 cm.
2) if the number of birds is up to 100, you will need a multi-tiered (3 or 4 tiers) cage battery to keep them. To place such a cell battery, you will need a corner of the room with a floor area of about 0.6 x 1.2 m and a wall height of 1.8 m.
3) if the number of quails is from 500 to 1000, a room with an area of 12 - 15 square meters is needed to keep them. m. This area can accommodate up to 10 - 12 cell batteries. In addition we need additional areas to accommodate an incubator(s), a brooder room for keeping young animals, a utility room for storing and preparing feed.
4) when the number of quails exceeds 1000 pieces. The area of the room will already be more than 20 - 30 square meters. m. Accordingly, it will be necessary to increase the size of the utility rooms.
3. Consider making (or purchasing) cages for keeping quails.
Most cages for keeping quails are homemade. To make them you will need welded galvanized mesh, plywood, reinforcement, galvanized metal sheet. Decide right away how they will be made - you will make them yourself, or order them from specialists (if you find them).
1) when making one cage for 20 quails, you will need approximately 1 square. m. mesh.
2) when making one cage battery for 100 quails, you will need about 4.5 square meters. m galvanized mesh, 0.6 sq. m plywood, 1.5 sq. m. metal sheet.
3) for 10 - 12 cell grid batteries you will need 45 - 50 sq. m, 6 - 7 sq. m. plywood and 15 - 16 sq. m. metal sheet.
4) when making a larger number of cage batteries (for 1000 quails or more), multiply the values of the materials specified in paragraph 2. for the required number of cage batteries, taking as a basis the fact that one battery accommodates 90 - 100 quails. Boris Kovalenko.
4. Calculate your financial capabilities.
Calculate how much money you will need to initially invest in purchasing quails and necessary equipment. In my calculations I take average price one adult bird = 50 rub. (This is our price in Krasnodar region. In other regions it may be different, so when calculating, be guided by your prices). Average cost materials (again at our local prices) for one cell battery ~ 1550 rubles. Let the average cost of an incubator be 900 rubles.
1) so the first option is 20 birds. The cost of birds is 20 x 50 rubles = 1000 rubles. Cage ~ 200 rubles, no incubator. Total -1200 rubles.
2) 100 birds. Their cost is 5000 rubles. Plus 1550 cell battery, plus 900 - incubator. Total 7450 rub.
3) from 500 to 1000 birds. The cost of birds is from 25 to 50 thousand rubles. The cost of cell batteries (12 pcs) is 18,600, plus 900 for the incubator. Total - from 24.5 to 79.5 thousand rubles.
4) more than 1000 birds - an amount of over 80 thousand rubles.
Of course, I took into account the fact that you will immediately purchase ready-made poultry in the required quantity, which is not entirely true, because Most birds can be hatched independently in an incubator. Then you need to calculate the withdrawal costs.
In this case, you must be guided by the following: take the average hatching percentage of 75 - 80 (i.e., out of one hundred eggs laid in the incubator, 80 quails will hatch). Of these, up to 10% may die (natural elimination during growth) or will be rejected due to physical defects. In total, there will be 70 - 72 adult quails. According to average statistics, the number of males and females in one hatch is approximately equal. Those. You will have approximately 35 - 36 hens out of the hundreds of eggs laid for incubation. Now calculate how many eggs you need to incubate and their cost to obtain required quantity laying hens, as well as for what period you can incubate them (incubator capacity), etc.
5. Think about who will serve yourquail farm .
Any keeping of a bird requires daily care. This includes feeding, cleaning up droppings, inspecting birds and collecting eggs. I'm not talking about the fact that you need to prepare food, monitor (and support) optimal temperature and humidity, place the birds in cages as the young grow. Finally, slaughter and cut up poultry raised for meat. All this takes time. When keeping up to 100 birds, the average total time it will take you to care for them can be taken equal to 1 hour per day. With the number of birds up to 1000, this time can already be up to 3 - 5 hours. And finally, if the number of birds is more than 1000, you will need more than 5 - 6 hours to care for them. Moreover, this time extends over the entire daylight hours, which turns out to be completely occupied. Those. feeding and morning cage cleaning, afternoon feeding, evening feeding and egg collection. I do not take into account here the time for preparing (or purchasing) food, as well as the time that you will spend on selling your products.
6. And finally, the last thing - think about the sales market right away.
If you want to breed quails in small quantities (up to 100 pieces), you can skip this question. The medicinal products that you will have will be used for the needs of your family, as well as your acquaintances and friends. But if you want to immediately start quail farming in order to receive a certain income, which involves the production of quail eggs, as well as dietary quail meat, i.e. keep quails according to options 3 and 4, then this issue must be resolved in advance, before getting quails. After all, income from this production can only be obtained with an established sales market. Therefore, immediately find out in which retail outlets (or markets, cafes, restaurants, holiday homes and tourist centers, etc.) in your city or nearby district (regional) center you can sell these products. What is the average daily need of all these points for quail products (how many eggs and quail carcasses are needed per day, per week, per month). The size of the livestock of your farm directly depends on this. What documents (from which organizations) are needed to deliver your products to retail outlets, etc.
Also find out whether there are people in your (or nearby) settlements already engaged in quail farming, and if so, how their sales market is organized.
An important fact will be the holding of an advertising campaign promoting the benefits of quail eggs. Its implementation depends entirely on local conditions, your desire and capabilities... Also think about how to organize it. Find a person (or people) whom quail eggs helped improve their health - they can become your allies in distributing your products.
In a word - think, consider, decide...
Good luck to you in your endeavors....
Many people are beginning to think about how to raise quails at home, taking into account the value of dietary meat and eggs of this type of bird. Such food is incredibly healthy, rich in valuable substances and microelements. Birds lay eggs almost every day, so if you keep only a hundred birds, you can provide your family with a high-quality, natural product. costs much more, is considered healthier than chicken.
Small birds are bred almost everywhere: at the dacha, in the apartment, balcony, garage. The main thing is that the conditions and temperature conditions are appropriate. Birds do not need special walking; there is no need to build a chicken coop or a separate building. Today, 50 individuals can easily be housed in a cage whose area is no more than one square meter.
At proper organization conditions of detention, a livestock of 50 individuals can replace 8 hens in terms of the number of eggs laid. A novice poultry farmer, choosing to raise quails at home from scratch, decides how to profitably acquire a farm - buy birds or use an incubator and hatch chickens on their own.
How to organize proper conditions of detention?
Taking into account the location of the cell, it is necessary to organize the optimal temperature regime. A suitable temperature is from 18 to 20 degrees Celsius; this indicator must be maintained constantly, regardless of the time of day, season and weather outside the window.
Sudden temperature changes can cause quail illness, decreased egg production, or death of the livestock.
An important condition is a well-made cage. A novice poultry farmer must pay great attention to this attribute. Each manufacturing material has its own subtleties, features, and performance characteristics.
When choosing (making) a cage, you must take into account the following rules:
Answering the question of where to start breeding quails, we can safely say - with the correct organization of the place, creating or purchasing a cage. It is not recommended to save on this design. When purchasing cages from your hands, you can buy a product that previously contained a sick bird, so additional disinfection is necessary, treating the structure with special antiseptic substances that prevent the proliferation of bacteria and microorganisms. Choosing self-production design, the parameters - width, height and length - must be strictly observed.
Who should I buy: adults or chicks?
Recently, only a few poultry farmers have chosen to raise quail at home; many are trying to purchase adult birds or a month-old population. Note that the female is capable of laying eggs starting from 1.5 months of age. However, purchasing birds is always accompanied by risks, so it is better to spend a little effort choosing to raise quails from day 1, having a home incubator.
Incubation Features
Modern gardening can begin with the purchase of an incubator. Thus, from one dozen eggs after a certain period of time, with proper care, a real poultry farm grows. Eggs are incubated according to the same principle as chicken, duck or goose eggs. The only thing is a slight difference in humidity, time and temperature. Most often, the incubator is designed for 100 eggs. To ensure safety and security, it is enough to place each unit on a small piece of cotton wool, or cover the edges with fabric.
Let's consider what rules must be followed:
Before hatching, it is necessary to reduce the temperature by one degree in one day. Quails that are born later, as a rule, have deviations, they are weaker, and lag behind their brothers.
Raising young livestock: features
For most beginners, the question of how to raise quails is still relevant. This process takes much less time and hassle compared to chickens. From the first days of life, little chicks need to create optimal conditions. You need to prepare a brooder in advance, which can easily be made from wooden or cardboard boxes, and stretch the mesh on top. Note that quail diseases - symptoms and their treatment, which are given below, can seriously affect the health of young animals:
Avoid infectious diseases A well-balanced diet helps; chickens must be provided with vitamin A, D2, and the content of fish, meat and bone meal, and yeast must be increased. 
A good addition would be crushed chalk and shell rock.
Poultry farmers with little experience sometimes wonder whether quails suffer from salmonellosis, so let’s answer this question: for a long time it was believed not, given high temperature bodies. However, studies have proven that some individuals were diagnosed with diseases caused by salmonella - pullorosis, but this is not dangerous for the human body.
How to feed the young?
Most complete technology breeding and raising quails involves an explanation of how to feed young birds. Initially, you should purchase feeders, drinkers, and other containers with low edges. Special attention occupy drinking bowls. To avoid infection and the spread of bacteria, vacuum models should be chosen. Large containers may allow small chicks to drown.
The first feeding is a hard-boiled egg, then you can choose the usual feed that is used to feed chickens. Chicks grow very quickly, so it is necessary to take care of a comfortable, spacious cage in a timely manner. 
To ensure optimal temperature conditions, the cages can be lined with wood, polycarbonate sheets, while maintaining special openings for air circulation and ventilation. Outside installed heating devices, providing the required temperature.
When considering growing quails at home for beginners, you should properly organize lighting and temperature conditions. A small and dim light is enough; too bright a light flux will cause irritation and aggression in birds.
How to feed birds correctly?
Feeding quail - where to start: note that one bird eats up to 10 kilograms of food per year, if you calculate daily norm It turns out - about 30 grams per day. Egg production – 300 pieces per year. Not only the health of the birds, but also egg production will depend on proper, balanced nutrition. It is advisable to buy feed from trusted, factory-made suppliers. Many experienced farmers recommend feeding birds with starter feed.
It is no secret where the common quail lives in the wild. The bird lives comfortably near fields, steppes, and meadows. Near its resident there are always thickets of grass and weeds, this makes it possible to provide reliable housing and a varied diet for the chicks. In fact, a small bird is of enormous benefit; it destroys many pests and weed seedlings.
I wonder how long quails live under natural conditions. According to scientists, in the wild a bird can live about 5 years, in captivity less - only 2-3 years. Although it is not profitable to keep a female for more than 2-3 years, egg production decreases. The question arises if low temperatures are fatal to birds, where quails winter in the wild, the answer is simple - they fly away to warmer climes. Birds have a hard time withstanding low temperatures.
What affects reproduction?
Profitable cultivation and technology of quail breeding, taking into account specific features, must answer the question of what affects the reproduction of birds. Initially, you need to pay attention to the choice of the age of the livestock when purchasing. The younger the individual, the easier it will be to tolerate a change in living conditions, moving, and acclimatization. Only healthy birds can fully reproduce.
When choosing birds, you need to consider: 
- appearance;
- weight (individuals should not be fat or skinny);
- smooth, dry beak;
- uniform breathing;
- clean feathers in the cloaca area.
In order for reproduction to be as successful as possible, females are selected for 3-8 months, males for 3-6 months, in a ratio of six females to one male. It is necessary to crossbreed individuals without family ties, in order to avoid hereditary diseases, of the same breed. The incubation instinct of birds is underdeveloped, which means that the ideal option is to use an incubator.
Healthy appearance
The age of the chick will directly affect the cost of quail for breeding, so in order to save a lot of money, you can feast on week-old chicks.
If, after acquisition, specific individuals exhibit symptoms of disease or any injuries, they should be removed immediately. Some farmers raise birds for meat, then it is necessary to separate females and males into separate cages; the features of the physical structure can be distinguished at the age of one month.
Thus, the main points were considered, answers were found to pressing questions, how to raise quails at home, feed them, and maintain optimal living conditions. Entrepreneurs, ordinary farmers who want to switch to healthy eating, can independently provide their family with a healthy source of protein food.
The smallest representatives of birds are quails. These small birds are unpretentious and easy to care for, so even a novice farmer can breed them.
Why is it worth raising quails - economic benefits
Quails have high productivity and accelerated metabolism. A female weighing 120 g produces up to 300 eggs per year, while the total mass of eggs is 20 times the weight of a quail. In terms of nutritional properties, quail eggs are healthier than chicken eggs; they do not contain cholesterol. They are consumed raw, since quails are not susceptible to salmonellosis. At the age of 50 days, quails can already lay eggs. Their egg production is up to 300 eggs per year or more. They grow very quickly, the chicks fledge two weeks after birth.
Quail breeding is beneficial for the following reasons:
- easy care and maintenance;
- low costs for purchasing eggs for hatching in an incubator;
- quick result.
Quails are bred to produce lean dietary meat and eggs. This is very profitable business, which does not require large investments, you can start by breeding a small number of birds that can be kept in a barn. Birds raised for meat weigh up to 300 g with a small number of eggs. When bred to obtain eggs, their weight does not exceed 200 g, but in a year from one quail you can get more than 300 eggs weighing 10-12 g. The chicks hatch after being placed in the incubator after 18 days.
The meat is dietary, contains minerals, amino acids, vitamin B. During long-term storage it does not lose beneficial properties.Five eggs are equal in weight to one chicken egg, but exceed it in the content of vitamins and other substances:
- phosphorus;
- cobalt;
- protein;
- antioxidants;
- nicotinic acid;
- 4.5 times more iron;
- potassium – 5 times;
- vitamins B1, B2, A.
By consuming meat and eggs, cardiovascular diseases and disorders are treated gastrointestinal tract, a number of skin diseases, the effects of radiation exposure are removed from the body.
Quail breeding is possible in two options:
- 1. To meet your own needs for meat and eggs. In this case, it is enough to have 10-30 individuals. For such a number of quails, you can make a cage by placing it in any free space in the house.
- 2. Own business. Organization home business for beginners it is recommended to purchase 500 birds. If the start is successful, after a year you can increase the livestock to 5000. To organize a poultry farm, you need to allocate a separate room. It is convenient to keep a large number of birds in 10-12 cage batteries.
When the goals are determined, you can begin equipping the premises, purchasing cages, and choosing a quail breed.
Bird breeds - how to make an informed choice?
Quail is the smallest representative of the chicken order. The weight of an adult bird is 80-150 g, height - 20 cm. The birds are variegated in color, males have a darker crop near the eyes dark spots, absent in females. Females are larger than males, reaching a weight of 250 g.
Many breeds of these birds have been bred, each breed has its own characteristics. So that you can choose the one you need to achieve your goals, we will describe their main characteristics.
Texan. The broiler-type meat breed is ahead of others in terms of meat production. Snow-white color, some birds have black spots. The build is large with a wide, rounded chest. The average weight is 250 g. If you feed it correctly, fully, you can achieve a weight of 550 g. For fattening, you need to use special feed. It is necessary to monitor their weight; overfed quails lose their ability to lay eggs. The males are left for fattening. The eggs are large, weighing about 12 g, egg production is up to 280 eggs per year.
Manchurian. The most popular breed in the world. Birds have beautiful plumage, consisting of feathers of yellow and brown. The female can be distinguished by black markings on her chest, which are not found on the male. The breed belongs to the meat-egg type. In a year, a female can lay up to 180 eggs; they are large, weighing on average up to 18 g. The weight of adult individuals is 150 g; with high-quality feeding, a large weight can be achieved - 300 g.
Pharaoh. Breed for meat production. Distinctive feature- a good meat carcass. The feathers are grayish-brown in color, similar in appearance to wild quail. Females differ from males by white and black stripes on the chest and greater weight. The average weight of a female is 300 g, the male weighs less. The breed matures quickly and requires a balanced diet. Two-month-old quails can be sent for slaughter. Oviposition in females begins at 45 days. Eggs weigh up to 15 g. Egg production is 200 eggs per year.
Californian. Birds are more often kept as an ornamental breed thanks to external beauty. Breeding them is unprofitable: low survival rate of chicks, low productivity. It is necessary to keep them in conditions as close to natural as possible, otherwise the quail will lose their decorative effect.
Japanese. The breed was bred in three directions: meat, egg and mixed. The color of the feathers is rusty brown. Quails have a darker collar zone than females. The weight of an individual depends on the direction, on average it is 150 g. Egg production is high - more than 300 eggs per year.
Tuxedo. The breed was obtained by crossing English quails and birds with white and black feather colors. These are beautiful large individuals. The color of the feathers resembles a tuxedo: chest light color, the back is darker in color. The weight of the birds is small: males weigh 150 g, females - 180 g. Therefore, they are bred more for beauty. Egg production is high - 280 eggs per year.
Proper feeding is the key to health and productivity
To feed adult quails, drinkers and feeders are taken outside the cage. Trench-type containers are secured around the perimeter with outside cells. Quails have to stick their heads out to quench their thirst and hunger, making it easier to keep the cages clean.
Feed is given at the rate of 30 g per individual two to three times a day. Females bred for eggs are better suited to balanced laying hen feed. You can add garden waste, herbs, grains, and fruits to it. Feed should be given strictly according to the schedule; overeating leads to obesity and decreased egg production.
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To provide quails balanced diet, their menu includes:
- feed for chickens;
- vegetables: cabbage, raw or boiled potatoes, carrots;
- oats, barley, millet, wheat;
- sunflower seeds;
- cottage cheese;
- crushed shells, eggshells, crushed chalk;
- greens: onions, clover, wheat germ, lettuce;
- fishmeal;
- fish oil;
- chopped fish, boiled or raw.
You can’t feed quails with buckwheat, barley, parsley, celery, tomato greens, potatoes, buttercups and nightshades; such food causes stomach upset and poisoning.
Pour warm boiled water into the drinking bowls. Change it regularly to keep it fresh and clean. Use microcup, vacuum, trough and nipple drinkers. Wash containers daily.
Quails for meat production are separated by gender and begin to be fattened for meat. In the room where they are kept, the temperature is maintained at 22 degrees and low light. Feeding meat breeds has its own specifics. Feed is given four times a day, in large portions. In the first half of the day they give green food, in the second - grain waste. The bird is ready for slaughter if it has reached the appropriate weight; usually the fattening period is 60 days. 6 hours before slaughter, the birds are no longer given food, only drinking bowls are left.
Maintenance and care - how much space and what kind of light does a quail need?
IN wildlife Quails are migratory birds; they are difficult to domesticate, so they are kept in cages. In order to raise healthy and strong birds with good egg production, it is necessary to create appropriate conditions with mandatory adherence to temperature and light conditions, and provide high-quality protein feed.
Basic requirements necessary for comfortable living at home:
- 1. A room for raising quails can be allocated in a barn for personal plot or a dacha, you can adapt a loggia in an apartment, insulating it for maintenance in winter; in urban conditions, a garage is also suitable. It is important that the room is warm, dry, and well ventilated. There may be no windows, but to save electricity, it is desirable to have them.
- 2. Indoors required good ventilation. For every kilogram of quail weight, more than 5 sq. m/h of fresh air is needed in summer and 1.5 sq. m/h in winter. Therefore, when raising quails in an apartment, it is better to place the cages near a window or on an insulated loggia.
- 3. Despite the need for fresh air, quail are susceptible to drafts. If there are drafts in the room, birds' feathers fall out and egg production decreases. Therefore, for winter maintenance the room must be well insulated.
- 4. Quails need light, but not very bright. A fluorescent light bulb is not suitable for them, as it produces a lot of light, the birds get excited, and cannibalism is possible. A 40 W incandescent lamp or a fluorescent LDTs-40 is suitable.
- 5. It is important to maintain indoor air humidity at least 55%. If the humidity is insufficient, quails drink a lot of water, the plumage becomes brittle, and egg production decreases. Unacceptable and high humidity, exceeding 75%. Optimal indicator – 60-70 %.
- 6. An important parameter is air temperature. Birds feel comfortable at a room temperature of 20-22 degrees. The maximum lower temperature is 18 degrees, the upper temperature is 25 degrees. If the temperature is below 18 degrees, quails stop laying eggs.
It is convenient to keep quails in a cage. They can be purchased ready-made or made from wire mesh and plywood. The sizes and shapes of cells can be arbitrary. For one adult quail, an area of 100-120 square meters must be allocated. cm. The height of the cages should not be more than 25 cm, as frightened quails try to fly up and may fall and be injured. According to zootechnical standards on one square meter can accommodate from 80 to 100 individuals.
It is advisable to lay a net on the floor with a slope towards the feeders. Quails do not need perches; they lay their eggs on the floor. A slot is made in the front wall for rolling eggs into a special chute. A metal or plastic pallet. Litter must be removed daily. If the bedding is made of straw, shavings, paper or hay, it also needs to be changed every day. Drinkers and feeders are attached to the outer front wall.
On poultry farms with more than 700 livestock, complexes are used, which are multi-tier cage batteries that can accommodate up to 250 birds.
The complex includes several cages with feeders, drinkers and egg collectors. Such a complex can be built independently from metal sheets, mesh and plywood. In summer, the cages can be taken out into the fresh air.
Raising chicks - why do you need an incubator?
Quails can lay eggs without a quail, but if you engage in breeding, then the presence of a male is necessary. For breeding, buy young animals 1-1.5 months old. Chicks tolerate a change of residence more easily. When purchasing chicks, inspect each one. In healthy individuals:
- dry beak, without defects;
- average weight, they look neither emaciated nor overfed;
- clean plumage around the cloaca;
- clear breathing, no wheezing;
- feathers are clean, free of excrement and dirt.
For laying and further reproduction, select quails aged from 3 to 6 months, females - from 3 to 8 months. Close relationships should be avoided. To obtain eggs for the incubator, males and females are planted together in a ratio of 1:4 or 1:3. If the birds are kept separately by gender, then the quails are placed for 15 minutes. With this method, fertilization is 80%. To obtain high-quality offspring, the herd is renewed after three months. As a result of selective breeding, quails have lost their brooding instinct, so incubators are needed to produce offspring.
You can buy a factory-made incubator or make it yourself, using a chicken incubator for this purpose. A special mesh is purchased or trays are adapted for small eggs. A small incubator holds 400 eggs.
At homemade production incubator we perform the following steps:
- in a cardboard box on the bottom with a layer of soft bedding;
- We attach a 40 W lamp or with a red light on top;
- install a thermometer;
- by adjusting the height of the lamp, we achieve a temperature inside the box of 37-38.5 degrees;
- to maintain humidity, place a container of water next to the box;
- We place no more than 20 eggs on the litter.
The chicks hatch on the 18th day; you need to carefully care for them from the first days. If you maintain the required temperature regime - 38-38.9 degrees and maintain air humidity at least 50%, and ensure automatic or semi-automatic egg turning, then the percentage of chicks hatched is very high. If there is no automatic turning, eggs need to be turned 3-5 times a day. The brood appears within 6 hours.
Quail chicks have brown down with two light stripes on their back. They are very mobile. From the first days it is better to keep them in a cardboard or plywood box - a brooder. Either a fine mesh with a tray is placed at the bottom of the boxes, or paper is laid down. It is important to maintain a certain temperature in the brooder. The first two weeks it should not be below 38 degrees. The temperature at which chicks are comfortable can be determined by their behavior.
If they are cold, they gather in a bunch. In addition, full daylight is maintained, this stimulates the chicks, they come to the feeders more often and grow faster. Starting from the 15th day, we lower the temperature to 25 degrees. It is impossible to sharply reduce the temperature, jumps threaten weakening and death of the chicks. Upon reaching 1 month, the young animals should be accustomed to room temperature - 20-22 degrees. He is transferred to a 12-hour day of light. When quails at the age of 1.5 months begin to lay eggs, the daylight hours are 17 hours.
To provide quails with minerals and vitamins from the first days, they are given high-quality feed for young animals, containing all the necessary substances. If they are not available, you can give a crushed boiled egg. For the first 7 days, 3-4 g of food is supplied per chick, by the month the norm is 15-16 g per day. If there is food left, it must be removed, otherwise it will turn sour and the chicks will be poisoned.
On the fourth day, the quail are fed crushed corn grits, millet, finely ground wheat grits, feed for young animals, and cottage cheese. In the period from 8 to 20 days, the chicks are given only compound feed; meat waste, carrots, and herbs can be chopped and added. Quail water is obtained from vacuum drinkers so that they don't drown. The water must be boiled.
After 20 days, the quails are transplanted into adult cages and switched to appropriate food. At the same time, we sort them by gender and direction: meat, egg. You can determine the sex by color: in females the neck and chest are light gray speckled, in males these places are red-brown with speckles. After 45 days, most breeds begin laying eggs.
What to do to prevent birds from getting sick?
When raising quails, monitor the behavior of the birds. If you notice that an individual is behaving passively and moving little, remove it from other birds and consult a veterinarian. If physical injury occurs due to lack of space or bright light, move the individual to a separate cage until recovery. The cause of death of quails is often too intensive laying. In this case, reduce daylight hours and reduce the protein content in the feed.
Pay attention to the consistency and color of the excrement. If the quail is healthy, the droppings are dark in color with whitish streaks. If it is liquid and dark green in color, it is a sign of illness. Yellow excrement indicates an excess of carbohydrates. If the entire herd is scouring, replace the water with a tincture of rice or oats.
Herd diseases can occur for the following reasons:
- poor living conditions;
- change of feed;
- flaw nutrients, unbalanced diet;
- poor quality food.
If there is a lack of nutrients or a violation of the diet, birds suffer from vitamin deficiency. Symptoms appear as:
- loss of appetite;
- ruffled feathers;
- lethargy;
- neck stretching;
- throwing back the head.
With such symptoms, the quails change their diet, monitor compliance with the feeding regime, and increase the nutrient content in the feed.
If the conditions of detention are not met, the following diseases are possible:
- feather loss;
- cannibalism;
- prolapse of the oviduct.
Check whether the keeping conditions meet the standards and adjust them if necessary: reduce the number of heads in the cage, change the brightness of the lighting, introduce missing minerals and vitamins into the diet. After these actions, the symptoms disappear and the birds return to normal.
In this article we will talk about some of the breeding features quails at home. You will learn about quail breeds, the incubation period of eggs, raising young animals and the conditions for keeping these beautiful birds.
Did you know? In Turkestan (one of ancient cities Kazakhstan) fighting of male quails is a unique sport. These competitions are held in special arenas, and the whole action resembles a cockfight.
Breeds of domestic quail
Quail breeds are divided into the following areas:
- Egg;
- Meat;
- Meat-egg.
Consider the egg breeds of quail:
Important!Unpretentiousness to living conditions does not exclude the need for veterinary care!
The meat sector is represented by the following breeds:
- Texas white. It is an excellent option for breeding for meat. An important disadvantage is the poor fertility of eggs. The weight of the female is 450 g, the weight of the male is 400 g.
- Pharaoh. Females weigh 290 g, males - 180 g. The eggs of this breed are perfectly fertilized. Egg weight – 14 g, egg production – 180 pcs per year.
- Turkish Pharaoh. The weight of the female is 380 g, the male is 330 g. They have good egg production.
The meat and egg direction is represented by the Estonian breed. It is great for both meat and eggs. The weight of the female is 200 g, the male - 170. Egg production - 300 pcs per year. These birds are excellent for commercial keeping. In the process of choosing a breed, you need to take into account not only weight and egg production, but also the following points:
- percentage of hatchlings (the higher, the more new individuals you will get from hatched eggs);
- requirements for living conditions (temperature range, lighting and other factors are considered here);
- feed consumption (feed consumption is higher in meat breeds, lower in egg breeds);
- egg weight (egg production may be less, but the weight of each egg will be greater).
Important!Some breeds, when caught in unfavorable conditions, begin to lay eggs worse, while others lose weight or die. Therefore, the organization of the required conditions of detention must be taken with the utmost seriousness.
There are incubators different types and designs, most importantly - they must be in good working order and equipped with a thermostat. It is desirable that the incubator has a function for turning eggs, but its absence is not critical. When keeping a small (up to 2 thousand) number of “chickens”, you need to use household incubators, as they are easier to work with. From each laying you will receive about 70% of chicks. The reason for this error is that the bird may initially give an unfertilized egg, plus one cannot ignore the inaccuracies in the incubation itself, which is why you will get 25-30% “dummies”.
Let's move on to the process of laying eggs in the incubator.
Did you know?Quails hatched in an incubator are no different from chicks hatched naturally.
There are two options for laying eggs in the incubator:
- vertical;
- horizontal.
Visually it looks like this: with a horizontal arrangement, 58 chicks will hatch from 100 eggs. If placed vertically, the same 100 eggs will yield 75 quails. But! In the first case, you can lay 280 eggs at the same time, and in the other - only 200.
To place eggs vertically in the incubator, it is necessary to install additional trays. They can be made from store-bought trays for quail eggs by cutting them into two parts and burning a hole at the bottom of each recess (you can also make them with a heated nail).
The yield and survival of young animals directly depends on compliance with the incubation regime. Therefore, it is so important to comply with all requirements for this process.
Let's look at it step by step: Stage 1 – period of “calm”. During this time, the eggs should not be turned or wiped. Stage 2 is a period of active growth. From days 3 to 15 of incubation, you need to start turning the eggs so that the embryo does not stick to the shell. Stage 3 – withdrawal period. 2 days before the chicks hatch, stop turning the eggs and spread them out a little more freely. In recent days, you can mist the eggs by hand with a spray bottle to increase humidity.
Quails hatch within 4-6 hours. After birth, you need to wait until the chicks are dry, then they are transplanted into a heated and disinfected brooder.
Important!New eggs can be laid only 2 hours after the chicks hatch and subsequent disinfection.
Raising young animals
Now we will look at the rules of care and maintenance of quail at home. Different chicks age category They do not get along together, so they cannot be kept in the same box.
After hatching, the quails are moved to brooder- a box with an electric heater. An important condition cultivation is to maintain the required temperature (+35-40°C), which is provided infrared lamps or incandescent lamps. Energy-saving and fluorescent lamps are not suitable for heating. Starting from the 8th day and ending with the seventeenth, the temperature is gradually reduced to +30°C. From the 17th to the 28th day the temperature should be +25ºC. Maintain humidity within 50-60%; quails should not be kept in damp places.
Important! It is prohibited to use newspapers and other printed products containing lead as bedding. Otherwise, the chicks will die within a week.
Important! When increasing the area of the box, do not forget about increasing the number of heaters!
In the first 4 days, you need to lay a tarpaulin fabric on the floor of the cage/box and change it every day so that microorganisms do not grow in it. If the mesh bottom is not closed, the quail can fall through the holes and be injured. In the first week, a tray feeder is used for feeding (its depth should be no more than 2 cm).
Now let's clarify important aspects chick care:
- The water in the drinking bowl must be changed at least twice a day;
- The feeder is washed after each feeding;
- It is necessary to provide the chicks with constant access to water and food.
When breeding egg-laying breeds, 24-hour lighting is provided for 2 months. If you breed meat breeds, the duration of lighting increases to 3 months. After the required period has expired, the duration of illumination is reduced to 17 hours.
When the quails are one month old, they are transferred to an adult bird. Make sure that there are no “hierarchical” fights, otherwise young quails may die.
There are several requirements, the fulfillment of which will help to properly maintain birds and maintain their health.
Premises requirements
Mature quails are placed in boxes made of cardboard or plywood. Great option there will be a cage for keeping quails with the following dimensions:130-150 sq cm per individual. Holes should be made in the walls through which the quail can reach food and water. It is also necessary to ensure that there are no drafts. If the quails' feathers begin to fall out, this is main sign that the cage needs to be moved to another location.
Lighting is important factor for quails when kept at home. Brightness should be moderate. The duration of daylight hours for quails during oviposition is 15–17 hours. The light intensity should not be higher than 4 W per 1 square meter. m. In bright light, the behavior of quails is very nervous: the birds peck each other and fight.
Important! Heaters should not be placed in the middle of the cage to avoid injury and burns. The use of fluorescent lamps is also prohibited.
In the room where the box is located, the humidity should be between 55 and 70%. The temperature when keeping quails at home should not exceed 15-25°C.
Quails should be fed 3 times a day. Their portions should consist of feed with small or crushed grains. Greens and eggs are added to the food. Feeders and drinkers are attached to the outside of the boxes so that the birds have easy access to them. The water is changed once a day or when turbidity is visible. The drinking bowl itself should be disinfected 2-3 times a week. Drinkers must be heated so that the water is room temperature. In stores you can buy specialized food for quails, which is rich in vitamins and minerals. These vegetables can also be used as feed.
