Quail For Beginners

2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38

Much has been written and rewritten about poultry. Today I would like to bring to your attention an article about quails. Indeed, many times we have heard that quail eggs are healthier than chicken eggs, and meat is more tender and juicy, and besides, it is dietary. So let's find out a little more about these birds

The quail is the smallest among the chickens. The weight of an adult varies from 70 to 130 grams. The bird is early ripening, thus it wins over other birds. The bird begins to rush from the age of 40 days. At 10 days of age, young quails change their feathers, on the 25th day they fully fledge, on the 30th day you have an adult bird. Wonderful? So I tell you that the quail is a very profitable bird.

Increasingly, I meet people who are happy to breed small birds. After talking with some of them, I decided that it is worth sharing what I know myself. Maybe someone will come in handy.

A novice farmer should know how to distinguish a male quail from a female. The male's beak is darker than that of the female; the females have gray plumage on the breast with large black blotches. We are not talking about purebred birds, but only about the most common ones. So, we determine the sex of the bird and put them in different boxes. Males for breeding and meat, females for laying eggs. By the way, you can keep them in parrot cages, but again separately. The quail lays eggs for about a year, then it is also fattened and allowed to eat. Domestic quail do not incubate eggs, so you should not rely on chicks, it is better to immediately purchase an incubator. Since the bird grows and develops rapidly, it needs food with a high protein content, i.e. protein. Feeding of quails is carried out from trough feeders, but auto-feeders and auto-drinkers can be supplied.

Quails are kept in a warm, dry place in cages. The rods should not have a large gap between themselves, so that the bird does not decide to run, or injure itself by escaping. The room should be bright, well-ventilated, without drafts. You need to ventilate the premises every day. But be careful not to overcool the birds, or they may die. There should be additional lighting in the room, that is, the duration of daylight hours should be longer, this affects the viability of the bird and the egg-laying. Daylight hours in a room with quails should be at least 15-17 hours. There is more trouble with light than with feeding; it requires a clear schedule. The light must turn on and off at a strictly defined time. Room humidity should be moderate. If the humidity is below normal, quails reduce food intake and increase water intake, which does not lead to an increase in body weight. Place a regular bucket of water in the house to vaporize. High humidity is also not recommended, maximum 70%. The temperature in the poultry house should not exceed 23 degrees, and in winter it should fall below 10-15. The cages are cleaned daily and disinfected every two months. If the cage is too crowded or you have planted new quails, the light is too bright, or some other stress has occurred, then the birds may begin to suffer from cannibalism.

Fattening quail for meat

Usually, males and females not suitable for laying are fattened, starting from one month of age, or females after a year of use as laying hens. Cages with such birds are placed indoors, with not very good lighting. Males will have enough lighting for 1 hour a day, females - to alternate 1 hour of light and 2 darkness. Such birds do not need additional lighting. Feeders and drinkers are installed outside the cage, the quails will get their own food, if only the head can get through. The feed should be high in protein. You can take this calculation: 75% - 80% broiler feed and 25% - 20% boiled corn or boiled peas. If you decide that you need to start feeding your birds, then do not start it abruptly, otherwise you will lose all the quails. Replace your usual diet with another gradually, over 5-7 days, mixing one food with another, until you completely replace the old one with the new one. Fattening lasts about 4 weeks, with a typical weight of 100-120 grams, they should raise their body weight to a maximum of 200 grams. Before slaughtering a quail in the evening, remove food and water, in the morning the bird's head is cut off with an ordinary pruner. Quail is not a chicken for you, you should not pour boiling water over it for better plucking. There will be enough water with a temperature of 50-55 degrees C.