In recent years, quail has been increasingly seen on village courtyards . The meat and eggs of these birds are considered very beneficial to the human body. They contain a large number of valuable vitamins and minerals. In order to breed these birds, it is important to figure out how to distinguish quail (female from male).
Existing varieties
To date, several dozen breeds of this bird are known. All of them differ in appearance and productivity. Therefore, before choosing one of the species, you should decide what you plan to breed them for. The international registration book contains sixty different lines and six main breeds. Among them, besides the Manchu, golden, Australian tan, tuxedo, English white and black, the pharaohs also got.
How to distinguish a female from a male, you will learn a little later, but for now we will try to deal with the features of the most popular varieties. Fast-growing breeds include Japanese. These individuals already reach the adult sizes by the age of forty days. They are characterized by high egg production, but low meat yield.
Those who need just the quail can be recommended to pay attention to the American pharaohs. However, representatives of this breed are more capricious about the conditions of detention and the quality of the feed. Therefore, experienced poultry farmers should engage in their breeding.
Conditions of detention
Those who want to figure out how to distinguish a female from a quail male need to remember a few important recommendations for organizing a house. In the wild, these birds live in marshy regions. They inhabit water meadows, hiding in tall grass. Therefore, they prefer darkness and high humidity. Birds kept in very dry rooms begin to bald. Their plumage becomes more brittle and gradually falls out.
Certain requirements are placed on the lighting of the house. It should not be too bright. Otherwise, the birds become pugnacious and irritable. They begin to peck each other up to blood.
Those who are interested in how to distinguish a female from a male quail should pay attention to the fact that the house should be equipped with feeders and drinking bowls. To protect their contents from contamination, it is advisable to suspend them from the outside of the cage. The width and height of the feeder should be about five centimeters. As for the length, it is selected individually, taking into account the number of livestock.
Feeding recommendations
Those who want to understand how to distinguish a female from a male quail will be interested in the fact that dry food should be the basis of the diet of these birds. Wet mixers not only stain the birds, but also clog the feeders. Unlike chickens, they don’t need potatoes. Quail with pleasure eat grated carrots laid out on compound feed.
In general, the preparation of the diet for these birds does not cause much difficulty. One adult should have about twenty grams of mixed feed for laying hens. In summer, young nettles, dandelions and onions can be added to their menu. In winter, it is recommended to feed them with germinated wheat.
How to distinguish quail?
A female and a male can be recognized by a number of signs. Those who plan to breed representatives of the Japanese breed should first of all pay attention to the poultry breast. In the female she is covered with a discreet yellowish plumage with dark spots. The male’s chest is bright orange. However, this simple method is applicable to individuals over twenty days of age, since until this moment the plumage of different-sex birds is almost identical.
Those who are interested in how to distinguish a female from a male of English quail can be recommended to look at their cesspool. In females, it will be a bluish tint. If we are talking about colored quail, then it is necessary to carefully probe the skin on the stomach of birds. Females have wider pubic bones.
In addition, all males, regardless of breed, are characterized by increased talkativeness. They periodically make loud noises. In addition, males have a brighter plumage. Now that you know exactly how to distinguish a female from a male quail, you can safely go to choose birds.