How to grow quails at home from scratch: detailed instructions and tips for beginners

2024 Author: Howard Calhoun | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:16

Quails are an excellent source of dietary eggs and delicious meat. The diminutive size of birds can scare away many breeders, but experienced poultry farmers know that these birds make a very good profit. Decided to start growing quails at home, but don't know how to properly care for these little birds? In our article you will find some tips for beginner farmers, as well as a lot of other useful information regarding quail breeding.

Characteristics of breeds

Those who decide to start growing quails in the country, for starters, it is recommended that you familiarize yourself with a little theoretical information regarding the characteristics of this species of birds. In our country, for the most part, there are Japanese subspecies, which have been domesticated on the island for many decades. Howas a rule, quails are grown in order to obtain dietary meat or egg products, which are considered a real delicacy and have a number of useful properties. For this, quails are grown not only in private farmsteads, but also in industrial farms.

As for the varieties of birds, breeders have bred two main breeds that are ideal for home growing - meat and egg. As you might guess, the latter brings a pretty good number of eggs - about 200 pieces per year, while the meat one boasts a maximum of one hundred. But the mass of egg breed is only 150 grams, and meat - from 200 and above. Also, to obtain quail meat, breeders bred a special breed of broilers. Representatives of this direction weigh on average from 250 to 500 grams.

Where to keep quails?

If you decide to seriously start growing quails at home, then you will need to create special cages for birds, since these birds are not suitable for pasture walking. In addition, quails are quite shy, so any loud noise on the street will annoy them. It is best to build a separate barn for them, in which the quails will be protected not only from sources of noise, but also from drafts, rain and severe frosts. If you still decide to build a cage on the street, then be sure to make it a closed type (wood or slate on four sides).

The easiest way is to buy a cage in a speci alty store, but this design can costa tidy sum, especially if you plan to breed several tens or even hundreds of birds. Therefore, the best option is to make cells with your own hands. It is quite simple to do this, and during the construction process, only the cheapest materials that are publicly available will be needed: plywood, wood, metal mesh, slate. It is best to buy everything you need at the construction base, since the prices there are much lower than in a regular store.

Cage manufacturing technology is extremely simple. It will be enough to put together a wooden frame, and then beat it on three sides with a plywood sheet (budget option) or flat slate (more durable option). A strong metal mesh with small holes is installed under the bottom, and the same material can be placed in front, but made of plastic. On top of the cage, it is necessary to make an opening wooden cover with several bars in front, so that it is convenient to install slate on them at an angle in case you have to take the cages outside.

Features of building a poultry house

Thought to grow quails? Detailed instructions from our article will help you realize this idea. However, to begin with, it is still necessary to equip a special room in which the birds will be in the cold season. Its scale directly depends on how many birds you plan to keep on your farm. If you expect to grow several dozen, then you will not need special equipment. It will be enough to build a small barn and install an ordinaryelectric heater for the winter.

To grow a large number of birds, you will need a room with a total area of at least 30 square meters. In this case, the poultry house will have to create a water heating system consisting of metal pipes and radiators. In addition, it is recommended to install a separate incubator where young chickens will be raised. It is also worth taking care of a sufficiently large room for food, since it must be stored in a dry and dark place.

As for ventilation, it must be present without fail, because in the summer it can be quite hot in the house. To do this, it is recommended to familiarize yourself with the structure of ventilation in garages and do something similar in the barn. It will be enough to install a simple non-mechanical device that works on the principle of the movement of hot and cold air flows. In addition, some windows should be made in the barn in order to have additional ventilation in the hot season.

Quail feeding

What are some tips for growing quail for beginners? As a rule, most of them are related to the proper feeding of birds at home. It is necessary to take care of a quality and balanced diet, otherwise the birds will not reach the desired weight or carry the desired number of eggs. The most optimal requirements are met by a special compound feed for quails DK-52P. It contains about 45% corn, as well as various mineral supplements that are neededfor normal growth and development. For example, one of these additives is meat and bone meal, which is rich in useful vitamins and minerals.

Feeding with compound feed starts from three weeks old, however, small birds are best fed with boiled chopped eggs, milk curds or special compound feed for chickens. In addition, the chicks must be regularly fed with warm boiled water, since the life-giving liquid has a huge impact on proper development. It is also recommended to add the antibiotic "Levomycetin" to the water once a week, which helps prevent most diseases that quails suffer from.

How profitable is it to grow quails? The answer to this question will depend on how correct and balanced the diet you make for your birds. Feathers are not at all forbidden to be fed with ordinary food, however, it is better for novice breeders to give preference to compound feed, since it already contains all the necessary elements. If you decide to purchase such food, then proceed from this calculation: 30 grams per day for each adult.

Bird care

Is it profitable to grow meat breed quails? Of course yes! However, in order to achieve maximum productivity, it is necessary to provide quality bird care. For example, in the winter season, you should take care of an additional source of lighting in the barn, since quails will practically not see sunlight. For this it is bestpurchase several fluorescent lamps with a power of at least 40 watts. Well, it is recommended to hang a special infrared lamp over the chicken coop, which contributes to the faster growth of young animals.

Also, many experienced farmers recommend changing the water in the drinkers daily, since the purity of the life-giving liquid depends on how he althy your birds grow up. In addition, it is necessary to clean the cells regularly, otherwise the dirt will contribute to the development of infectious diseases and just an unpleasant smell in the room. If you equip the cages with a removable cover, then there will be nothing complicated in such a procedure. It will be enough to change the bedding at least once a week.

As for the temperature of the content, it should be in the region of 21-22 degrees Celsius. Particular attention should be paid to this indicator in the winter season. If the birds are kept in a cold room in winter, they may die from the disease. In addition, cold air adversely affects the quality of sleep of birds, so they become more aggressive.

Quail slaughter

Starting businessmen are sometimes interested in whether it is possible to grow a quail from a store egg. Unfortunately, this cannot be achieved. However, you can purchase eggs from poultry farms, and then start breeding domestic breeds. In this case, productivity will be much higher than if you even managed to raise birds from those eggs that are sold in the store.

As for the slaughter of poultry, it must be carried out according to certain rules. You need to do this with a special hatchet or a sharp knife. As soon as you cut off the head of the quail, let the blood drain properly by turning the carcass upside down. After that, it is necessary to cut off the wings to the second joint, and also remove the legs of the bird with sharp scissors. After that, it remains to gut the quail by opening the abdominal region with a knife or finger.

Plucking this variety of birds is much easier than ducks, geese or even chickens. To do this, first scald the carcass with hot steam, then put on gloves and start the process. Try not to leave "stumps" behind, otherwise the quality of the finished product will be significantly reduced.

How do quails reproduce?

Of course, the cultivation of quails in a private house cannot be imagined without the breeding process of these birds. This will require a male and female individual. The ideal quail family is one with three or four females and one male. However, this is only relevant if you want to get fertilized eggs from which chickens will hatch. Otherwise, you will have to constantly purchase young quails in the market and raise ready-made chicks.

Chicks are best purchased when they are two months old or one month old. At this time, the sexual characteristics of the chicks become visible, so it will not be difficult for you to distinguish a male from a female. Don't forget aboutthat some unscrupulous sellers may deceive buyers by wishful thinking. Therefore, before you buy chicks, first learn to distinguish females from males.

As for the period of incubation of quail eggs, it is no more than 17 days. Chicks begin to hatch in a friendly manner, especially if the breeding material was taken from a quail that is no more than three months old. To check if the egg is fertilized, you can purchase special electronic scales that are used in pharmacies. As a rule, the weight reaches from 9 to 11 grams. Shelf life does not exceed one week.

Chicken rearing

As soon as the chick hatches and dries well, it must be placed in a cardboard box or a special brooder, which is heated by an infrared lamp. In the first week after birth, the temperature should be maintained at 35 degrees, after which it can be lowered to 30. During the crescent, the lamp should be on around the clock, after which it is turned on every 4 hours with a break of 1 hour.

At the age of two months, quails start laying eggs, so the daylight hours should be reduced to 17 hours. Also at this time, it is strongly recommended to separate males from females if you do not want to get new offspring, but simply grow quails for sale or for the purpose of obtaining egg products. If you plan to have more chickens, then plant three or four females for each male, and the rest of the malesyou can safely send to slaughter.

Quail he alth

Now you know almost everything about how to raise quails. Tips for novice breeders are also to constantly monitor the condition of the birds in the cages. If you notice that any juvenile is acting too passive or eating poorly, it is best to isolate it in a separate cage, and then contact your veterinarian for advice. Sometimes these changes in behavior can be due to physical trauma, and sometimes they can be symptoms of infectious diseases. Only a qualified specialist can determine the source, so do not neglect outside help.

Some female quails quite often die after damage to the oviduct due to too intensive laying. If such a problem is diagnosed by a veterinarian, the female must be separated from the rest and given time to recover. To do this, reduce the daylight hours so that the bird sleeps more and be sure to reduce the protein level in the feed. As a rule, after 10 days the bird should feel good again. However, do not rush to return it to the rest. It is best to leave her in a separate cage for a few more days for her final recovery.

Video and conclusion

We hope now you understand what the technology of growing quails at home is. If this information seemed not enough to you or you still have some questions, you can watch a short video that you canfind below. In it you will also find many useful tips for people who decide to start breeding birds at home. Such information will seem relevant not only to novice breeders, but also to professional farmers, so do not miss the opportunity to learn a little more about your favorite business than you know now.

As you can see, growing quails in a private house is not such a difficult task as it might seem at first glance. Quails can become for you not only a constant source of dietary meat and egg products, but also a good way to earn money. It will be enough to find a sales market, after which customers will line up for you - especially before the holidays, when everyone wants to have a delicious roasted bird or quail egg salad on their table. In general, follow the tips for caring for birds that were given in our article, and you will definitely succeed!