Growing quail at home

The cultivation of quail in Russia is becoming more and more popular every year. And this is not surprising, because quail eggs are considered a useful and dietary product. It sometimes seems impossible to find high-quality and environmentally friendly poultry meat, because modern technologies so skillfully create a look of naturalness that the expert will not immediately distinguish.In most cases, it is precisely this reason that makes us think about independent breeding of quail. Why quail, and not, for example, chickens? One of the main advantages is the small size of the bird, which allows you to grow quail even in apartment conditions.

Contents
  1. How many quail
  2. Selection of quail breed for breeding
  3. Selection of cells
  4. What are the cells:
  5. Correct quail care
  6. Feeding <
  7. Drinkers <
  8. Lighting <
  9. Content of quail in his house
  10. Breeding of quail in the apartment
  11. Incubation of eggs
  12. Vyr Squeezing quails at home
  13. Eating young

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Growing quail at home

The unpretentiousness of quail is also important . It is not difficult to grow house quail from scratch at home, and even a farmer with minimal experience will cope with this task. With the right plan, the profitability of such a business will quickly pay off. The main thing is, before starting the birds to calculate the costs and conclude whether it is profitable to get quail eggs at home or not.Also, do not forget that for the proper rearing and keeping of birds you will need special equipment, a good house, perches, feeders.

How many quails are needed

The first thing to worry about , – This is a place for keeping birds. The compound of birds should be well equipped. A private house has a significant advantage, where quails can be allocated an unlimited area, but what about the owners of apartments? Practice shows that it is real to grow quail in an apartment, following simple guidelines. Another question is whether you have previously encountered poultry rearing or not.

If you don’t have such an experience, you shouldn’t immediately have too many flocks. To start, it is enough to have 5-6 females. Such an amount will fully provide eggs and certainly will not create any discomfort in the content, and moreover it will not take up much space. Too high a quail cage is not necessary at all, the main thing is that it be wide enough. Having mastered the basic principles of quail care, you can increase their number. A livestock of 20 quails will provide the whole family with eggs, and most importantly, it will not cause neighbors’ displeasure: there will be no smell or noise from it.

But a larger number of birds are unlikely to be kept in a living room, therefore it is often taken the decision to set aside a quail for breeding a balcony. In this case, you should worry about dimming windows and maximum sound insulation.In such conditions, up to 50 heads of quail can be kept. Remember that along with the increase in livestock, the smell also increases, which can cause dissatisfaction of neighbors.

Selection of quail breed for breeding

Quail breeds are divided into egg, meat and meat-egg. Accordingly, the choice depends on the purpose of breeding the bird. If the main thing for you is to get an egg, then it is better to choose the breed of Japanese quail. It has the greatest egg production. But there is not much meat from such a quail: the bird is too small. The breed is unpretentious in care, which is very important for beginners. The weight of an egg is usually from 7 to 10 g. A significant advantage of quail eggs is that they are safe to eat raw, since quails do not suffer from salmonellosis. Quail eggs do not cause allergies, on the contrary, the active substances contained in them help to cope with the disease.

Broiler breeds are more suitable for meat production: Pharaoh, Turkish Pharaoh or Texas White. Compared to quail eggs, broiler quail is 2-2.5 times more. But this does not mean at all that the meat breed of quail will not lay eggs. Broilers give a large egg up to 20 g, but the trouble with such a breed is much greater: the selection of feed and conditions is especially careful.

All other breeds are classified as meat-egg. Among them, the Estonian quail is well established, it is much larger than the Japanese, but has an identical color. This option is convenient for a beginner poultry breeder.In general, the color range of quail is very rich. So, choosing a bird for your livestock, you need to remember that it is undesirable to cross 2 different species, it is better to breed individuals of the same suit. How to choose the laying hens and males, you can look at the photo or video.

Cell selection

The choice of cage for quail depends on the breed selected. A meat-breeding bird needs a cage 10 cm higher than, for example, a quail of an egg breed, because from the very first days young growth is actively gaining weight and growing. Parrot cages are not suitable for laying hens. The main condition is that the floor of the cell must be solid or made of a mesh with a small cell. The best option is a grid with a 1 x 1 cell, so the bird will not get stuck in its paws and be injured. It is very important that the floor is not made of parallel rods, because you won’t be able to avoid falling birds either.

What are the cells:

  • wooden;
  • metal.

To make a cage with your own hands will not be difficult, especially if the population is small. Some craftsmen use all sorts of improvised materials, from plastic to ordinary plywood. The main point that must be provided for in the independent manufacture of the cage is its practicality in cleaning. The most convenient designs with a pallet for litter are the bird itself, and its eggs will always remain clean.In the summer, you can keep pets in an unheated poultry house in the fresh air or more often let them out for a walk in the warm season.

Proper care of quails

Cultivation of quails at home should carried out according to all the rules, then the birds will be healthy, and the farmers will get the desired result. Caring for birds is not a tedious task and does not present any special hassle. All that is required is feeding, keeping the cells clean and daily egg collection.

Feeding

The right choice of feed is the key to success in raising birds. Replacing it with greens or cereals alone is impossible, therefore, good results should not be expected. But as an additive, these products work well. For the same purposes, use finely chopped boiled quail egg, grated carrots, beets or boiled fish. The daily norm for egg laying hens is 30 g of compound feed, for meat breed 40 g. Feed the bird 3 times a day, preferably at the same time, adhering to the daily norm.

The peculiarity of quail is that that they scatter food, therefore, pre-prepared feeders with limiters are required. It will be most convenient to place the feeders on the outside of the cage: this way the food will be spent more economically. We must not forget about the addition of a small amount of chalk in the diet of an adult bird. This is the basis for a strong egg shell and healthy plumage.Especially laying hens need chalk in the winter. For better digestion of food, the bird needs touring stones – small pebbles that will help grind solid food, so a container with sand is needed in the cage. Ideal for sea or river sand mixed with small shells. The quail itself will eat the quantity it needs.

The most common quail diseases are often associated with an improperly selected diet. If it becomes noticeable that the bird is sluggish, its feathers tousled, it chooses a dark corner, perhaps the body lacks nutrients. In this case, it is necessary to add vitamins to the quail daily food, especially in the spring. Sometimes it is necessary to change the feed altogether.

Drinking bowls

Nipple drinkers are most often used on industrial poultry farms. They are most convenient, as water is consumed more rationally and stays fresh longer. But the cost of such drinking bowls will hit your pocket. You can make comfortable drinkers for the bird yourself, paying special attention to the limiters, so that the quail can not get into them.

Water in such drinkers needs to be changed more often than in nipple drinkers: due to the ingress of particles of food, litter it contaminates faster, which may ultimately lead to bird disease. It is better to choose a drinker with low sides: they are most convenient. Change water in drinking bowls as often as possible, at least 3-4 times a day.The water should be potable or boiled, at room temperature.

Lighting

Bright lighting is the number one enemy for the bird. Such conditions for quail are simply unsuitable: the quail becomes restless, pugnacious. Due to improper lighting, problems with egg laying can occur, so all existing windows in the room with quail need to be darkened. If there are no windows, you can provide a comfortable light mode using a normal daylight lamp.

tips for beginner breeders
Content and breeding feathers sings at home day 30
The simplest quail in an unheated room.
Features of growing quail

Content of quail in his house

Cultivation of quail in his house greatly simplifies the task of the poultry farmer: a large herd will not cause trouble to households or neighbors. It is important to create and continue to maintain the thermal regime in the room, where the quail will be kept.If a separate heated room is allocated for them in the house, then no additional equipment will be needed.However, heating in a separate barn or extension in winter should be taken into account.The optimum temperature for quail is from 16 to 24 ° C.

An increase in temperature will not affect the comfort and health of the bird, which cannot be said about a decrease. Temperature conditions below 16 ° C can adversely affect quail egg production. Ventilation is important not less than temperature. Ammonia vapors, rising up, can harm quail, so that the air flow should be directed from top to bottom. So toxic fumes will be removed most efficiently.Arranging ventilation, the main thing is not to overdo it and not to create a draft that the quail can’t tolerate: because of this, feathers may fall out.

Breeding quails in the apartment

Breeding quails in the conditions of a house and an apartment differs only in the number of hatched chicks. If you plan to keep in the country in the fresh air, then this will even better affect the quality of young animals. To breed quail eggs, a family of 3-4 quail and 1 quail will be required; for broiler breeds, 2 quail for 1 quail. It is necessary to choose females aged 3 to 8 months, and males from 3 to 6 months. Unlike chickens, domestic laying hens do not have an instinct for hatching, so you can’t do without an incubator when growing your own stock.

When selecting eggs for an incubator, those that are irregular in shape, damaged or too large should be laid. They can be used as food, but they are unsuitable for breeding chicks. The optimal egg weight for laying in the incubator is 11-14 g, depending on the breed of quail. A product of less weight will no longer fit: quail hatch, but will be very weak and small. It should be taken into account that not all eggs are hatched: of 100% only 75% will be fertilized, some of them will be non-viable after hatching, and some will be hatched by males, so it is better to take 3 times more eggs of the number that will need to be replaced quail livestock.

Egg incubation

You can collect the required number of eggs for the incubator for no more than 5 days only if the eggs are stored at 18 ° C. This will provide the most effective hatchability quail. The longer you store the collected eggs, the less likely you are to raise the chicks. It is strictly forbidden to wash eggs before laying in the incubator. The fact is that on the surface of the shell is a protective film that prevents infections from entering the egg. At the same time, the eggs should be clean, with no traces of droppings or dirt. Since quails are carried to the floor, and not like hens in a nest, it is important to lay it with straw: this way the eggs will remain clean.

Incubation will take 18 days. The process takes a lot of free time from the poultry farmer, so it is best to purchase an incubator with automatic maintenance of temperature and humidity. The first two weeks of incubation should choose a temperature of 37.8 ° C, the first week it is necessary to maintain humidity at the level of 50-55%, and in the second it should be reduced to 45%.

We must also remember the turning of eggs: the first week turn over 4 times a day, the second – 6 times. In the period from 8 to 14 days, the eggs should be cooled 2 times a day for 20 minutes. Starting from the 15th day until the hatching of the chicks, the temperature in the incubator is reduced to 37.5 ° C, and the humidity is increased to 65-70%. Turn over and cool eggs no longer needed. Chicks hatch almost simultaneously, in most cases within 5-6 hours.How to breed quails, you can look in more detail at the photo or video.

Growing quail at home

Farmers when breeding quail at home should know some of the features of the process. It is necessary not only to successfully bring out a flock of young animals, but also to provide her with further competent care in the compound. For these purposes, certain equipment is used. Hatched chicks are moved to a brooder – a box or box with a constantly maintained temperature of 25-28 ° C. It is not difficult to make a brooder: it is enough to insulate the plywood box with foam on the outside. At the bottom of the set grid with a small cell. For the first week, the bottom of the brooder should be covered with a soft cloth and changed as it becomes dirty to prevent the infection from multiplying.

If the chicks scatter along the corners of the brooder and breathe through their open beaks, this is a signal that they are too hot. In this case, you must either reduce the power of the bulb, or simply raise it higher. Frozen chicks, on the contrary, will be piled in a heap near the lamp, then it will be necessary to lower it or replace it with a more powerful one. Efficient and LED-lamps for heating birds will not work.

From the first days and for 14 days the quail need round-the-clock lighting, and later the light will only need 17 hours. Over time, the temperature in the brooders is reduced, and already grown up, the quail will be planted in cells. Young growth is best planted separately from adult quail.

Feeding the young

At first they will quail feed them with a special starting compound feed. This stage is especially important: the starter feed contains all the necessary vitamins and components for the not yet strong chicks, which allows you to maximize the survival of the future livestock. Water for young animals is better to use distilled or filtered. Unlike adult quail cages, feeders and drinking bowls are placed inside the brooder.

Starting from day 21, quails are gradually transferred to compound feed for adults. At the same time, the bird should be provided with sand, as such food is harder. In the summer, it is important to provide the grown quail with greenery to support the normal development of the bird. With proper care from the first days, the young growth is stable immunity and in the future does not cause any trouble to the owner.

To master the intricacies of growing quail at home is not such a time-consuming and costly task, it is even capable of for beginner farmers. It is especially important to observe the diet, rest, in the winter to give top dressing and warm the room. The main cost item is the incubator, which will save a lot of time for the poultry breeder and help create ideal conditions for the withdrawal of future livestock.And given the market value of finished meat and quail eggs, you can seriously think about a small family business that will not only significantly replenish the budget, but also provide the family with a truly natural and healthy self-grown product.

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Anna Evans

Author ✓ Farmer

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