Unlike other birds, quail are less sick. They have one feature - body temperature is 2 ° C higher than usual. Such an environment is not suitable for the favorable development of microorganisms that cause disease. However, do not relax. Some measures to prevent negative health factors must be taken.
What to do?
In cases of disease, quail must be provided with the correct treatment to maintain egg production and meat productivity. And it does not depend on the pathology of the disease. It is known that all quail diseases, like other birds in the household, can be non-contagious and contagious.
In order not to infect the entire livestock, you need to follow certain rules:
- quails of different ages to keep separately;
- observe the temperature regime and the desired humidity;
- quails are kept separately from other poultry;
- cages and premises must be regularly cleaned, and equipment must be disinfected;
- drinkers and feeders should always be clean, they must be washed;
- only high-quality food is provided;
- drinking water should only be clean.
What else needs to be considered?
To avoid illness, quail should not be subjected to any stress. These birds have a very excitable nervous system.
It is important not only to carry out preventive measures, but also to identify the disease in time, while it is at an early stage. Sick bird can be noticed by the following external criteria:
- behavior;
- skin covering;
- feather condition.
How to identify the disease?
A healthy individual is energetic and mobile, has a normal appetite, smooth feathers that shine. In case of illness, quail are poorly on their feet, they always want to sit down, and their feathers are tousled. When an affliction affected only one bird, it tries to sit in the corner of the cage and close its eyes, with a crack of it. At the first such sign, the quail is isolated. Such a bird needs a compulsory examination by a veterinarian.
Infectious diseases of quail pass from one bird to another. So the whole herd can be tedious if measures are not taken. Non-contagious ailments include injuries, digestive disorders due to eating disorders.
A healthy quail (photo below) can become infected with infectious or invasive diseases from other individuals through food, water and airborne droplets. It so happens that only a purchased bird becomes a vector of illness. Therefore, when acquiring a new pet, you need to be very careful.
Caution! A common ailment dangerous to humans
Among the most common infectious diseases is the ornithosis virus. He is very dangerous. Sick quail (photo below) is very sleepy, dirty and disheveled. Even a person can become infected with a virus. If you find the first symptoms, you should immediately call a veterinarian.
This is not to say that this is a common disease in industrial poultry farming. Pigeons and parrots often suffer from it. At risk are ducks and turkey. However, quail can also get sick under certain conditions. Therefore, every farmer should know about bird ornithosis and how to deal with it.
Other names for this disease: chlamydia, neorikettsiosis, psitaccosis, "parrot fever." Infection affects the internal organs, nervous and reproductive systems, eyes, lymphatic vessels. Its occurrence must be notified to the appropriate authorities.
A disease that you will not see immediately
One of the most dangerous is Newcastle disease. Symptoms are not always visible immediately, and the disease develops so quickly that the bird dies within a few hours. The acute and rapid course of the disease complicates the treatment. Individuals are infected through droppings, water, food, and inventory. Distributors can be waterfowl, rats and dogs. What Newcastle disease looks like in quail can be seen in the photo.
The sick quail has difficulty breathing; he eats poorly and is very sleepy. Mucus is released from the beak. A bird with such symptoms is immediately isolated. She needs the help of a vet.
Threat for little chicks
An infectious disease called "bird pullorosis" most commonly affects quail. From this ailment they perish. It is characterized by a sharp increase in temperature. The provocateur of the disease is poor-quality feed. A sick chick is drowsy. He can close his eyes and stand with his head bowed. It happens that he falls and immediately jumps up. You can observe the picture of how the chicks lie on their chests, clog into a corner, peep and tremble. Sick bird give for slaughter. A cage with inventory must be disinfected.
If the farmer does not have a veterinary education, then you should not rely on luck and save on the services of a veterinarian. All quail diseases and their treatment should be diagnosed and accompanied by a specialist! Otherwise, there is a big risk of losing quickly all the poultry stock.
Other diseases
Among the diseases, colibacteriosis is also found. This is an infection caused by E. coli. Infected chicks have a blue beak, vilify, and their feathers stick together near the cloaca. The veterinarian can determine the exact diagnosis. Antibiotics are needed for treatment. As in other cases, diseased individuals are isolated. The cage with the inventory is disinfected.
Common adult quail diseases such as helminthiasis and aspergillosis are known to all farmers. In the first case, the bird is struck by the worms of Singapore. Patients with dyspnea and cough are observed. The treatment is carried out with the drug "Thiobendazole". Young growth must be isolated from an adult population of birds. Aspergillosis is a fungal disease. Affected birds drink a lot, they have general weakness and shortness of breath. In addition, paws and beak can turn blue at a quail. You need to treat only after consulting a veterinarian and an accurate diagnosis of the disease!
Another acute infectious disease is pasteurellosis. It occurs when the pathogen enters the bloodstream. A malfunction occurs in the metabolic system, the liver begins to work poorly. If treatment is not carried out, then a lethal outcome is possible, since the development of sepsis will begin. The main sign of the disease is emptying with blood. Sick birds are isolated, and the rest are quarantined. Cells with inventory are disinfected.
Salmonellosis is a known disease. Birds become infected through droppings, water, or eating eggs infected with pathogens. Symptoms: conjunctivitis, intestinal upset, impaired coordination, general weakness and drowsiness. The disease can begin to develop in a nerve-paralytic form. Then there is inflammation of the joints and wings. The sick population goes to slaughter. But! You can’t eat them! Places of detention and equipment are subjected to disinfection.
The consequences of poor feeding
Non-infectious diseases of quail include vitamin deficiencies. They are provoked by malnutrition. It can also cause bite. This is the same cannibalism. And drafts with low humidity will cause bald patches, as feathers will begin to fall out in birds.
Such diseases as a violation of physiology, rickets, and a violation of the formation of an egg shell are very common. A provocative factor is a lack of vitamin D, calcium and minerals. Sick, quail begin to lay eggs with a soft, thin shell or without it, with an membranous membrane.
Often birds are affected by this ailment, the content of which occurs in a place insufficiently lit by the sun. However, do not forget that high calcium also affects health negatively.
To maintain the normal state of the bird in its diet should be the necessary amount of minerals, fish and whale oil. Quails are given chalk, crushed shells and eggshells, fodder yeast, dried legumes, and food concentrates. The bird must walk in the sunlight.
Where to start breeding quails at home?
For beginner farmers, first of all, it is necessary to adequately assess the conditions in which it is planned to keep the bird. This type of activity is considered profitable, but if the conditions of detention are inappropriate, then the risk of losing the livestock is very high. Then losses will be incurred. Quail can be grown, in principle, in the country, in private houses and even in apartments. The bird does not take up much space, eats little feed, but it has high egg productivity.
In the process of domestication, the quail females almost lost their hatching instinct. Therefore, young growth is removed mainly in incubators. Often hens become benthic hens. Sometimes they lay eggs on pigeons.
You can buy or make an incubator yourself. Sometimes they take a regular incubator for chicken eggs and adjust it to quail. The requirements are:
- automatic egg rotation;
- stable temperature 37-39 ° .
Chicken incubators: "Universal", "Mother hen", "IPH" are suitable for quail. Breeding and feeding this bird is, in principle, not difficult. But in the case of using incubators for chickens, you need to consider that they include up to 6 times more quail eggs than hens.
The result of hatching depends on what quality the eggs will initially have. It is better to have specimens from young females. These are individuals from 2 to 8 months. From older females, eggs are eaten. Check the youth of the egg on an ovoscope.
For fertilization, females are placed with males 1: 2 or 1: 4. You can simply put the female to the male for several minutes, then change it to the next. This mode of fertilization will give an 80% chance of success. If free mating occurs, the number of fertilized eggs will be less.
For the permanent fertilization of males and females, a maximum of three months is used. In the incubation, eggs of the correct form, clean, with a smooth shell, without pigmentation, are chosen. Dirty can be a source of infection. It happens that they are washed with a solution of potassium permanganate, dried and then placed in an incubator. Very round, elongated eggs are not used to breed young animals, as they may be defective.
When checking with an ovoscope, it is necessary to discard those that have too large an air chamber, an offset, glued to the shell yolk, two yolks and spots inside.
When this bird is bred at home, the cage for 10 quails is considered ideal - no more!
Eggs for hatchery are kept in the incubator for no more than 7 days. It is important to maintain the right temperature and humidity. It depends on the incubation period:
- Day 1-15 - 36.6-37.7 degrees on a dry thermometer. Humidity - 60%.
- 16-17th day before the bite - 37.02-37.5 degrees. Humidity - 48% (when there is a bite).
- At a conclusion humidity of 67-92%.
Place of detention
Usually cells are made for 10, 20 or 30 quail. If we are talking about 10 birds, then the size of the cage should be 30 × 75 cm and 25 × 60 cm. Cell sizes must be selected depending on the size of the birds.
They should not fall to the floor. The design of the cell is thought out in such a way that there is no mold and dampness. Otherwise, the health of the pets will suffer. The material for the cell can be taken different. This is wood, plastic, mesh or plywood. The main thing is to observe hygiene and all conditions of detention.
A cell consists of:
- frame;
- gender
- doors
- drinkers;
- feeding troughs;
- an egg tray;
- reservoir for litter.
In order to save space, it is allowed to put cells on top of each other. It will look like a kind of cell battery. Of course, this is possible if the shapes and sizes are consistent. They fix the houses with wire. No need to make a battery consisting of more than three tiers. The first design should be at a height of not less than 10-30 cm from the floor.
The frame can be made of wood, reinforcement. The walls can be made of mesh. Its diameter should not allow the bird to get out. Quail - small birds, so you can take a chain link of small diameter.
Cages for layers are equipped with a bottom located at an angle to the drinker at 7-8 degrees. Eggs should be in the egg collector.
Remember! Bird movements should not be constrained. An adult male feels comfortable in an area of approximately 100 cm². Accordingly, a cage of 1 m² will accommodate 75 quails.
Ideally, if the egg collector, feeder and drinking bowl are made of durable plastic. Any plastic container can be easily adapted for tanks. Sheet metal is suitable for the litter tray. It is important not to forget that all materials have their own life.
Ventilation is provided by recesses. Through them, air enters. Lighting and temperature can be maintained with lamps that are installed according to needs. Heat and light can also come through wall cavities.
If the quail is 50 individuals, then the minimum cage should be an area of 75 × 150 cm for the parent herd and 60 × 120 cm for egg and meat breeds.
Certainly profitable breeding of quail at home. It is important for beginners and experienced farmers to be equally diligent in the work they have begun. When a business is taken seriously and fulfills all the rules for keeping a bird, it will bring good profit. It must be remembered that although this bird serves as food for humans, it is still a living creature. Her life will be short-lived, we must treat her humanely and create the proper conditions of detention. Do not place in bird cages so that they have nowhere to turn around. Be sure to observe hygiene, even if these birds are grown exclusively for sale.