Quail is an excellent source of dietary eggs and delicious meat. The tiny size of the birds can scare away many breeders, but experienced poultry farmers know that these birds give a very good profit. We decided to start growing quails at home, but do not know how to properly care for these little birds? In this article you will find some tips for beginning farmers, as well as many other useful information regarding quail breeding.
Rock characterization
Those who decided to start growing quail in the country, for starters, it is recommended to get acquainted with a little theoretical information regarding the characteristics of this variety of birds. In our country, for the most part, there are Japanese subspecies that have been domesticated on the island for many decades. Typically, quail is grown in order to obtain dietary meat or egg products, which is considered a real delicacy and has a number of useful properties. For this, quail is grown not only on private farmsteads, but also on industrial farms.
As for the species of birds, the breeders have bred two main breeds that are ideal for home growing - meat and egg. As you might guess, the latter brings a fairly good number of eggs - about 200 pieces per year, while meat can boast 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 an average of 250 to 500 grams.
Where to keep quail?
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 grazing. In addition, the quail is 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 quail 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 closed (wood or slate on four sides).
The easiest way is to buy a cage in a specialized store, but such a design can cost a tidy sum, especially if you plan to breed several tens or even hundreds of birds. Therefore, the most optimal option remains the manufacture of cells with their own hands. To do this is quite simple, and during the construction process you will need only the cheapest materials that are publicly available: plywood, wood, metal mesh, slate. It is best to purchase everything you need at a construction base, since the prices there are much lower than in a regular store.
Cell manufacturing technology is extremely simple. It will be enough to put together a wooden frame, and then beat it on three sides with plywood sheet (budget option) or flat slate (more durable option). A solid 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 lid with several bars in front, so that it is convenient to install slate on them at an angle if you have to take the cells out into the street.
Features of the construction of the house
Thinking of growing quail? The detailed instructions from our article will help you realize this idea. However, for starters, it is still necessary to equip a special room in which 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 a few dozen, then you do not need special equipment. It will be enough to build a small barn and install in it a conventional electric heater for the winter.
To grow a large number of birds, you need a room with a total area of at least 30 square meters. In this case, the house will have to create a water heating system consisting of metal pipes and radiators. In addition, it is recommended to separately set up an incubator where young chickens will be raised. It is also worth taking care of a sufficiently large room for food, since it needs to be stored in a dry and dark place.
As for ventilation, it must be present without fail, since in the summertime in the house it can be quite hot. To do this, it is recommended that you 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 movement of hot and cold air flows. In addition, several windows should be made in the barn in order to have additional ventilation during the hot season.
Quail feeding
What are some tips for growing quail for beginners? As a rule, most of them are associated with proper feeding of birds at home. It is necessary to take care of a high-quality and balanced diet, otherwise the birds will not reach the desired mass or carry the desired number of eggs. Special feed for quail DK-52P meets the most optimal requirements. It contains about 45% of corn, as well as various mineral supplements, which are necessary for normal growth and development. For example, one of such additives is meat and bone meal, which is rich in useful vitamins and minerals.
Feeding with compound feed begins at three weeks of age, however, it is best to feed small birds with boiled, chopped eggs, milk curd or special compound feed for chickens. In addition, the chicks must be regularly given warm boiled water, since the life-giving fluid 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 affect quail.
How profitable is it to grow quail? The answer to this question will depend on how well and balanced your diet is for your birds. It is not forbidden to feed the birds at all with ordinary feeds, however, it is better for beginner breeders to give preference to compound feed, since it already contains all the necessary elements. If you decide to purchase such feed, then proceed from this calculation: 30 grams per day for each adult.
Bird care
Is it profitable to grow quail meat? Of course yes! However, 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 quail will practically not see sunlight. To do this, it is best to purchase several fluorescent lamps with a power of at least 40 watts. Well, it is recommended to hang a special infrared lamp over the chicken house, which contributes to the faster growth of young animals.
Also, many experienced farmers recommend changing the water in the drinkers daily, because how healthy your birds will grow depends on the purity of the life-giving fluid. In addition, it is necessary to regularly clean the cells, otherwise the dirt will contribute to the development of infectious diseases and simply an unpleasant smell in the room. If you equip the cells with a removable lid, then in this procedure there will be nothing complicated. It will be enough to change the litter 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, then they may die from the disease. In addition, cold air negatively affects the quality of feathered sleep, so they become more aggressive.
Quail Slaughter
Novice businessmen are sometimes interested in whether it is possible to grow quail from a store egg. Unfortunately, this will not work. However, you can buy eggs at poultry farms, and then start breeding domestic breeds. In this case, productivity will be much higher than if you even managed to grow 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 chop off the head of the quail, let the blood drain properly, turning the carcass upside down. After this, it is necessary to cut off the wings to the second joint, and also remove the legs of the bird with sharp scissors. After this, it remains to gut the quail, opening the abdominal region with a knife or finger.
Pinching this species 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 proceed to the process. Try not to leave “stumps” after yourself, otherwise the quality of the finished product will be significantly reduced.
How do quail reproduce?
Of course, growing quail in a private house can not be imagined without the process of breeding these birds. This will require an individual male and female. An ideal quail family is one where three or four females and one male. However, this is relevant only if you want to get fertilized eggs from which chickens will hatch. Otherwise, you will have to constantly acquire quail young in the market and grow ready-made chicks.
It is best to acquire chickens at two months 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. Do not forget that some unscrupulous sellers can deceive buyers by posing as wishful thinking. Therefore, before you buy chicks, first learn to distinguish between females and males.
As for the incubation period of quail eggs, it is no more than 17 days. The chicks begin to hatch in a friendly manner, especially if the breeding material was taken from a quail, whose age is no more than three months. 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.
Growing chickens
As soon as the nestling 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 light around the clock, after which it starts to turn on every 4 hours with a break of 1 hour.
At the age of two months, quailing begins egg laying, so the daylight hours must be reduced to 17 hours. Also at this time it is strongly recommended that the males be removed from the females if you do not want to get new offspring, but simply grow quail for sale or in order to obtain egg products. If you plan to get more chickens, then plant three or four females for each male, and you can safely send the remaining males for slaughter.
Quail Health
Now you know almost everything about how to grow quail. Tips for novice breeders also consist in the fact that you need to constantly monitor the condition of birds in the cages. If you notice that some young individual is behaving too passively or eating poorly, it is best to isolate it in a separate cage, and then contact your veterinarian for advice. Sometimes, such changes in behavior can occur due to physical injuries, and sometimes they are symptoms of infectious diseases. Only a qualified specialist can determine the source, so do not neglect the help from the outside.
Some quail females quite often die after damage to the oviduct due to too much laying. If such a problem is diagnosed by a veterinarian, the female should be jailed separately from the rest and give her time to recover. To do this, reduce the daylight hours so that the bird sleeps more and be sure to lower the protein level in the feed. Typically, 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 a final recovery.
Video and conclusion
We hope you now understand what the technology of growing quail at home is. If this information didn’t seem enough to you or you still have some questions, you can watch a short video, which can be found just below. In it you will also find many useful tips for people who decide to engage in 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. Quail can be 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 market, after which customers will line up for you - especially before the holidays, when everyone wants a delicious bird fried in the oven or a salad of quail eggs on his table. In general, follow the bird care tips that were provided in our article, and you will surely succeed!