Caring for quails at home: keeping, breeding and feeding rules for birds

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

Quail breeding is a fairly profitable area of farming, since this type of bird has an enviable rate of meatiness and egg production. At the same time, the products are distinguished by their excellent taste. Already today, quails are in great competition with chickens. Many farmers switch to this bird because it is unpretentious and economical. However, beginners, due to lack of experience and knowledge, have some problems with breeding it. To fill in the gaps in the missing information, this article will describe in detail the features of caring for and keeping quails at home.

General information

Breeding any domestic animal has its own characteristics and is associated with some troubles. The holder must take into account many nuances regarding proper feeding, optimal microclimate, duration of lightday, fighting various diseases, etc. As for quails, growing and caring for this bird will not take much effort and time. That is why most experienced farmers recommend that beginners start with this member of the partridge family.

With the observance of technology, even in a small farm, it is possible to keep up to 50 heads in a cage measuring only one square meter without any problems. This is more than enough not only to provide your family with high-quality meat and eggs, but also to make good money selling them. But in order for quail care to be as simple as possible, it is necessary to consider a number of criteria. The key ones are:

• air temperature;
• light level;
• optimal cell size;
• feeding routine;
• stocking density;
• Containment conditions.

Next, every aspect of keeping and caring for domestic quails will be discussed in more detail.

Requirements for the premises

So what do you need to know about this? The arrangement of the chicken coop should be approached thoroughly. It must meet certain characteristics to make it easier to maintain an optimal microclimate. The room should be warm and without drafts so that the bird does not get sick. You should also take care of good ventilation. If the air stagnates, then over time a stagnant unpleasant odor will appear, which will be very problematic to remove.

Care and maintenancequails are associated with only one difficulty. The thing is that this bird is particularly shy. Therefore, it is very important to protect it from any external irritants and stressful situations. Even small noises and sudden movements can negatively affect the emotional state of the bird, as a result of which its productivity will drop dramatically.

Temperature conditions

Even for novice farmers, caring for quails does not cause any problems. The bird is not too capricious, so there is no need to create non-specific conditions for it. She feels good at an air temperature of 18 to 25 degrees, so there is no need to create additional heating even in the cold season. If the room is too hot, then the quail begin to molt, which negatively affects their he alth. It is forbidden to allow the temperature to drop below 8 degrees. Hypothermia can lead to the death of the entire livestock.

Lighting

This aspect should be given special attention. Hatched chicks need artificial light 24 hours a day, so you will need to hang a lamp at their location. But there is one important nuance here. Too bright lighting adversely affects egg production. Also, do not use white diffused light bulbs. They increase the aggressiveness of quails, and they begin to peck at each other. For adults, daylight hours should be at least 14 hours. Subject to these recommendations, the care and breeding of quails will be as productive as possible.and profitable.

Diet

Let's take a closer look at this. As noted earlier, quail will not cause any problems for novice farmers. Care and feeding also do not require large financial costs, since this species of bird in the wild eats almost everything it can find. But in order to achieve rapid weight gain and high egg production, some nuances must be taken into account.

Some breeders achieve high results when fattening with combined feeds, while others use crushed grain as a basis. For one adult, actively laying eggs, about 25 g of food is required per day. And on average, about one kilogram of food is spent on fattening a chick. Mixtures can be prepared independently, but experienced experts recommend buying ready-made ones. It is better to choose those in which 20 percent is protein. In addition, the daily diet of quails must contain:

• millet;
• crushed corn;
• bone meal;
• boiled and chopped vegetables;
• fresh greens.

So that the bird does not have any problems with the digestive system, experts advise mixing a little sand into the feed. If you provide quails with quality nutrition, they will grow strong and he althy, so they will never get sick and will lay a large number of eggs.

Finishing the premises

In order not to spend a lot of time and effort on caring forquails at home, before buying the first chicks, you must first prepare the chicken coop and create suitable conditions in it. It is best to keep the bird in spacious cages that provide a good level of illumination. It is not necessary that they be too large, since a small bird is able to get along normally in dense groups. Assume that there should be no more than 6 layers per square meter. If the density is too high, the bird will begin to peck at each other.

Mode and features of feeding

Caring for quails is not difficult, which cannot be said about competent menu planning and nutrition programs. It must be balanced so that the bird receives all the vitamins and minerals necessary for high egg production. You can determine that the feed is not selected correctly or that the quail lacks something by the eggshell. If it is thin and fragile, then the diet needs to be adjusted. You should not overfeed the bird, as this species is prone to overeating. Obesity can not only negatively affect egg production, but even cause a decline to zero.

In the process of keeping, be sure to pay attention to quail droppings. Its structure will help determine how well the feed is selected. If it is hard and with a coating, then you did everything right, and the bird receives a complete and high-quality food. The development of diarrhea may indicate the presence of any disease or an inappropriate diet.

Chick care

The maintenance of young animals and adults has certain differences. The first thing you need to do is make sure the females are incubating the eggs. If you notice that some quails do not fit them, then you should use the incubator. However, this happens very rarely, so in most cases, the chicks will hatch naturally.

Care for quails in the first days of life is carried out separately from the rest of the livestock. It is recommended to keep newborn chicks in brooders, which can be purchased at any specialized store. During the first month of the life of the young, it is necessary to maintain the ambient temperature at 35 degrees Celsius, after which you can lower the bar to 22-25 ° С.

Young quails begin to feed on their own from the first day of life. All you need to do is equip the cage with a low-edged feeder and put a special vacuum drinker. The menu must necessarily include cottage cheese, finely chopped fresh herbs, boiled and then chopped chicken eggs. You can also use industrial balanced feed mixes.

Release to the main stock

Chicks grow to adult size in about 14 days, however, it is better to separate them by sex no earlier than a month later. If you provide quality nutrition and proper care for quails, they will quickly gain weight. It will be possible to release chicks to the rest of the livestock already 2 weeks after hatching, but for them it will be necessary to putseparate containers with warm boiled water. Otherwise, there is a high probability of developing various diseases and problems with the digestive system.

Disease prevention

According to experienced breeders and specialists, quail chicks, as a rule, die 4-7 days after they hatch from eggs. The main reason is poor quality food and poor living conditions. In addition, if young animals do not receive enough nutrients, they may develop various diseases, which, in turn, will lead to death. To provide the chicks with vitamins and microelements, carrots, young nettle leaves, freshly cut grass and specialized vitamin complexes are included in the daily menu. But with the latter, you should also not be too zealous, since hypervitaminosis can also cause the development of many deadly pathologies.

To reduce the likelihood of brood death, it is necessary to regularly clean and disinfect the premises, as well as replace the bedding. There is no point in vaccination, since the quail is one of the few bird species that is highly resistant to infections. Periodically it is recommended to solder the chicks with rice water. It improves the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract and reduces the risk of developing diseases associated with it.

Conclusion

Quail breeding is a very profitable and not very laborious activity that will not only provideyou with tasty and he althy meat and eggs, but it will also allow you to make good money selling finished products. The main thing is to provide the bird with quality nutrition and good living conditions. How to do this was described in detail in this article. Stick to the general tips and tricks, and you will certainly succeed in creating a profitable quail farm.