To breed quails you need small area, since the poultry consumes little feed and grows quickly, the farm’s products are sold without problems in markets, stores and public catering. How to start making money by raising quails, selling meat and eggs?

Economic aspects of quail farming

Advantages:

• breeding quails does not require large premises, one square meter of cages can contain up to 120 birds, a four-tier cage can accommodate up to five thousand birds per square meter of floor area;
• due to the close housing of the birds, the costs of lighting and heating cages even with 1000 quails are quite small;
• Caring for quails is very easy. An adult can easily care for cages containing several thousand quails;
• high price meat and eggs;
• high speed of production: quails begin to lay eggs already at one month of age, broilers are fattened to marketable weight in 60 days;
• quails are unpretentious in food, feeding birds with home-prepared feed is cheap;
• quail breeding is still not widespread, the market niche is still free;
• high profitability of the business: quails that have stopped laying eggs are sold for meat, down and feathers from birds are sold, and bird droppings packaged in bags are excellent for gardeners in the spring and summer.

Legal aspects of the quail business

Before creating a quail farm, you need to decide on organizational form farms. There are two options: personal subsidiary farm(LPH) and obtaining a certificate of an individual entrepreneur (IP). It is believed that private household plots only sell surpluses from running their farms, therefore, according to the law, the products of private household plots can be sold on the market or to catering establishments. The individual entrepreneur is initially focused on making a profit, so he has no restrictions on options for selling products. The products of private household plots are not subject to taxes; in order to sell them, it is necessary to obtain a certificate from the local administration about the presence of private plots. An individual entrepreneur must register with the Federal Tax Service, Pension Fund and Social Insurance Fund and pay taxes in accordance with current legislation.

To sell their products, both private household plots and individual entrepreneurs must obtain a quality certificate from the veterinary service.

Breeding quails for eggs

In a year, a quail can lay 250-300 eggs. The cost of one egg is 3.80 - 4 rubles, therefore, per year from the sale of eggs from one quail you can earn from 950 to 1200 rubles. The daily amount of food for quail is 30-35 grams, 1/3 of the diet consists of vegetables, the price of good feed for poultry is 25-30 rubles per kilogram, a self-made grain mixture costs one and a half to two times cheaper.

Consequently, for the year the cost of feeding laying birds will be 250-300 rubles. Naturally, the cost of keeping poultry also includes the cost of lighting, heating the poultry house, the cost of cages, equipment, and the barn itself, but when maintaining a farm of 500-1000 laying hens, these costs will be quite small.

What are the benefits of quail eggs

Whether quail eggs will be beneficial or harmful depends on the individual organism. The weight of one egg is small - only 10-12 grams; it is better to eat them raw. Unlike chicken eggs, quail eggs are not affected by salmonella and other microorganisms. This is due to the high (42 degrees) body temperature of the bird; microorganisms die already at 40 degrees. Therefore, when breeding quails, antibiotics are not used to prevent diseases.

• eggs are very rich in vitamins A and B, as well as microelements: magnesium, potassium, manganese, phosphorus, iron. By eating one egg, a person receives ¼ of the daily norm of cholesterol and 1/50 of the norm of protein;
• after intense physical activity, eggs help the body return to normal;
• if you are overweight, eating one or two eggs a day and getting a minimum of calories can completely provide the body with a daily dose of microelements;
• proteins, polyunsaturated fats and folic acid maintain normal levels of hormones in the female body;
• taking quail eggs helps for normal pregnancy;
• with regular consumption of eggs, sexual function in the male body is improved and enhanced;
• Quail eggs have a complex effect on a child’s body. Their regular use enhances attentiveness when learning; improves memory; increases energy when playing sports; removes toxins and radionuclides from the body. Physiological consumption rate: preschoolers 1-2 eggs per day, schoolchildren 2-3.

Regular consumption of quail eggs normalizes digestion and alleviates the human condition in many diseases:

• for bronchial asthma, it is recommended to eat 1 egg per day for 30 days in a row. Then take a short break, after which the treatment is continued. After six months of treatment, the patient begins to feel improved health;
• In case of poisoning, it is recommended to take 1 egg every hour. After a few hours, the victim’s condition improves;
• Dietary nutrition with quail eggs is indicated in the treatment of diseases of the thyroid gland, gastrointestinal tract, disorders nervous system and heart disease;
• For allergies, taking one egg a day relieves attacks. Allergy symptoms disappear within a few days.

Egg shells are useful for brittle nails, hair, insomnia, constipation and irritability. To use, crushed shells are mixed with lemon juice. Take the composition every other day, one teaspoon in the evening before bed.

At the same time, we must not forget that, as with any product, the human body can react negatively to quail eggs. In childhood (up to 1 year), a reaction to the ovomucide contained in eggs is possible, so eating eggs is contraindicated for infants. Also, with some diseases of the liver and kidneys, poor absorption of protein by the body occurs. In this case, you should consult your doctor before eating eggs.

Breeding quails for meat

Quails are a very early ripening bird. The weight of a broiler cockerel by 60 days of age reaches 300–400 grams. The selling price of meat is 400-500 rubles per kilogram, a carcass is sold for 150-200 rubles. The cost of fattening consists of the cost of purchased feed and succulent (green) feed. In the case of independently growing succulent feed (pumpkin, fodder beets), replacing part of the feed with boiled potatoes, as well as replacing purchased feed with a self-made mixture of inexpensive grain, the cost of fattening is very low.

What are the benefits of quail meat

Quail meat has a wonderful taste and an absolutely unique composition. Product recognized dietary dish. Quail meat is superior in taste to chicken, beef, pork and rabbit.

The composition includes a large number of amino acids necessary for the human body:

• lysine. Helps the body increase muscle mass, breaks down fats, improves human memory, enhances libido, protects the body from viruses, drugs for the treatment of herpes and anabolic steroids are produced on its basis;
• cystine. Participates in the process of protein formation in the body; insulin and immunoglobulins are produced on its basis;
• methionine The absence of this substance in the body leads to the development of many pathologies;
• planin. Accelerates metabolism in the body, increases the amount of energy;
• glycine. Lack of substance intake into the body leads to disturbances in neuropsychic activity;
• glutamic acid. Strengthens and normalizes the condition of tissues and blood vessels. Anti-cancer drugs are produced on its basis;
• Aringin. Removes waste and toxins from the body;
• valine Normalizes metabolic processes in the body, stabilizes hormonal levels;
• aspartic acid. Increases alertness and concentration. Participates in the formation of amino acids;
• tyrosine Normalizes hormonal levels, participates in the process of melanin production. Increases body tone, stress resistance, and mood.

In addition, the composition contains a variety of micro and macroelements: phosphorus, potassium, copper, iron, manganese, selenium, copper, magnesium, zinc, sodium, potassium, calcium, vitamins A, D, C, B1, B2, B5, B6, B9 , B12, K.

Meat is easily digestible by the human body; it is healthy to eat at any age:

• children. The vitamin D contained protects against rickets and strengthens bone tissue body;
• pregnant women. Quail meat protects against toxicosis, improves the balance of vitamins and minerals in organism;
• nursing mothers. When eating meat, the amount of breast milk increases and its composition improves;
• elderly people. Meat improves the digestion process, strengthens and rejuvenates body tissues, improves the condition of hair and nails, and eliminates age-related pathologies;
• athletes. Proteins and amino acids contained in meat accelerate growth muscle mass, replenish the body’s energy costs for training, increase the body’s tone;
• patients after surgery. Eating quail meat promotes tissue healing, normalization of the patient’s condition and a speedy recovery.

On a note!

The calorie content of quail meat is low; 1 kilogram of product contains 2300 kilocalories. Meat contains 2/3 proteins, 1/3 fats.

• oncology;
• diabetes;
• anemia;
• radiation sickness;
• dystrophy;
• arrhythmia;
• caries;
• apathy;
• irritability;
• lack of erection;
• thyroid diseases;
• pathologies of the respiratory organs;
• asthma;
• bronchitis;
• tuberculosis;
• for gastrointestinal diseases.

A meat diet helps you lose excess weight.

Breed selection

When breeding quails, you must immediately decide what product (meat or eggs) the farm will be founded for. The choice of breed depends on this. Like any other poultry, all quail breeds can be divided into four large groups:

• breeds with high egg production;
• meat breeds;
• meat and egg breeds;
• decorative breeds.

Egg quail breeds

The birds have a low body weight (150-200 grams), their egg production reaches 280-300 eggs per year.

The bird has a small, slightly elongated body, small wings, and a very short tail. The color is variegated brown, males are more brightly colored. Quails are distinguished by their light-colored breasts. The weight of an adult bird is up to 130-150 grams, egg production reaches 300 eggs per year.

The breed was bred in Great Britain. Its distinctive feature is its black or brown plumage. The weight of an adult bird is up to 200 grams, egg production is up to 280 eggs per year.

On a note!

There is a similar British breed of White Quail. The plumage color of these birds is white with small spots of black, brown or golden hue. Otherwise the breeds are completely identical.

Tuxedo quails have an original color: the back and head of the bird are dark in color, the breast and belly are white. The weight of an adult bird is up to 160 grams, egg production reaches 280 eggs per year.

Meat breeds of quail

Meat breeds are distinguished by exceptionally high early maturity and excellent taste of meat.

White Texas Quail (White Pharaoh)

The breed was bred on the basis of quails of the Pharaoh breed in Texas; it differs from its progenitor in the dazzling white color of its feathers, which is why this breed is also called the White Pharaoh. This is the largest breed of quail - the female weighs up to 400 grams. Also, due to the white plumage, the skin of the bird is lighter, this gives the carcass a more colorful presentation. Quails of the Texas breed look very large due to their wide back and powerful chest.

Meat and egg breeds

Quail breeds for meat and egg production are very versatile. Having a slightly lower egg production than egg breeds, they surpass them in body weight, which ultimately allows them to receive much more income from poultry breeding.

Pharaoh

The meat and egg breed Pharaoh was bred in the USA. The bird's feather color is variegated brown. The weight of an adult bird reaches 300 grams, egg production is 200-220 eggs per year. The disadvantage of the breed is the darkish color of the carcass, which negatively affects the presentation.

Manchurian golden quail

In appearance and uniform variegation of color, the breed resembles Japanese quails. It differs from them in the lighter yellowish color of its plumage. The breed is considered universal - the weight of a female quail reaches 300 grams, egg production up to 220 eggs per year. Another one distinctive feature breed - eggs are almost a third larger than those of other quails.

Decorative quail breeds

Ornamental quail breeds are not distinguished by either high body weight or high egg production. Their advantage is their bright, variegated body coloring. Body shape, feather color, number and location of colored plumage spots are very diverse. These breeds include Californian, Virginia, Chinese painted breeds and many others.

What to look for when purchasing?

To start a business selling quail meat and eggs, you need to purchase a breeding bird. There are three purchasing options:

• purchase of hatching eggs;
• acquisition of day-old or week-old chicks;
• acquisition of an adult bird.

Purchasing a hatching egg

Purchasing an egg and then raising the bird yourself in an incubator is the cheapest way to initially develop a farm. Since quails are poor brood hens, in the future the population of birds will be renewed by hatching chicks in an incubator. When purchasing a breeding egg for placing in an incubator, you must consider the following:

1. The egg weight must correspond to the breed standard. Eggs that are too large or too small are not suitable for hatching a full-fledged chick.
2. The shell should be matte in color, without bulges, cracks, or protrusions.
3. The egg should have a clearly defined, regular, pointed shape. It is desirable that all eggs are approximately the same weight and size.

To breed the most viable chicks, eggs are taken from quails aged from two to twelve months. The shelf life of eggs is also important. It is optimal to purchase an egg laid two to three days ago. maximum term Storage of breeding eggs before placing them in the incubator is 10 days. Each subsequent day of storage reduces the likelihood of breeding healthy offspring.

Purchase of day old chicks

Purchasing day-old chicks is a good start in business. Within a month, the birds will begin to produce returns, and the farm will begin to make its first profit. Proper feeding and maintenance will ensure maximum survival of the young. Before purchasing, it is necessary to carefully examine the chicks. Birds should be cheerful and energetic, dry feathers, without lumps of stuck dirt, clear eyes. Chicks should actively move and peck food.

On a note!

Week-old quails are slightly more expensive than daily ones, but when purchasing them, you can already select males or females based on their plumage, and therefore such a purchase will be more economically profitable.

Purchasing an adult bird

Purchasing an adult bird is the fastest start in business. After a short period of adaptation to new living conditions and a new diet, the bird will begin to produce a marketable product and make a profit, recouping the purchase costs.

The rules for choosing an adult bird are not very different from the rules for choosing babies: the feathers and down should be shiny, even and dry; the bird must be cheerful and active; eyes are clear, without mucus crusts; the beak is smooth, without chips; there should be no dried feces or dried blood on the cloaca; breathing is even, without wheezing.

Special attention should be paid to the bird’s legs: the skin should be smooth (the presence of scales indicates that the bird is of old age), the fingers should not be bent, the joints should be free of bumps and thickenings.

To get the most out of a quail farm, the premises must be comfortable for the birds to live in.

The room for breeding quails should be dry and warm. Quail is very thermophilic, so the room temperature should not fall below 18 degrees Celsius. The material and thickness of the walls must provide the required temperature conditions at any time of the year, if necessary winter time the room is additionally heated. The easiest way to organize indoor heating is with oil-fired electric heaters or infrared bulbs, but still the most economical option is to install a long-burning wood-burning boiler with a water circuit and several radiator batteries. IN southern regions To prevent overheating, air conditioners are installed in the poultry house.

On a note!

The use of additional heat sources normalizes the humidity conditions in the poultry house.

The presence of windows in the room has a positive effect on the well-being of the bird, but using additional lighting you can do without natural light. The light should illuminate all corners of the house, but its brightness should be dim. Too much light disturbs the bird and can lead to cannibalism. It is optimal to organize the lighting of the poultry house with 40-Watt fluorescent lamps. To obtain maximum productivity, daylight hours should be 15-17 hours.

Particular attention should be paid to good ventilation. Quails are very active birds; when moving, they emit a lot of heat and carbon dioxide, so ventilation must constantly provide the inhabitants of the house with fresh air. The volume of the room and the number of birds housed in it determine the air exchange rate, pipe cross-section, and the need to install additional fans. According to the standards, ventilation must provide an air supply of 1 cubic meter per hour per 1 kilogram of live weight of quails.

On a note!

Quails are very afraid of drafts. When there is a large intake of cold air, they get cold, lose feathers, reduce weight gain and practically stop laying eggs.

An important indicator of room comfort is the humidity level. To measure it, a psychrometer is hung on the wall of the room. A humidity range of 50 to 70 percent is considered normal. With a lower value, quails begin to consume more water; with a higher value, feed consumption increases. If the humidity is not normal long time, the bird reduces egg production and sharply loses weight gain. If the humidity in the room is less than normal, open containers with water are placed on the floor of the room. Evaporating water increases air humidity. Excess humidity from the room air is removed by increasing air exchange, or, in winter, by increasing the air temperature in the room

Excessive humidity leads to the development of pathogenic microbes and viruses that can cause various diseases of quails.

For the normal functioning of a quail farm, the poultry farmer must simultaneously maintain several groups of birds:

• chicks up to 10 days old;
• adolescents under one month of age;
• quail families to obtain breeding eggs;
• laying hens for the production of marketable eggs;
• quail for meat fattening - young males and quail over 12 months.

According to zootechnical standards, 1 square meter of cage area contains from 80 to 120 quails. When producing hatching eggs, 60-70 birds are kept per 1 square meter. No more than 25-30 quails are placed in one cage; for every 4-8 females, 1 male is placed. To produce food eggs, only females are placed in cages at the rate of 110-120 heads per 1 square meter; for meat fattening, 120-130 quails are placed per 1 square meter. The height of the cages is 25 centimeters; at higher heights, the bird begins to try to fly and injures its back and wings. The design of cages for different categories of poultry is almost the same, and consists of a frame and lining.

The frame is made of metal corners or wooden blocks with a cross-section of 30 by 30 millimeters. For the manufacture of walls and lids, galvanized mesh with cells of 20 by 40 millimeters is used; the floor is made of a mesh with cells of 10 by 10 millimeters. The side and back walls of the cage can be lined with plywood, plastic or fiberboard. As a rule, when there are a large number of birds, cages are combined into vertical blocks up to 3-4 floors high. In order not to chill the bird with drafts, and also for ease of maintenance, the lower cage is installed above the floor level at a height of 80-100 centimeters.

On a note!

For longer service, all wooden parts of the cages are treated with an antiseptic.

The floor in the cages for keeping laying quails is made with a slope towards the façade so that the laid eggs roll forward into a special egg collection trough located at the bottom of the façade; in brooders and cages where birds are kept for fattening, the floor is made without a slope to reduce the cost of construction. In order for the eggs to roll down across the entire width of the façade, a 3-centimeter-high slot is made at the bottom.

A system for collecting litter is installed under the floor of the cage. In a small poultry house, this is simply a manure collection tray made of plywood, fiberboard or fiberglass; on a large farm, under the floor of several cages, a moving conveyor belt is installed, the manure from which is automatically swept away by scrapers into a special container.

Trays for watering and feeding birds are attached to the front side of the cages. The easiest way to make feeders and drinkers is from 50 mm plastic plumbing pipes or 0.5 liter plastic bottles, hanging them horizontally on the cage and making long wide slits. The volume of the feeders should accommodate the daily amount of feed.

To assemble a room for day-old chicks (brooder), a mesh with cells of 10 by 10 millimeters is used. The sides and back of the brooder are made of plywood or fiberboard. To control and measure temperature, a thermometer must be hung in the cage.

To heat babies in a brooder, you can use two heating options:

1. A tripod with a light bulb socket is permanently installed above the cage. Light bulbs of various wattages are screwed into the socket. By changing the power of the light bulb, as well as the height of the cartridge suspension, they regulate the temperature inside the brooder.
2. A light bulb socket is secured in a plastic lid from a liter jar. The light bulb is screwed into the socket, placed in a liter jar and covered with dry river sand. The jar is placed in a cage, the babies warm themselves by clinging to it.

The drinking bowl and feeder in brooders are installed inside the cage. The very first drinkers and feeders were flat plastic lids from cans. To prevent the quails from choking, the water level in the drinking bowl should not exceed 5-7 millimeters.

Quail breeding

To replenish the quail population on the farm, an incubator is used. They do this for two reasons:

1. Quails are very poor brood hens and often give up hatching eggs halfway through.
2. The entire time the bird is sitting on the eggs, it takes a break from laying eggs. This reduces the yield of useful products and, consequently, the return on business.

The incubator for hatching chicks is selected based on the expected productivity of the farm. With a production output of tens of kilograms of meat per day, several incubators are purchased. The main requirement for an incubator is the ability to lay small-sized eggs in it; it is also desirable that it be equipped with an automatic egg turning system and the ability to be powered from a car battery in case of power outages.

Before laying the first batch of eggs for hatching, you need to run the machine in test mode. This will determine the stability of temperature and humidity levels. After they are convinced of the reliability of the apparatus, they begin laying eggs.

Before laying, the eggs are examined using an ovoscope. Under the light of a powerful lamp the following are clearly visible:

• cracks in the shell;
• the quality and location of the yolk in the egg (in a viable egg the yolk is in the center, its color is deep yellow);
• the number of yolks in the egg (double-yolk eggs are discarded);
• protein structure (the protein should be dense and transparent);
• the presence of foreign inclusions (eggs with blood stains are discarded).

Incubation of quail eggs

In an incubator, a quail chick hatches 17-18 days after laying. All this time, the device maintains a constant temperature of 37.7 - 37.8 degrees Celsius. Humidity in the first two weeks of incubation is maintained at 50-55%; on day 15 the humidity is increased to 70%. Starting from day 7, the incubator is ventilated for 15 minutes twice a day. For better hatching, the eggs are turned 6 times a day for the first two weeks of incubation. Turning is stopped after the first squeak of the chicks appears (at about 15 days).

If the eggs are cooled for a while, the embryos do not die, but simply slow down their development. In overheated eggs, embryos die.

As a rule, the majority of quails hatch within 24 hours, but some chicks may hatch on the second day.

Maintenance and feeding of young animals in the first month of life

Newly hatched chicks are placed in a brooder under a light bulb to dry out. The first feeding is carried out a few hours after the birth of the quail. For the babies to find food for the first time, insert a knitting needle or pencil into the brooder and gently tap on the bottom of the feeder. The quails see a flashing object, mistake it for their mother, run towards the sound and find food. The next time the quails find food on their own.

Feeding the quail:

• on days 1-2, the chicks are fed hard-boiled eggs and finely ground oatmeal or wheat cereal. Chicken or quail eggs are boiled and rubbed through a fine sieve. Egg shells are ground into powder and added to food. Cereals add ¼ of the volume;
• on days 3-4, the norm of eggs decreases, cottage cheese (2 grams per head), fresh finely chopped greens and finely grated carrots are introduced into the diet;
• from day 5, fish oil, small mealworms, and compound feed intended for broiler chickens begin to be added to the feed. This feed consists of finely crushed wheat and corn, as well as vitamin, mineral and protein supplements. Eggs are gradually removed from the diet, replaced with additional cottage cheese or yogurt;
• from the 14th day, coarse river sand, fine gravel, ground shells and shells are added to the chicks’ additional feeder. The bird is gradually transferred to an adult diet; chopped grass and grated raw vegetables are added to the feeder.

In the first week of life, the chicks are fed 5-6 times a day, then the number of feedings is gradually reduced; by the age of one month, the quails are fed three times a day. Before each feeding, the feeders are washed, removing any remaining old food. Quails like to dig into the food, scattering it, so the feeder is filled 2/3 with food.

Only boiled water is used for feeding babies. For the first time, several crystals of potassium permanganate are placed in it; in subsequent times, watering with a solution of manganese is periodically repeated.

In the first days, the temperature in the brooder is maintained at 35 degrees. Every week it is reduced by 5 degrees, bringing it to 20 degrees Celsius. To stimulate the activity of babies, the lighting in the brooder should be on around the clock for the first two weeks, then the daylight hours are gradually reduced.

Growing and fattening adult poultry

A month after birth, the young quails are separated. By this time, it is already possible to clearly separate males from females based on their plumage. In males, the plumage on the chest is darker, the skin of the cloaca is pink. Females have lighter chest feathers, and the skin on the cloaca is bluish-gray.

Based on the needs of the farm, some of the quails are separated into the parent flock to receive breeding eggs, the females are transferred to cages to receive eggs, and the rest of the birds are moved to cages for fattening for meat.

The basis for feeding quails from all groups is the same:

• 60% ground grain (barley, wheat, oats, corn, legumes),
• 40% proteins (cottage cheese, curdled milk, fish and meat and bone meal).

Additionally, they provide chalk, crushed shells and shells. The mixtures are thoroughly mixed and fed both dry and wet. Excellent mashes are made with yogurt or skim milk. At home, quails can be fed with bread. To do this, the bread is dried to breadcrumbs, crushed and added to the mash.

Additionally, quails are given crushed multivitamins (“Kvadevit”, “Undevit”). They are purchased at the pharmacy, ground into fine dust and added to food.

Crushed grain, not flour, is placed in quail mash. Flour disrupts the bird's digestion and may cause diarrhea.

You can feed the bird with either purchased feed or self-made grain mixtures. Naturally, if the entire quail farm consists of 5 - 10 quails, is placed in a small cage on the windowsill and serves as a source of eggs for personal consumption, then there is no need to crush grain, search meat and bone meal and so on. It is much easier to buy ready-made bird feed and feed it to your pets.

If a poultry farmer has hundreds, or even thousands, of quails, then it is much more profitable to buy grain costing 10-15 rubles per kilogram and prepare the grain mixture yourself than to buy ready-made feed for 30-50 rubles per kilogram.

Maintenance and feeding of the breeding flock

To obtain an egg for subsequent placement in an incubator, families of quails are formed in separate cages. To obtain a high-quality fertilized egg, 4 to 8 females are placed with each male. It is advisable not to mix families subsequently, since the quails quickly get used to each other and may not accept the “stranger.”

The parent flock is fed in the most balanced way: the feeders should always contain fresh greens (if not available, cabbage leaves or sprouted grains) and grated vegetables, cottage cheese, fish and bone meal, mineral supplements and vitamins. In winter, dried and ground leaves of nettle, clover, and alfalfa can be added to the mash.

Maintenance and feeding of laying quails

To obtain quail eggs, female quails of egg breeds are used (Japanese breed, English black, Tuxedo). After selection, they are moved to cages in which the floor is made with a slope. To obtain marketable eggs, only females are kept; males are not required to be placed with them and additional feeding is not necessary.

The basis for increasing egg production is proper feeding. In addition to grain, laying hens should receive a large amount of protein. To do this, cottage cheese, meat and bone or fish meal, and fish oil are added to the feeders. Also, special attention should be paid to the presence of chalk, crushed shells and shells in additional feeders. If there is a lack of vitamin D (found in fish oil) or calcium (found in mineral supplements) in the diet, quails reduce egg production and begin to lay eggs in a film rather than in a shell.

For optimal productivity in the house where laying quails are kept, the duration daylight hours set equal to 17-18 hours. With increasing daylight hours, egg production increases, but the bird wears out and ages faster.

Birds begin to be fattened at one month of age. Of course, the best carcasses are obtained from quails of meat or meat-egg breeds, but male quails of egg breeds and quails culled due to old age are also fattened and used for meat. In order for the quail to move less and not argue over leadership in the flock, the daylight hours for them are reduced to 7-8 hours, and the light from the lamps is dimmed.

During the fattening period, quails are given a 1.5-2 times increased volume of food in the feeder, and a large amount of ground corn, boiled peas or beans is introduced into the diet. To speed up fattening, 5% feed fat is added to the mash. To avoid problems with the gastrointestinal tract of the bird, it is gradually accustomed to the new diet, changing the diet every day by 10-15%. The birds are fed to market weight for 30 days. An indicator of good fattening is the fat layer on the bird’s chest.

Poultry health

The majority of quail diseases occur from improper housing or feeding conditions.

1. At each visit to the farm, it is necessary to inspect the bird, identifying weakened, dejected, inactive ones. Such quails are carefully examined and placed in a separate room.
2. If signs of infection, ulcers, or rashes on the mucous membranes are detected, the bird must be shown to a veterinarian. A quail injured from pecking is placed in a separate cage, and the wounds are treated to prevent infection with brilliant green. The injured bird is returned to the common area after complete healing of the wounds.
3. If diarrhea occurs, check the freshness of bird food, disinfect drinking bowls and feeders, and pour rice water into the drinking bowl.
4. Males that are too aggressive are placed in a separate dark cage and kept there for several days.

Bird slaughter

After the quails gain the required weight, they are sent for slaughter. Five hours before this, the birds stop feeding and are given only clean water.

According to veterinary standards, a special room is required for the slaughter of poultry and further processing of carcasses. It must have running water, sewerage on the floor, and tiled walls. Furniture, equipment, sinks and cutting knives must be made of stainless steel.

The bird for slaughter is hung upside down, then its head is cut off with a quick movement of the knife. After the blood has completely drained, the carcass is plucked. For small production volumes, poultry is plucked by hand. To ensure that the feather comes off quickly, the carcass is immersed in boiling water for several minutes.

If production volumes reach hundreds of heads, a feather removal machine is used to remove feathers. The carcasses are loaded into a drum, where up to 95% of the feathers are removed using beating fingers in 1-2 minutes. The water entering the drum during poultry processing washes away the feathers and cleans the carcass.

On a note!

Processing in a feather removal machine does not injure the skin of the bird. This gives the farm's products a marketable appearance.

For poultry farmers without experience, it is best to start breeding and caring for quails at home by purchasing adult individuals, which can be kept in specially equipped premises in the country. A small herd can be raised even in an ordinary apartment, where an insulated balcony, a spacious storage room, and a fenced area of ​​any room are ideal for keeping.

Features of quail breeding

If the main goal is to raise young animals, then you will have to purchase an incubator, since domesticated birds, unlike those living in the wild, do not hatch eggs.
The incubation period lasts 17 days, after which the active hatching of chicks occurs, ending in 4-6 hours.

Chicks covered soft down, are very lively, so you need to properly organize a place to keep them. Young animals are raised in special boxes or cages (brooders), which can be purchased in specialized stores or on the market.

Another solution is to make it yourself from available materials: plywood, plastic, cardboard, metal, wood. The last two options are more reliable and durable, and these cages are easy to clean.

Eggs to be placed in the incubator must be fresh - no older than one week; it is best to buy them from breeders on mini-farms. Caring for quails is not difficult; the main task is to create comfortable living conditions. To organize the process you will need:

1. Well placed drinking bowls.
2. Sufficient number of feeders.
3. Set of cleaning equipment.

It is very important to monitor the temperature of the room - quail are especially sensitive to hypothermia, which can lead to their death.

Chicks develop quickly at home, so they require food high in vitamins, protein and other nutrients. Feeding is carried out 2-3 times a day at regular intervals.

The room for breeding quails should be dry, warm, without drafts, but with good ventilation, the optimal temperature is 20-22° C.

Quails do not require exotic food - traditional chicken feed, which is selected according to the age of the bird, is sufficient. A good option- crushed grain.

Factors contributing to success

Quail is the smallest representative of the chicken order - the average weight of an adult is 120 grams, sometimes it can reach 150. Its main difference from other types of poultry is the absence of division into meat and egg groups - they are first used as laying hens, and then intensively fattened for slaughter.

1. Growing from birth to 35 days of age.
2. Intensive egg laying, lasting about a year.
3. Fattening for slaughter.

30 days of age is the right time to separate the chicks by sex and place them in different cages (distinguished by the color around the eyes); for mating, the females are briefly placed with the males once every three days (15 minutes is enough).

During the laying period, the female eats from 20 to 30 grams of feed per day, the male - 18. Thus, from the first day to maturity, feed consumption is a little more than one kilogram per head; an adult bird eats about 10 kilograms of feed per year.

Basic diet:

• crushed grains – wheat, corn;
• soybean or sunflower meal;
• fish or meat and bone meal;
• boiled vegetables - potatoes, carrots, beets;
• Premix.

Quails are very fond of fresh greens - nettle leaves, milkweed, dandelion, cucumber peelings, cabbage leaves. Complete and affordable food for pets is balanced chicken feed, since they are not produced specifically for these birds. For normalization digestive processes Fine sand is periodically mixed into the feed.

Increased egg production of quails kept at home is facilitated by high-quality feed containing at least 21% protein.

Creating comfortable conditions

Regardless of the place of detention - in a country house or in an apartment, caring for quails involves following certain rules:

• room temperature not lower than + 16° C, humidity – 60-70% (deviations of no more than 5% in each direction are allowed);
• moderate lighting 17-20 hours a day - a condition that increases egg production;
• good ventilation of the poultry house, otherwise a musty, specific smell will appear in the room, which is difficult to remove;
• exclusion of irritating factors - sudden movements, loud sounds;
• well-calculated bird stocking density;
• properly organized feeding;
• timely cleaning of cells with complete removal of waste products.

To increase egg production by 1 sq. m. No more than six laying hens should be housed. Aviary maintenance is not relevant - productivity is significantly reduced. Bright light is contraindicated for quails, causing stressful state, because of which the bird will stop rushing and will begin to peck among themselves.

Breeding quails does not require large financial investments, which allows you to start it practically from scratch. The bird is not whimsical, but loves attention and decent care. If there is no stationary heating in the poultry house at the dacha, portable heaters must be installed.

The bottom of the cage is made with a slight slope towards the back wall, which will allow the laid eggs to smoothly roll down, remaining clean and intact. The top of the sparrowhawk is covered with soft mesh to avoid injury.

Feeders and drinkers are installed on the outside of the cage, making sure that the animals can freely get food and water through the cells of the enclosing mesh. Food sources cannot be placed inside, as the birds will get their paws in them, and as a result, the food mixed with droppings will have to be thrown away, which will lead to additional financial costs.

Experienced poultry farmers advise not to put food in excess of the norm into the feeder - overfed quails become overgrown with fat and stop laying eggs. The rapid growth of young animals entails the need to increase the area required for full development and residence.

Taking care of pets' health

Domesticated quails are intensively developing birds that require a balanced diet. The animals are in good health and are not susceptible to infections at all. Human waste and appearance eggs will tell you how correctly the care and feeding of quails is organized:

1. A strong shell is a sign of a balanced diet and good health.
2. Solid droppings with a coating indicate that everything is normal, but liquid droppings indicate that the bird is sick or is receiving unsuitable food.

For treatment, freshly cooked, chilled rice water is used, which is given to the animals until the problem is completely eliminated.

For the purpose of prevention, young animals are given boiled water, and adults are given settled water; a weak solution of potassium permanganate is recommended once a month.

the main objective

Since ancient times, people have known how to raise poultry; back then, quail dishes were considered an exclusively imperial privilege, inaccessible to mere mortals. Quail came to the USSR in the sixties of the last century, but only a select few consumed healthy meat and eggs; a little later, visitors to expensive restaurants, as well as elite sanatoriums, were able to try them. Today anyone can raise quails at home.

Most often, they are grown at home, which begin to lay eggs at eight weeks of age; other species are used for decorative purposes.

The exception is large farms engaged in separate breeding of broiler and egg-laying quail breeds. The second option is considered more cost-effective.

Breeding quails at home is a good alternative to chickens to provide the family with natural, healthy products. This is an almost ideal project that can be implemented even in a small yard.

To do this, you do not need to build a barn or other utility room at your dacha. With a competent approach, 50 laying hens are placed on one square meter of area, which will produce 48 eggs daily. Surplus products can be sold on the market and make good money.

Quails are ideal birds for breeding in the countryside or on a farm. Low maintenance and feeding costs, low maintenance requirements - all this can be considered an advantage breeding quails at home for beginners.

Quails feel great, reproduce and lay eggs if they are bred even in a small city apartment. You can place the bird on the balcony or loggia. A pantry is also suitable for this purpose. The main requirement is warmth, absence of drafts and dampness in the quail’s place of residence. The bird will not cause trouble to a person in case of limited living space and will coexist absolutely peacefully with him. The main limitation that will not allow such coexistence is an allergy to bird feathers.

The bird feels good in small cages, which you can purchase in a store, market, or build yourself. Quails do not like large and free space. Therefore, the parrot cage will become nice home and for quails. It can accommodate several females and one male.

A small tray placed under the cage greatly simplifies the process of cleaning the cage. If droppings and food debris are removed daily, there will be no smell in the apartment, which of course is good news. Do not forget that quails are very timid and, when threatened, make a sharp jump upward. It is possible that the bird may even injure its head. To prevent such cases, the sides of the cage are covered with opaque material, and the top part is sheathed soft cloth or a fishing net.

Feeding quails

The bird is very economical in terms of feed consumption. One individual needs only 30 grams of dry food per day. Its composition must necessarily include a ground grain mixture of the following cereals:

• corn;
• wheat;
• millet;
• barley;
• sorghum.

All components are mixed dry and water is added to them. You can add stale bread, food waste, and boiled bones to the resulting mixture. A quail's diet must include protein foods: fish, cottage cheese and other fermented milk products. As complementary food, they are given chopped greens and grated vegetables. To saturate the birds' bodies with calcium, crushed shells or lime are placed in the cage. For these purposes it is better to use a separate container.

Many poultry keepers cover the bottom of the cage with sand, in which the bird likes to look for something useful, for example, scattered food or its remains. This serves as a good activity for the bird, which will always be fussing around in the sand.

Watch a video about raising quails in a city apartment:

Breeding quails at home for beginner poultry farmers- an exciting and profitable activity. At low economic costs, the family will always have fresh and tasty meat, as well as eggs. More articles on the website fermeru.pro.

IN Lately These funny birds began to be bred even in city apartments, where they live in parrot cages.

Keeping quails at home: is it profitable or not?

Quail is a fairly unpretentious bird, so caring for it is easy. All that is needed for them to lay fruitfully is maintaining the required temperature and light conditions, as well as using balanced feed.

The big advantage of keeping quails is that these birds are not too large in volume, so cages with them can be placed anywhere: a house, a barn, a cottage, even an apartment. Therefore, first of all, decide why you are raising this bird?

Typically, quail are raised for one of two purposes:

1) tender meat with low calorie content;

2) egg production.

If your main goal is eggs, then the most suitable breeds are:

Japanese;

English white;

Manchurian golden.

Laying hens of these breeds lay an average of 250-290 eggs per year, so even 10 females can significantly replenish your family budget.

If you want to provide your family with delicious and low-calorie meat, then you should choose the Pharaoh breed. The females of this breed lay much weaker, but they gain quite good weight, as for such small birds - 300 g.

Keeping quails at home: choosing a breed and healthy chickens

Before you start raising quails, you need to learn how to properly care for young shoots. Most people who do not have much experience in this matter make boxes from plywood or cardboard, but such housing is not entirely suitable for small quails. The reason for this is the hypersensitivity of quails to even small temperature changes. Therefore, if you do not prepare a special cage in time, there is a risk of being left without any young livestock.

As we already said, the best option There will be a brooder for young quails. This special cage is quite simple to make. Take several wooden blocks, knock them into a frame and cover them with fiberboard or thick plywood.

All about raising quails at home

To maintain the desired temperature inside the cage, use infrared incandescent lamps. This is a very important point, especially in the cold season. As the chicks grow older, the heating can be gradually reduced.

Boxes for small quails must be kept clean regularly; the bottom must be covered with clean paper, which must be changed regularly as it becomes dirty. Young animals after incubation period Immediately you need to plant it in a box, where at the bottom there should be a mesh with 5X10 mm cells. This will allow young birds to feel confident on their feet and avoid the so-called “splits”, when the quail’s legs move apart. to different parties, the grid in this case serves as a support for them.

As we mentioned above, maintaining temperature is very important for young shoots, since they do not tolerate even a slight cold snap very well, which can lead to their death.

Young quails must be provided with all the necessary food immediately after hatching, since immediately after birth they have the ability to feed on their own. In principle, the entire life of quails is based on food, its consumption and search. Due to the fact that this bird grows very quickly, it must be provided with all the necessary feed with a high content of proteins, vitamins and minerals. From the first hours of life they can already be fed the following food:

boiled eggs(finely ground);

cottage cheese with breadcrumbs;

corn;

chopped greens;

feed for young birds aged from 1 to 10 days.

Young animals grow very quickly: in just 2 months they gain weight 20-25 times their initial weight and almost reach the size of adult quails.

For example, during the same time, chickens gain weight only 14 times and grow into adult birds much longer.

In the first 7 days of life, the optimal temperature for young animals is 35 ºC; after 2 weeks it can be reduced to 30 ºC.

An important point is the lighting of the cage. In the first 2 weeks, the light should be left on around the clock. In the period from 3 to 6 weeks, it is advisable to leave the lighting according to this principle:

1 hour on - 3 hours off;

3 hours on - 1 hour off.

After the sixth week, the light must be turned on for 12 hours until full adulthood.

If you are going to place cages with birds on the balcony, then it must be glazed, and this only applies to adult quails; it is not recommended to take such risks with young animals.

Puberty in quails comes after 40 days of life. It is during this period that they need to be transferred to cages for adult birds. If you delay this process, the bird’s period of laying eggs may come much later. If everything is done correctly, intensive egg laying in quails begins at the age of two months.

The selection of males should take place at approximately the same time. Some of them will be left for the tribe, the rest must be transferred to intensive fattening for subsequent slaughter for meat.

Keeping quails at home: what to feed, how to care

Adults are not as demanding as young people, so they can be raised in a barn, country house or insulated apartment loggia. All you need to monitor: temperature conditions and absence of drafts. In winter, make sure that the temperature does not drop below 16ºC.

An adult bird should be kept with the following calculation: 1 male - 4 laying hens. As we have already said, the young live together only until puberty, then they need to be settled in different cages.

To create the ideal quail housing, make sure it is well ventilated and warm and dry. If at least one of the conditions is not met, the birds will begin to lose feathers and their egg production will decrease.

As for lighting, daylight hours for adults last about 17 hours. It is also quite common to maintain lighting in laying hens around the clock. This method is quite effective and makes it possible to increase egg production by 2-3 times. However, this method There is also a big drawback - laying hens live much less.

When breeding adult birds, do not forget that their feeders and drinkers should be located outside the cages, and not inside. This will make it easier to keep cages clean and reduce feed consumption.

The number of feed intakes for these birds should be 2-3 times a day, 30 g per quail. The most suitable food for quails is finely chopped greens, grains (sprouted), vegetables or sunflower seeds. You can also use feed that is given to chickens.

It is advisable to add boiled fish and bone meal. To ensure your bird grows healthy and productive, do not forget to add chalk to the feed.

Methods for keeping quails

Today, the most popular are 2 methods: birds living together in families or hens and males living separately.

Each of these methods has its pros and cons, so which one is more suitable is up to you.

The most suitable number in such families is 8 birds - 6 laying hens and 2 males.

If egg laying decreases at any point, change males.

Laying hens live separately, and the male only needs to be replanted for a while

The main advantages of raising quails at home

The main advantage of breeding this bird is that it is a very profitable business, which also does not require much time and effort, so even beginners who do not have any special knowledge and experience can do it.

Another important advantage is that the quail is a small bird, and therefore does not require large quantity places. This allows you to breed it anywhere: cottage, barn, apartment. Even on the most ordinary city balcony of a multi-story building, you can easily keep several hundred heads of quails.

These small birds seem to be created to be bred at home, since they do not like contact with other living creatures at all, so breeding them on farms is a more difficult task. The main reason for this is that quail rarely suffer from various infectious diseases, but they can easily become infected from other poultry.

This is probably the reason for the increased popularity of breeding this bird at home. Even if you don’t plan to make a lot of money from quails, several heads of this bird can easily provide you and your family with fresh eggs.

To summarize, it must be said that the quail is a very unpretentious bird that is capable of producing a lot of eggs and low-calorie meat. But in order for the birds to always remain as productive as possible, do not forget to regularly feed them the right amount of feed, and also monitor the room temperature, cleanliness and lighting.

Breeding and raising poultry, including quails, is a popular activity these days. While everything is simple with chickens, not everyone knows how to raise quails. And every year there are more and more people who want to do this, because to breed and raise miniature birds you don’t need to build a large room, and quail meat and eggs are much healthier than, for example, chicken.

Growing fluffy balls filled with inexhaustible energy is not difficult, but proper cultivation requires knowledge, namely - full information about what the technology of breeding and raising quails is.

What living conditions are considered comfortable for birds?

Note that an undoubted advantage is the fact that quails do not need a large area. Up to 50 heads can feel comfortable on one square meter.
But you need to take care to keep the little birds healthy, the main thing is to maintain the temperature regime. The norm is 20 degrees, deviation is acceptable, but insignificant. In a stuffy and hot room, quails will suffer, their feathers will fall out, and egg production will decrease. A decrease in temperature to 8C or lower can cause hypothermia and death of quails.
In addition to air temperature, good lighting and peace play an important role. Birds do not like noise, they become nervous, lose weight and begin to lay eggs poorly. The air humidity in the room should be about 70%.
The cage should not be cramped, but also not very large. Making it at home is not difficult, but if you have never done this, then it is better to buy a ready-made one. Cages for decorative birds, for example, parrots or canaries, are not recommended.
The quail cage must meet the following requirements:
— cage elements must be made of steel or metal;
- drinking bowls and feeders are placed not inside the cage, but outside it; it will not be difficult for quails to stick their heads between the bars in search of food or water;
- the ceiling of the cage should be no more than 25 centimeters high; if the cage is higher, the quails can jump and break their heads;
- a special tray is installed under the floor, at an angle, this will make it easier to collect eggs, they will roll off and will not get dirty with droppings;
— a special litter tray will help keep the cage clean.
You should not keep fewer than 10 birds; in a small family, egg production may be low. But if you don’t need quail eggs, and you are going to breed birds solely for decorative purposes, you can keep quails in pairs.

What you need to know to breed poultry

If you are going to start breeding quails, then you cannot do without the help of an incubator. In this case, you do not need the help of a quail.
Breeding these funny birds in an incubator is not difficult. The testicles are small, they are placed in the central part and there is no need to change their places, they will be heated evenly.
A good result can be obtained provided that the eggs were stored for no more than five days before laying, and the incubation process itself does not differ significantly from the incubation of chicken eggs. The incubation period is 17 days, the eggs are turned 6 times a day. During the first 10 days, the eggs need a temperature of 39C, then it is reduced to 38C, before the end of incubation 37C will be enough.
The babies are hatched together, but if some are too late to be born, then you need to part with them, such quails are not viable.

Let's take care of the feed

The technology for feeding quails is similar to feeding chickens, but the feeders and drinkers themselves are different. The birds are small, they don’t need a big feeder. It is better to install a vacuum drinking bowl; it should not be deep, because babies can drown in a large container. Saturates the body of small quails with everything essential vitamins boiled egg, before mixing it with food, the egg must be crushed. Quails are given specialized food or prepare it themselves.
Little quails need warmth, so after birth they are warmed in a separate container. When they are 20 days old, the babies are placed with adult birds, but only if the cage is warm, preferably with ventilation.

What to feed quails

Balanced and proper diet– the key to health and rapid growth of quails. The basis of the daily diet should be oats, corn and barley.

Quail at home: how to breed and maintain

Protein and vitamins should be included in the birds' menu every day.
The starch contained in corn causes a feeling of fullness, and the feeling of hunger disappears for a long time, but it does not contain enough vitamins. They are compensated with fishmeal.
Oats and millet saturate the body with useful components, but they are given peeled and crushed. Peas, soybeans and lentils are added to the food; they contain a lot of protein, but vitamins and fats are not enough to satisfy daily requirement. You can’t give too much flax seeds or hemp seeds. They are also given crushed nettles, spinach leaves, cabbage and other greens.

How many times to feed

The bird should not starve; quails are fed three times. Automatic drinkers and feeders are installed if it is not possible to give food three times a day. It lasts for a week, since it comes from the container to the feeders in small portions.
Now it’s clear to you that the technology for growing and breeding quails is not so complicated. It is enough to create comfortable conditions for them and take care of their health and safety, and then you will be able to provide yourself and your family with tasty, dietary products and make a profit from their sale.

Breeding quails at home - video

Short description: If you have a desire to start raising poultry, but you have a small amount of space, then you won’t find anyone better than quails. From this video, a novice breeder will learn everything that is necessary for a successful start in this activity. The utmost attention in the plot is paid to quail breeds, of which there are about two dozen today.

You will also learn the physiological characteristics of birds and how they need to be kept.

Raising quails: breeding and keeping at home

With the help of the video, you will learn how to easily distinguish a cockerel from a hen, and how to properly fatten the birds. Quail meat contains many useful substances, however, it is very high in calories.

Source: YouTube

Added: 2015-02-13

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On this moment small business is actively gaining its popularity; before a person opens a business, he must think about whether it will be profitable and in demand in a given country or region. A very interesting and promising idea for a business is a quail farm.

Quails are unpretentious birds that do not require special care. Plus, you can sell not only the eggs they lay, but also the meat. In order for such a farm not to be a burden, and to bring stable income and good profits, you need to draw up a business plan correctly.

Quail farm business plan

In order for the farm to get a good start and not be damaged, the following requirements and nuances must be taken into account:

1. The farm must contain 500 or more quails for a successful start. The reproduction of these birds will lead to the fact that in a year you will have more than 5 thousand individuals.
2. It is necessary to take care of updates in the herd. The fertility of quails is very different, it depends on their age, so you need to purchase new birds in a timely manner, at least in small quantities.
3. Equipment.

   How to keep quails at home. Features of breeding and care

   Before purchasing quails, do not forget about the equipment, in this case these are cages. It is best to buy cages made of metal material. One block of cells can accommodate about 250-300 individuals. The cages should have drinkers and feeders, as well as sides for eggs. Keep in mind that the floors in the farm should be inclined, this will ensure that the eggs themselves will slide into the sides and will be easy to collect. Homemade products have always been famous and in demand, so the farm will always be in demand.

4. It must be remembered that the farm must have a hatcher and an incubator.

This is the main thing that will be necessary to open a farm and its functioning, the cost of the cages is very expensive, about $100 alone, so you can make cages with your own hands that will look no worse, and if you entrust this matter to a master, you can get good, professional cells.

Quail food

The problem of feeding these birds is very acute; this is probably the biggest difficulty when starting a business. The feed offered by domestic producers does not contain sufficient amounts of vitamins and enzymes that are necessary for normal and healthy life and functioning. In order for the birds to be healthy, it is necessary to add chalk, shellfish, and fishmeal to the food. Here it is very important to monitor the dose, since an overdose can lead to the death of birds; it is best to feed them not very often rather than overfeed them with vitamins.

Also, do not forget that even a mini farm cannot do without examining the birds, so a veterinarian is an irreplaceable person who must be on the farm. The distribution of products can most often be seen in supermarkets and large stores, so you need to try to make a deal with the stores to sell the products. In the Moscow region, you can very easily agree on sales by concluding the necessary agreements and contracts.

Business cost

A very important, and probably the most important and main question that interests many when opening a farm, is the cost of the business. A quail farm is a very profitable business, but what is the cost? The cost of equipment and approximately 500-700 birds will cost you $8,000-$10,000. With a good and successful start, this money will pay off in about three months, or in five months, it all depends entirely on you.

Famous farms and their founders

In order to gain the necessary experience and learn as much as possible about the business we are about to do, we try to learn as much as possible. Alexander Kovalenko is a well-known person in his circles; he wrote a book about breeding and raising birds, and other features that people encounter on a quail farm.

Kovalenko’s book can be downloaded absolutely free on the Internet. The book talks about quails, the features of breeding and keeping them at home. The book presents important technologies and secrets of success, therefore, it will be very important to read this book, thereby you will gain invaluable experience and discover a lot of new things. There is a lot of really important and useful information, you can learn about growing, proper feeding, and much more that will be necessary. You can download the Home book in a matter of minutes, but after reading it you will gain an experience for life.

Large private farm

One of the largest private farms is the Baklykov farm. This is the largest and most prosperous farm, privately managed. The farm is equipped with the latest equipment, has a lot of birds, and is actively developing. The company has significant contracts with supermarkets and other companies that guarantee the sale of products. They are silent about the income of this farm, but such success speaks for itself.

A quail farm in this case is not only a source of income, but also something that people believe in and put their soul into.

A short film report was even shot about this farm, thereby increasing its popularity. The video that is available online indicates that there is something to admire and be surprised by. This page also has decent videos.

In addition to generating income, production also requires significant investments. The owners invest not only material values, but also their soul, equipment and cells are constantly updated. Initially, the company had great difficulties in selling eggs and maintaining them, but the difficulties are temporary, and now this production is the largest supplier of quail eggs, and the staff is constantly striving to increase.

Why the quail business?

Many people who want to open a business are interested in why quail. Quails are unpretentious birds, and this is very important, since they will not require care. The business pays for itself very quickly, and its technology is quite simple.

There is much more demand for eggs than there are firms, so you don’t have to worry about selling products. You can open your own point and sell it yourself, this is an excellent option, and the profit can be several times greater, you will need to obtain permission to sell and everything is ready.

Selling products independently is very profitable; at first you can open one point, and then another, if the farm is actively developing. It is very important to attract attention, Ukrainian Farms are very common lately, this business is just beginning to develop, so it is very easy to become a leading producer in your region.

Where exactly the company will be located is not so important; the most important thing is to support everything that is necessary for a comfortable life for the quails. Everything is in your hands, and the success of production depends solely on you.

Breeding and keeping quails at home

Breeding quails for subsequent sale of eggs and meat is one of the most easily implemented ideas for creating own business. Quails are very productive in egg production. One quail will lay 240 eggs a year.

Each egg is 6 times smaller than a chicken egg and the quail itself is 6 times smaller than a chicken. 6 quails replace one laying hen. But the advantage is that quails begin laying eggs at the age of 45 days! For comparison, a purebred laying hen, which has the most early egg production begins no earlier than 4 months. Ordinary chickens generally after 6 months.

You can start raising quails at home almost from scratch. Due to the compactness of the cages (their average size is 120 by 60 by 180 cm) and their spaciousness (each can accommodate about 100 birds). You can organize your own mini-farm on a plot of less than 0.7-1 square meter (at least on the balcony). To create a place for cages with laying hens, an extension to a house or garage or an apartment balcony is suitable.

How to breed quails at home?

The more quails there are, the faster the egg production increases. Therefore, many new owners of mini-farms want to learn how to properly breed such birds. There are two ways:

1. The first is to initially populate the cages with both males and females. This method the simplest and most popular. It is important to remember that the ratio of males to females should be 1 to 2.5. For every 10 hens there should be 4 roosters and quails. But it must be borne in mind that this method of breeding birds sometimes leads to fights, misunderstandings inside the cage and even low productivity of chickens due to such an atmosphere.
2. The second method of increasing productivity is to place hens and roosters in different cages. Males are launched towards females only at certain times for fertilization. This method is more complicated, but it allows you to better control egg production and avoid a nervous atmosphere in the cages.

Advantages of the first method:

1. Regular “supplies” of eggs from hens.
2. Strict production control.
3. Optimal atmosphere inside the cages and absence of fights and other misunderstandings between birds.
4. Stable income from the production of products that are always in demand.

Only experience and practice will show which option suits you best.

Breeding quails in an incubator at home

Often domesticated birds lose their brooding instinct. Owners who want to increase production volumes need to purchase an incubator.

Every mini-farmer should take into account the basic rules for storing eggs that are intended for incubation:

1. Eggs need to be collected 4-5 times a day. This reduces the risk of infection.
2. Each egg must be carefully checked for cracks and damage to the shell. You can check the eggs by scanning them with an ovoscope. This method will not only help you see all the cracks, but also analyze the size of the yolk, the size of the air space, etc.
3. Quail eggs should not be washed, otherwise you will remove the protective coating on the shell that protects against infection.
4. Egg trays should be in a dry place at a temperature of about +12...+15 degrees. For eggs, a sufficient level of air humidity is important - at least 70-80%.
5. Temperatures should not be allowed to rise to +20 or higher. It is forbidden to store quail eggs for incubation in the refrigerator; the temperature there is too low.
6. To hatch chicks, only those eggs that were laid 7-9 days ago are used.

If you follow these simple rules After 17-18 days the quails will hatch.

Choosing an incubator for breeding quails

If you want your business to become successful and stable, you need to take care of the appropriate equipment. Today there are many models of incubators, but the most popular and suitable are those with automatic egg turning and ventilation under program control of a microclimate control system.

Eggs need to be turned at least 3-4 times a day. It is important not to forget about the required temperature - 37.8 degrees, and the optimal humidity level: 50% -55%. Among modern incubators there are models with alarms and automatic notification via SMS.

The eggs are checked on the seventh day, thanks to candling it is clear which of them are fertilized. An embryo is visible inside them. You can stop turning eggs only on day 14. After this, the embryos also need proper care. Monitor the humidity level - at this stage it should be at 80-85%. Then the shell will become softer, and small chicks will be able to be born. As a rule, chicks hatch on the 17th (less often – 16th) day.

Caring for quails after hatching

The chicks are kept in the incubator for some time until they become fluffy and dry (24 hours). Already in the incubator they begin to actively run, unlike chicken chicks.

Quail - breeding and care (video)

After this, they need to be moved to a nursery, which needs to be heated. 100 W lamps are used as a heat source (the first 7 days), after which 60 W lamps are used.

Immediately after hatching, for the first 7-10 days, the chicks should be given food in the finest grind, in the form of crumbs. The water should be kept away from the nursery to remain cool, but the chicks should be able to reach it easily.

After 4 weeks, the chicks can be moved to mini-farms.

DIY quail feed recipe

Quails should be fed properly so that they lay eggs well! The composition of the feed is similar in content to the components given to laying hens. But the quail diet should include enough greens, in addition to the main food.

Do-it-yourself compound feed for laying quails:

Over time, it is important to acquire a feed granulator. The smallest poultry will qualitatively assimilate all components in more precise proportions. Each granule will contain the correct ratio of components in its composition.

What to feed quails on the first day of life? You can also prepare food for chicks yourself. It is just important that all components must be crushed as much as possible.

You can feed chicks on the first day of life in the same way as regular chickens.

Food for day-old quails:

On the fourth day you can give standard feed for quail chicks:

There must be water, but the smallest drinking bowls should be used so that curious chicks do not drown.

Calculating the cost of keeping quails is easy. One adult bird should be given 35-40 g of feed per day. Accordingly, for a mini-farm of 100 quails, you need to buy about 120 kilograms of feed per month. But these expenses will pay off many times over, because you can sell 1000-1500 eggs. The profitability of such a business is obvious - consumer interest in quail eggs is constantly growing, and there will be no problems with the sale of this product. Spending on feed pays off from the very first months of doing business; this is easily calculated in the ratio of the price of feed to the cost of ten quail eggs in your area.

Quail egg production as a business

Quail is capable of laying approximately 15-20 eggs per month. This allows you not only to provide your family with healthy and nutritious quail eggs, but also to sell the product and receive a stable income.

When you can breed up to 200 quails, then your business can be called a full-fledged farm. Production will reach 100 or more eggs per day, which will make it possible to receive a stable profit from the business.

You can successfully sell such a batch to your friends, earning $200 a month. To expand your business, you can increase the number of birds and expand the range of products by selling tender quail meat.

To start producing quail eggs and meat, you do not need large investments or specialized premises. In order to reach the production level of up to 100 pieces or more per day, it will only take about 3 months! The most budget incubator can accommodate more than 200 pcs. This way you can expand your business to a comfortable size.

Many people are starting to think about how to raise quails at home, taking into account the value dietary meat, eggs of this bird species. Such food is incredibly healthy, rich in valuable substances and microelements. Birds lay eggs almost every day, so if you keep only a hundred birds, you can provide your family with a high-quality, natural product. Quail meat is much more expensive and is considered healthier than chicken meat.

Principles of bird breeding

Small birds are bred almost everywhere: at the dacha, in the apartment, balcony, garage. The main thing is that the conditions and temperature conditions are appropriate. Birds do not need special walking; there is no need to build a chicken coop or a separate building. Today, 50 individuals can easily be housed in a cage whose area is no more than one square meter.

At proper organization conditions of detention, a livestock of 50 individuals can replace 8 chickens in quantity laid eggs. A novice poultry farmer, choosing to raise quails at home from scratch, decides how to profitably acquire a farm - buy birds or use an incubator and hatch chickens on their own.

How to organize proper conditions of detention?

Taking into account the location of the cell, the optimal temperature regime should be organized. A suitable temperature is from 18 to 20 degrees Celsius; this indicator must be maintained constantly, regardless of the time of day, season and weather outside the window.

Sudden temperature changes can cause quail illness, decreased egg production, or death of the livestock.

An important condition is a well-made cage. A novice poultry farmer must pay great attention to this attribute. Each manufacturing material has its own subtleties, features, and performance characteristics.

When choosing (making) a cage, you must take into account the following rules:

Answering the question of where to start breeding quails, we can safely say - with the correct organization of the place, creating or purchasing a cage. It is not recommended to save on this design. When purchasing cages from your hands, you can buy a product that previously contained a sick bird, so additional disinfection is necessary, treating the structure with special antiseptic substances that prevent the proliferation of bacteria and microorganisms. When choosing to manufacture a structure yourself, you must strictly adhere to the parameters - width, height and length.

Who should I buy: adults or chicks?

Recently, only a few poultry farmers have chosen to raise quail at home; many are trying to purchase adult birds or a month's worth of birds. Note that the female is capable of laying eggs starting from 1.5 months of age. However, purchasing birds is always accompanied by risks, so it is better to spend a little effort choosing to raise quails from day 1, having a home incubator.

Incubation Features

Modern rearing of quails in the country can begin with the purchase of an incubator. Thus, from one dozen eggs after a certain period of time, with proper care, a real poultry farm grows. Eggs are incubated according to the same principle as chicken, duck or goose eggs. The only thing is a slight difference in humidity, time and temperature. Most often, the incubator is designed for 100 eggs. To ensure safety and security, it is enough to place each unit on a small piece of cotton wool, or cover the edges with fabric.

Let's consider what rules must be followed:

Before hatching, it is necessary to reduce the temperature by one degree in one day. Quails that are born later, as a rule, have deviations, they are weaker, and lag behind their brothers.

Raising young livestock: features

For most beginners, the question of how to raise quails is still relevant. This process takes much less time and hassle compared to chickens. From the first days of life, small chickens need to create optimal conditions. You need to prepare a brooder in advance, which can easily be made from wooden or cardboard boxes, and stretch the mesh on top. Note that quail diseases - symptoms and their treatment, which are given below, can seriously affect the health of young animals:

To avoid infectious diseases A well-balanced diet helps; chickens must be provided with vitamin A, D2, and the content of fish, meat and bone meal, and yeast must be increased. A good addition would be crushed chalk and shell rock.

Poultry farmers with little experience sometimes wonder whether quails suffer from salmonellosis, we will answer this question: for a long time it was believed not, given high temperature bodies. However, studies have proven that some individuals were diagnosed with diseases caused by salmonella - pullorosis, but this is not dangerous for the human body.

How to feed the young?

The most complete technology for breeding and raising quails involves an explanation of how to feed young birds. Initially, you should purchase feeders, drinkers, and other containers with low edges. Particular attention is paid to drinking bowls. To avoid infection and the spread of bacteria, vacuum models should be chosen. Large containers may allow small chicks to drown.

The first feeding is a hard-boiled egg, then you can choose the usual feed that is used to feed chickens. Chicks grow very quickly, so it is necessary to take timely care of a comfortable, spacious cage. To ensure optimal temperature conditions, the cages can be lined with wooden or polycarbonate sheets, while maintaining special openings for air circulation and ventilation. Heating devices are installed outside to provide the required temperature.

When considering growing quails at home for beginners, you should properly organize lighting and temperature conditions. A small and dim light is enough; too bright a light flux will cause irritation and aggression in birds.

How to feed birds correctly?

Feeding quail - where to start: note that one bird eats up to 10 kilograms of feed per year, if you calculate the daily intake it turns out to be about 30 grams per day. Egg production – 300 pieces per year. Not only the health of the birds, but also egg production will depend on proper, balanced nutrition. It is advisable to buy feed from trusted, factory-made suppliers. Many experienced farmers recommend feeding birds with starter feed.

It is no secret where the common quail lives in the wild. The bird lives comfortably near fields, steppes, and meadows. Near its resident there are always thickets of grass and weeds, this makes it possible to provide reliable housing and a varied diet for the chicks. In fact, a small bird is of enormous benefit; it destroys many pests and weed seedlings.

I wonder how long quails live natural conditions. According to scientists, in the wild a bird can live about 5 years, in captivity less - only 2-3 years. Although it is not profitable to keep a female for more than 2-3 years, egg production decreases. The question arises if low temperatures are fatal to birds, where quails winter in the wild, the answer is simple - they fly away to warmer climes. Birds have a hard time withstanding low temperatures.

What affects reproduction?

Profitable cultivation and technology of quail breeding, taking into account specific features, must answer the question of what affects the reproduction of birds. Initially, you need to pay attention to the choice of the age of the livestock when purchasing. The younger the individual, the easier it will be to tolerate a change in living conditions, moving, and acclimatization. Only healthy birds can fully reproduce.

When choosing birds, you need to consider:

1. appearance;
2. weight (individuals should not be fat or skinny);
3. smooth, dry beak;
4. uniform breathing;
5. clean feathers in the cloaca area.

In order for reproduction to be as successful as possible, females are selected for 3-8 months, males for 3-6 months, in a ratio of six females to one male. It is necessary to crossbreed individuals without family ties, in order to avoid hereditary diseases, of the same breed. The incubation instinct of birds is underdeveloped, which means that the ideal option is to use an incubator.

Healthy appearance

The age of the chick will directly affect the cost of quail for breeding, therefore, in order to save a lot of money, you can feast on week-old chicks.

If, after acquisition, specific individuals exhibit symptoms of disease or any injuries, they should be removed immediately. Some farmers raise birds for meat, then it is necessary to separate females and males into separate cages; the features of the physical structure can be distinguished at the age of one month.

Thus, the main points were considered, answers were found to pressing questions, how to raise quails at home, feed them, and maintain optimal living conditions. Entrepreneurs and ordinary farmers who want to switch to a healthy diet can independently provide their family with a healthy source of protein food.

Breeding and raising quails at home is not the last place in farming. The bird has gained its popularity thanks to its tasty and healthy eggs. But this is not the only reason why quails are bred. Many breeders keep them for the sake of obtaining tasty dietary meat, for which many poultry breeds are famous.

Where it all began

The common quail is a small bird pheasant family, the smallest representative of the gallinaceae order. Its body length is only 20 cm, and the weight of an adult is from 80 to 150 grams.

Feather color Common quail is beige with spots and streaks. Males have a darker craw color, and around the eyes there is a pronounced dark spot that looks like a helmet. Females do not have these spots.

Virginia quail

By its nature, the common quail is very shy bird, which is very difficult to notice in nature. Quails grow very quickly and fledge by two weeks. From this time on, young birds try to fly. Quail is one of the migratory birds of the gallinaceae order. Therefore, captive birds must be kept in cages.

Breeders have developed many breeds of quail, which are bred on private farmsteads to produce meat and eggs. The growth rates of these birds are quite good. Live male mass domestic quail ranges from 110 to 180 grams, depending on the breed. Moreover, female domestic quail are much larger than males. Their weight can reach up to 250 grams. Oviposition begins early, at the age of 50 days. Some breeds begin laying eggs a little later. Each female produces more than 300 eggs per year, which are used for culinary purposes and for incubation. The weight of one egg is up to 14 grams.

Quails are raised not only in country houses. In order to obtain good meat carcasses and dietary eggs, quail farms were built. Quail breeding- this is the most cost-effective activity; for starters, you can use an ordinary shed.

Varieties and their characteristics

Many species of quail have been bred that captivate breeders with their qualities. Broiler breeds are able to provide a large amount of meat at minimal cost. Egg-bearing breeds kept mainly to produce large eggs, which are in demand in the consumer market.

Texas

This breed of bird was bred to produce meat. Texas quail outperform other breeds. Broiler-type poultry, which was created using meat breeds of quail.

Texas quail

Peculiarities

Texans have a snow-white feather color, for which they are popularly nicknamed albinos or white giants. Sometimes you can see small black spots on the white feather of a bird. This is the norm.

Externally, the quail of this breed large. The chest is of a pronounced meat type: round, wide. The bird's legs, tail and neck are short. The tip of the beak is dark, the quail's eyes are black.

Meat quality

The average bird of this breed produces up to 250 grams of meat. At proper feeding and content, it can gain up to 550 grams.

Important! The bird needs to be fed with special feed and its weight monitored. Obese females are unable to lay eggs. As a rule, males are kept for fattening.

Egg production

First egg in females of this breed it is formed by the age of two months. The eggs are quite large. In one year, the female is capable of laying up to 280 eggs, with an average weight of 12 grams.

Manchurian

Interesting! This breed is one of the famous in the world. The most popular among breeders.

Description

Manchurian quails are very beautiful birds. Feather color combines yellow and brown feathers. People call these quails golden. On the female's chest you can see characteristic black spots, which the male does not have.

Manchurian quail

Define sex of quails You can be 100% sure just by looking under the bird’s tail. The male has a gland between the tail feathers and the cloaca, which, when pressed, releases a white substance. Females do not have this gland.

Poultry productivity

The Manchurian quail breed is famous for its meat and egg qualities. The egg production of females is up to 180 eggs per year, but they are much larger than others. The average egg weight is up to 18 grams.

Males of this breed gain weight of 150 grams, but with proper fattening the birds are capable of producing high performance. Average carcass weight– 300 grams.

Meat quails of the Pharaoh breed

The main feature of these birds is good meat carcass.

Quail breed Pharaoh

Characteristic

Externally, birds of this breed resemble wild relatives. Plumage color pharaonic grayish brown. Females have white and black stripes on their chest. The weight of females is significantly higher than that of males.

Meat quality

Pharaohs are classified as meat quails. Average female weight reaches 300 grams, and the male is slightly smaller. A distinctive quality of this breed is precocity. By the age of two months, slaughter can be carried out. Quails of this species need balanced food.

Oviposition

The female Pharaoh begins laying eggs at approximately 45 days. However, the first eggs cannot be used for incubation. Egg weight is up to 15 grams. The average female is capable of laying up to 200 eggs in one year of intensive oviposition. Females must eat well to produce eggs.

Californian

California quails are not widespread and are kept mainly for beauty. Raising these birds is not profitable. Low survival rate of young animals, poor growth performance.

California quail

Japanese

Reference! Japanese quails are divided into three species. Birds of the egg direction, meat and mixed meat-egg direction.

Description

The plumage of the Japanese quail is rusty brown. color. Males have a darker collar zone than females.

Japanese quail

Productive characteristics

Bird weight varies depending on the breed line. On average it is up to 150 grams. Egg species of birds lay eggs well. Average egg production b females produce more than 300 eggs per year.

Tuxedo

This breed was created by crossing white and black English quails. Externally it is a very large beautiful bird.

Tuxedo Quail

Characteristic

The bird has a tuxedo feather color. The feather on the breast is light in color, and the back is darker. Females and males of this breed are the same in color.

Productivity

These birds are bred more for decorative purposes. Female weight is only 180 grams, and males do not exceed 150 grams. The bird has good egg production. Female tuxedo quail lay up to 280 eggs per year.

Breeding Features

Raising quails in a summer cottage is quite simple. They do not require much space, large financial costs and are easy to care for. All the bird needs is warmth, light and balanced food. Big advantage Quail eggs are eggs that can be eaten even raw. The bird is not susceptible salmonellosis.

To breed poultry, the breeder needs to decide on the breed and purpose of breeding quails. All breeds are divided into several types:

• meat quail;
• egg birds;
• meat - eggs kinds.

The latter type of bird is most in demand. This is due to the fact that in addition to eggs you can also get good meat.

Egg incubation

For quail breeding you will need an incubator. This can be a homemade device or purchased in a store. A typical small incubator can hold up to 400 eggs.

Important! The female domestic quail has lost the ability to incubate eggs. Young animals need to be hatched only in an incubator.

Incubation period lasts an average of 17 days. On day 18, incubation ends. If the required temperature conditions are observed, the hatching of young animals is very high.

Quail eggs in the incubator

The entire incubation period temperature the chamber is maintained at 38–38.5 degrees. Air humidity should be more than 50%. Under such conditions, elimination proceeds smoothly and ends after 6 hours.

Raising and caring for chicks

The hatched young are distinguished by their mobility. Keep quail need in a special brooder where the required air temperature is maintained. First 14 days the temperature should not fall below 38 degrees.

Important! You can determine a comfortable temperature by the behavior of the chicks. If the young animals lie in a heap, then the quails are cold. At normal temperature in the brooder, the chicks lie on their sides along the entire perimeter, with their legs extended.

From 15 days The temperature in the brooder is reduced to 25 degrees. By the age of one month, the chicks should be accustomed to normal room temperature, which is 20–22 degrees.

Quail chicks

24/7 light mode support for the first 14 days. Next, the bird is transferred to normal daylight hours.

Remember! Quails prefer moderate lighting. In bright light the birds fight. To prevent pecking, you can use red light lamps.

Feeding quail at home

From the moment of hatching, chicks need vitamins and minerals. You can use high-quality compound feed for young animals, which contains all the necessary substances. If there is no food, you can give the quails boiled eggs, which are crushed and placed in a bowl.

Important! Excess food must be removed regularly. In the hot conditions of a brooder, the feed quickly turns sour, and the birds can be poisoned.

From 4 days The feed includes fine crushed corn grits, cottage cheese and complete feed for young animals.

Feeding the quail

From 8 to 20 days In the main diet of young animals there is only compound feed. You can add greens, carrots, and meat waste.

Remember! All offered products should be given little by little and their freshness should be monitored. To prepare the food, you need to grind all large and hard pieces well.

From 20 days feeding young quails does not differ from feeding adults.

By 10 weeks young animals complete growth and begin puberty. From day 45 most breeds begin oviposition.

Important! Quails are fed from vacuum drinkers, which should not be too deep and wide. Young chicks can drown in drinking bowls; to avoid this, pebbles are placed at the bottom of drinking bowls. Water for drinking must be boiled.

Feeding adult quails

For feeding adults feeders and drinkers taken outside the cell. Birds stick their heads through the bars to feed. This feeding method reduces feed costs.

Adult quails eat

Adult birds fed 3 times a day, while consuming 30 grams of food per individual.

For females, the best nutrition is balanced feed for laying hens. Sometimes grain, garden waste, herbs and fruits are added to the feed. The laying hen's diet must include crushed shells, chalk, sand, and boiled fish.

Important! Females must be given food strictly according to the schedule, without exceeding the dose. Obesity in birds leads to loss of egg production.

Fattening birds for meat

When the quails reach one month old they are separated by gender. Males and rejected females are planted separately and fattening for meat begins.

Fattening is carried out at a temperature of 22 degrees and reduced lighting. Feeding mode different for these birds. Quails are fed 4 times a day, and in large doses. In the first half of the day, green feed is added, and in the evening grain waste is given. The fattening period is about 60 days.

Fattening quails

Slaughter is carried out as soon as the bird reaches the required body weight. Before slaughter, quails are not given food for 6 hours. Leave only water in the drinking bowls.

Features of winter cultivation

1. Quails are kept in low cages with a mesh floor, which facilitates the cleaning process and reduces the risk of disease.
2. in winter temperature in the poultry house should not fall below 16 degrees. When there are sudden changes in temperature or when the temperature is too low, the egg production of females drops sharply. Comfortable temperature for the development of the bird it must be at 22 degrees.

Quail diseases

Most often the livestock begins get sick due to a change in food, poor living conditions, low-quality feed, lack of nutrients.

Quail on the run

Improper nutrition and maintenance

Quails suffer from vitamin deficiencies, which develop due to a lack of nutrients or a violation of the diet or change of food.

To the symptoms of the disease can be attributed:

• disheveled feathers;
• loss appetite;
• lethargy;
• tilting heads;
• pulling neck.

The birds' diet is changed, more nutrients are introduced, and the feeding regime is monitored.

Quail in a cage

In case of violation of the poultry keeping conditions susceptible to the following diseases:

• dropping out oviduct;
• cannibalism;
• dropping out feathers;

It is enough to adjust conditions of detention and the birds return to normal. Change the brightness of the lighting, reduce the number of individuals in the cage and introduce the missing vitamins and minerals.

Reviews from breeders about quails

Many breeders prefer raise quails Pharaoh and white Texas breeds. The birds grow well, are not susceptible to pecking, and gain weight well.

Young animals It has good vitality, immunity and grows quickly, so even a novice breeder will not have much difficulty raising full-fledged individuals.

Raising quails is no more difficult than raising chickens. The main task of the breeder– maintaining cleanliness, compliance with housing and feeding conditions. With a competent approach to raising quails, the birds lay eggs productively and produce good performance growth.

If quails have been bred in Japan for more than two hundred years, then in Europe and in our country this bird appeared relatively recently. However, even in a short period of time, it managed to fall in love with many farmers and amateur poultry farmers. Interest in this small bird is caused not only by the benefits of eggs and meat, but also due to their precocity. The costs of raising quails at home pay off very quickly. If you want to see this for yourself in practice, then we suggest you get to know quail farming in more detail.

The basics of quail farming: where to start?

Many beginning quail farmers are wary of the specific nuances of farming. Yes, indeed, this type of poultry farming is a very troublesome business, the bird requires a lot of attention, care and, note, completely manual labor. Therefore, before raising quails, you need to weigh the pros and cons and study specialized literature. If possible, it is better to communicate with practicing poultry farmers or personally visit a quail farm. However, we hasten to assure you that all the work is worth it, since raising these birds pays off handsomely: your family will always be provided with tasty and healthy meat and eggs.

So, if you decide to keep quails, the first thing you need to start with is to determine the purpose of breeding the bird. The number and size of the poultry farm will depend on this.

1. The first option is for yourself. To provide yourself and your family with healthy products, it is enough to keep 10-30 quails. This number of birds can be placed in a cage measuring 40x60 cm and kept in any free corner of the apartment or house.
2. The second option is a home business. In order to make a profit from quail farming, experts recommend starting with 500 birds. In about a year, with successful farming, the livestock will increase to a size of 5,000 individuals. To do this, you will need a small separate room or shed with an area of ​​at least 12 square meters. m. It is most convenient to keep quails in such quantities in cage batteries - 10-12 batteries each.

After the purpose of breeding birds has been determined, you can move on to solving a number of issues: preparing the premises, purchasing or manufacturing cages, breeding equipment (incubator, grain crushers), feeders and drinkers, where to buy food, how to create a bird diet, calculate approximate costs and time to take care of the household.

Which breed should I buy?

Today there are many varieties of quails known in the world. But few of them are used on the farm. For example, the general registration book lists six main breeds of quail: English white and black, Manchurian, Pharaoh, Australian tawny, tuxedo, as well as about 60 breed lines. Most of them are raised for eggs and only a few are raised exclusively for meat, such as pharaoh.

However, for keeping in an apartment or in a country house, we recommend that beginners pay attention to the ordinary Japanese quail. This breed is available in our country and is suitable for home breeding for both eggs and meat. Beginners choose them for their unpretentious maintenance regime and resistance to diseases. Already at the age of 40 days, females begin to lay eggs, and the weight of the male fluctuates between 110-120 grams.

Poultry care and maintenance

Raising quail at home seems difficult at first, but it is not much more difficult than keeping other poultry. A small livestock can be easily bred even in a city apartment. In order for birds to fly regularly and delight their owners, they need to create comfortable conditions. First of all, it is very important to maintain light and temperature conditions, as well as provide the bird with balanced protein feed. Let's look at the basic requirements in more detail.

1. Room. The location of the quail farm is not particularly important. You can keep the bird seasonally, for example, in a country house, in a country house, or permanently in a barn on a personal plot, just in an apartment or in a house, or specially equip a garage for this. It is important that the room is dry, warm, with good ventilation. The presence of windows is not mandatory, but desirable to save light, since the bird will need a lot of it.
2. Ventilation. For 1 kg of live weight of the bird you will need at least 1.5 sq. m/h in winter and 5 sq. m/h fresh air in summer. Therefore, when keeping quails in an apartment, it is better to place the cages on insulated loggias or near a window.
3. Drafts. Quails are very sensitive to drafts. Their presence may be indicated by loss of feathers, as well as a decrease in egg production. Therefore, in order for keeping quails in winter to be successful, it is important to carefully insulate the room.
4. Lighting. Quails love light, but not bright light. An ordinary fluorescent light bulb will be too much for them, the bird will be excited and provoke cannibalism. The use of a 40 W incandescent lamp or a fluorescent LDTs-40 is considered acceptable. When breeding poultry, the light regime should be 17 hours.
5. Humidity. Humidity is another important requirement. It should be no lower than 55%. Otherwise, the bird consumes a lot of water, the plumage becomes brittle, and egg production decreases. Also, undesirable humidity is above 75%, but 60-70% is optimal.
6. Temperature. For quails, a comfortable temperature is considered to be 20-22 degrees, permissible fluctuations are no lower than 18 and no higher than 25. At temperatures below 18, females stop laying eggs.

Cells

Cages are the most convenient way to keep quails. You can buy them ready-made or make them yourself from mesh and plywood. There are no strict requirements for the shape of the cell. Most often they are made rectangular with dimensions 76 × 35 × 30 cm (width × length × height). It is best to make the floor mesh with a slight slope towards the feeder. Here a gap is left in the front wall through which the eggs roll into a special chute. Feeders and drinkers are fixed outside on the front wall of the cage.

A plastic or metal tray is installed under the floor to collect litter. Litter must be removed every day. A video from an experienced farmer (funnymushroomschool) will help you learn more about how to keep these birds.

As for the area, 100-120 square meters are allocated for one adult bird. cm. It is important that the height of the cage is no more than 25 cm, since at the slightest alarm the quails try to fly up. At high altitude they may fall and hurt themselves. The stocking density of birds depends on the age and purpose of keeping. However, in any case, zootechnical parameters must be observed: per 1 sq. m of floor accommodates an average of 80-100 birds.

Poultry breeding

A very important question - how to breed quails? The fact is that in the process of taming and domestication wild birds, females have lost the instinct to hatch eggs. That is, for hatching chicks and breeding birds, you will need an incubator. Some poultry farmers also use bantam hens for these purposes. As for the incubator, any mechanical “hen” for chicken eggs will do. Simply, trays are adapted for laying small eggs or special nets are purchased.

However, whatever the incubator, it must meet all the requirements. First of all, it should automatically turn the eggs and constantly maintain the temperature at 37-39 degrees.

To obtain hatching eggs, females are kept together with males at a ratio of 1:2 or 1:4. If the birds are kept separately, then the females are added for 15 minutes. In this case, fertilization accounts for about 80% of cases. But with free mating, as practice shows, the fertilization of eggs is worse. For the most effective breeding of females and males, 3 months are used, after which the herd is renewed.

Raising quail

You can raise quails at home from the very first days in a special plywood or cardboard brooder box. Its dimensions depend on the number of chicks, based on the parameters that 100 quails can be placed on a bottom area of ​​30x30 cm. The boxes are covered with either paper or a fine mesh 5x10 mm with a tray at the bottom. The box must have heating and light.

The quail are transplanted into the brooder box as soon as they dry out in the incubator. Chicks can stay in the incubator for up to 12 hours. Babies are very sensitive to the slightest changes and temperature changes, which leads to their death. Therefore, especially during the first 20 days of life, it is very important to maintain a strict temperature regime.

From the first hours after hatching, the quails feed on their own. But due to very intensive growth and development, they need to be given nutritious food frequently. In the first days it can be a finely chopped boiled egg with cottage cheese, yogurt, chopped herbs. Poultry feed is also suitable for young animals aged from 1 to 10 days.

You can prepare the following mixture:

• bran;
• egg yolks;
• grated carrots;
• fresh herbs (nettle, green onions).

From 3-4 days you can feed millet, herbs, finely ground wheat groats, and small mealworms. Feed consumption in the first week of life for the maintenance of quails is about 3-4 grams, by the month of life - about 15-16 grams per individual per day. Read more about feeding quails in our next publications.

The chicks are transferred to regular cages for adult birds at the age of 3-4 weeks. At the same time, they can be divided by sex and type of feeding: breeding, meat, eggs. We hope our tips will help you succeed in an interesting and useful business, and breeding and keeping quails will become your favorite pastime.

Video “Quails will quail from laying eggs to hatching”

If you want to plunge into the atmosphere of quail farming and see how chicks are born, then the video from the Nature and Animal World channel will be interesting.

Quail is an excellent choice for a poultry farmer who wants to receive meat and dietary eggs. The miniature size and unpretentiousness of this bird make raising quails in a private backyard or even in an apartment accessible to both experienced poultry farmers and beginners from scratch. Breeding does not require special conditions or material costs, is characterized by productivity and has good prospects as a business.

Quail breeding is a profitable business

Characteristic

In the wild in our country, European and Japanese subspecies are found. The latter was domesticated and made the subject of quail farming in Japan, where this tradition dates back several centuries. Now descendants Japanese version grown for meat or for egg production in small farms and industrial enterprises.

Breeders bred representatives of the egg and meat trends. The domesticated variety, which is raised for eggs, is characterized by the following characteristics:

• weight of quails – up to 130 g, females – up to 150 g;
• the beginning of oviposition - from the age of one and a half months;
• productivity - up to 340 pieces weighing 10-12 g annually.

To obtain tasty dietary quail meat, broiler breeding has spread throughout the world. Representatives of this trend weigh from 250 to 500 g.

Broiler quail

Quails are raised for egg, meat and meat-egg production. A variety of breeds allows you to choose the right herd in accordance with the main product obtained:

Pharaoh quail

Productivity

Quails have an intense metabolism and high productivity. A quail weighing 120 g lays more than 300 eggs annually, and the egg mass is 20-24 times greater than the weight of the female. They are superior to chicken in nutritional value and have no cholesterol. They are also consumed raw, since quails do not suffer from salmonellosis. Five pieces of quail, equal in weight to chicken, surpass it in content:

• potassium (five times);
• iron (four and a half times);
• vitamins B1, B2, A;
• phosphorus, cobalt, nicotinic acid;
• protein (60% versus 55.8% in chicken), antioxidants.

The color of the shell is from dark variegated to white, the shell is fragile and makes up 7.2% of total weight(in other domestic species - 10%). With the help of this product, a number of diseases are treated (internal organs, skin), and the effects of radiation are removed from the body. He doesn't call allergic reaction, on the contrary, the ovomucoid contained there suppresses it. Recommended dosage: for an adult – from 4 to 6 pieces, for a child – from 2 to 3 daily.

The meat is characterized as dietary, it has a high content of vitamin B, minerals, and amino acids.

It does not deteriorate and does not lose useful qualities from long-term storage. Recommended for gastrointestinal disorders, cardiovascular system, diabetes and other diseases.

Quail eggs are a valuable dietary product

Reproduction

Quails lay eggs even without a male. But if your goal is breeding, then you will need representatives of both sexes. To do this, it is better to buy young animals (age - a month or one and a half). Young quails can more easily withstand the stress of travel and a new place of residence. When purchasing livestock, inspect it carefully. In healthy specimens:

• clean plumage around the cloaca;
• average weight (not malnourished or overfed);
• dry beak without deformation;
• breathing that is clear in sound;
• smooth, clean feathers free of debris or excrement.

For breeding, choose females 3-8 months old, male quails - 3-6 months old. Cross specimens of the same breed, avoid inbreeding.

During the selection process, quails lost their brooding instinct. To breed from scratch and produce young animals, use incubators.

It is better to use models in which the eggs are turned automatically or semi-automatically. Eggs for hatching chicks are selected from females 2-10 months old, fertilized, no older than a week, weighing 9-11 g.

You can assemble the incubator yourself (if you keep and breed it in an apartment):

• place soft bedding in a cardboard box;
• install a medical thermometer;
• fix a 40-watt lamp on top;
• by adjusting its height, achieve a temperature of 37.5-38.5 degrees;
• Place a saucer of water nearby (to maintain humidity);
• put a net on the bottom;
• Place no more than 20 eggs of the same size on the litter and turn them 3-5 times during the day.

The young will hatch in 17 days. They appear simultaneously, within five or six hours.

Quail chick

Offspring

The chicks weigh 6-8 g and are active from the first hours of life. They are covered with brown down and have two light stripes on the back. If you don’t keep an eye on them, the young animals get stuck in the cracks and suffocate, drowning in a saucer of water. Be vigilant and, when the chicks are dry, transfer them to a brooder - a room covered with mesh that will fit in an apartment. The size of the brooder is determined by the number of healthy quails.

The complete technology for keeping quails is simple. They feed on their own. Give them a diet of protein food. In the first days, give finely chopped boiled white and yolk 5 times a day. From the third or fourth day, add cottage cheese, a combined feed for chicken (type “Start”, after processing in a coffee grinder). On the seventh day, give chopped greens. On days 21-28, feed as for adult quails.

Chicks with intensive, balanced nutrition increase their weight 20 times during the first two months. For watering, use vacuum or nipple drinkers to prevent the young animals from drowning. Give boiled, warm water. For prevention, water the quail with chloramphenicol in solution.

In the first 14 days, use lighting in the brooder for 24 hours, then reduce it to 17. Young animals need a dry and warm (35-38 degrees) room with ventilation.

If the chicks are cold, they huddle together and squeak (in this case, lower the lamp lower). If they stand around the perimeter, with beaks open, raise the heat source. After a week, reduce the heating to 34 degrees, after 2 – to 30 and by the end of the fourth week set it to 22.

Forty-day-old quails are ready to breed

After 21 days, the quails exhibit external signs floor. Males acquire a red-brown speckled coloration on the neck and chest; in females, these places are light gray speckled. At 8 weeks of age, young males stop growing; by the 40th day they are ready to reproduce. Males not intended for breeding and rejected females are placed in separate rooms for fattening. In females, the maturation process takes longer (up to 9 weeks).

If the height is more than 25 cm, then cover the ceiling with soft material so that the inhabitants of the cage do not break their heads during takeoff. When kept in an enclosure with a high ceiling (1.5 m), they do not reach the top.

On an industrial scale, in enclosures for 700 animals there are up to 20 square meters area. Cage complexes (multi-tier batteries) are also used for housing, which can accommodate 250 animals. The complex consists of several cages with drinking bowls, feeders and egg collectors. This design is easy to make yourself from plywood, mesh and metal sheets.

Quails do not need nests or perches. They lay eggs on the floor. Place flooring there: straw, shavings, paper, hay. Keep the litter clean and change it regularly for fresh litter. Daylight hours for the quail family are no more than 20 hours with a dim source. With illumination lasting less than 17 hours, productivity decreases; more than 20 hours, the inhabitants of the cages show aggression, and this leads to the death of the livestock. In poultry farms, daylight hours last 18 hours (then alternating three times with 2 hours of darkness and light).

Quail cage

When equipping a cage or aviary, take care of ventilation, but without drafts (otherwise feathers will begin to fall out). Keeping quails requires a dry, warm room with a temperature of 20-22 degrees (fluctuations down to 16, up to 25 are allowed). When breeding in an apartment, it is easy to ensure such indicators. If the thermometer drops below 16 degrees, egg laying will stop. At a temperature of 5 or less, the livestock will die.

The humidity in the quail room is 60-70%. Make sure that this indicator is not less than 55 and more than 75%. To maintain humidity levels, spray the air with water from a spray bottle or water the floor (in winter). Install ash trays around the perimeter so that the quails have dust treatments and get rid of insects in their plumage, and a tray for excrement.

Clean the floor and remove droppings every day, which is especially important when living in an apartment. Once a week, carry out a thorough cleaning of both young and adult specimens.

When setting up feeding and watering areas, use remote containers. Feeders and drinkers of the groove type are placed outside along the perimeter of the cage, and its inhabitants stick their heads out to quench their hunger or thirst. This measure keeps the room clean. Feed quails 2-3 times a day, allocating 25-30 g of food per head. Do not overfeed the quail family, this will reduce egg production.

Quail food

Include in your bird's diet:

• chicken feed;
• grains (oats, barley, millet);
• greens (sprouted wheat, onions, lettuce and clover);
• vegetable peelings (boiled or raw potatoes, cabbage, carrots);
• sunflower seeds, cottage cheese, chopped eggs;
• fish meal, chopped raw or boiled fish;
• crushed chalk, crushed eggshells, shell fragments (2-3 times a week);
• fish fat.

When feeding, avoid offering greens such as tomatoes, potatoes, parsley, and celery. Nightshade and buttercup plants, buckwheat, and rye cause stomach upset and poisoning.

Monitor the color and consistency of quail droppings. A healthy bird has dense, dark excrement with white streaks. If the droppings are thin and dark green, this is a sign of illness. Yellow bowel movements indicate an excess of carbohydrates. If the herd has diarrhea, give a tincture of oats or rice together with water.

Make sure that the quail family has boiled, warm water. Keep it clean, fresh, and change it regularly. Use trough, microcup or nipple drinkers. Wash trough-shaped containers daily.

Health

Watch for changes in the behavior of the quail family. If the bird is not eating, passive and inactive, isolate it from others and contact a veterinarian. After physical injury (pecking due to bright light, lack of space), place the quail in a separate cage until recovery occurs. Females often die from damage to the oviduct due to too intense laying. Reduce the level of protein in the feed, reduce daylight hours.

The health of quails must be carefully monitored

Fattening and slaughter

Quails intended for meat are divided by gender. Young males and females are kept separately. Lighting and temperature are reduced. Heating of the cage is up to 24 degrees. It is better to dim the light, creating twilight. Under such conditions, males do not conflict, mobility decreases, and food consumption increases. Eating 3-4 times a day. Quails are fed greens, grain with a 5% addition of feed fat.

Broiler males are sent for meat at the end of the second month of life. Females are slaughtered towards the end of the first year, after intensive egg laying has completed. Before the process, the birds are not allowed to eat and are given plenty of water.

When slaughtered with a sharp knife blade or a kitchen hatchet, the head is cut off. Let the blood drain, cut off the legs at the level of the shin and the wings to the second joint with scissors. Hold the carcass belly up, tear the skin with your thumbs and remove it along with the feathers. Gut the quail by opening it with a knife or finger.

Quail carcasses need to be thoroughly cleaned

Additional Information

• birds are also used as fighting birds; in some areas, quail singing is valued;
• in Japan, their breeding spread after the explosions in Hirashima and Nogasaki (eggs were included in the school menu to suppress radiation symptoms);
• if the birds are fighting, put the conflict instigator in another cage or separate him from the flock with a partition;
• quails do not tolerate stress well - make sure there are no irritants;
• Do not place paper or newspapers on the floor of the brooder to prevent the chicks' legs from moving apart.

Raising quails at home, subject to the rules of care and feeding, will bring the expected results. They are suitable for meat, egg production or breeding for decorative purposes. Considering its unpretentiousness, rapid growth and low feed consumption, quail farming will become a profitable business.

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» Quail

Breeding and raising quails at home is not the last place in farming. The bird has gained its popularity thanks to its tasty and healthy eggs. But this is not the only reason why quails are bred. Many breeders keep them for the sake of obtaining tasty dietary meat, for which many poultry breeds are famous.

The common quail is a small bird pheasant family, the smallest representative of the gallinaceae order. Its body length is only 20 cm, and the weight of an adult is from 80 to 150 grams.

Feather color Common quail is beige with spots and streaks. Males have a darker craw color, and around the eyes there is a pronounced dark spot that looks like a helmet. Females do not have these spots.

By its nature, the common quail is very shy bird, which is very difficult to notice in nature. Quails grow very quickly and fledge by two weeks. From this time on, young birds try to fly. Quail is one of the migratory birds of the gallinaceae order. Therefore, captive birds must be kept in cages.

Breeders have developed many breeds of quail, which are bred on private farmsteads to produce meat and eggs. The growth rates of these birds are quite good. Live male mass domestic quail ranges from 110 to 180 grams, depending on the breed. Moreover, female domestic quail are much larger than males. Their weight can reach up to 250 grams. Oviposition begins early, at the age of 50 days. Some breeds begin laying eggs a little later. Each female produces more than 300 eggs per year, which are used for culinary purposes and for incubation. The weight of one egg is up to 14 grams.

Quails are raised not only in country houses. In order to obtain good meat carcasses and dietary eggs, quail farms were built. Quail breeding- this is the most cost-effective activity; for starters, you can use an ordinary shed.

Varieties and their characteristics

Many species of quail have been bred that captivate breeders with their qualities. Broiler breeds are able to provide a large amount of meat at minimal cost. Egg-bearing breeds kept mainly to produce large eggs, which are in demand in the consumer market.

Texas

This breed of bird was bred to produce meat. Texas quail outperform other breeds. Broiler-type poultry, which was created using meat breeds of quail.

Peculiarities

Texans have a snow-white feather color, for which they are popularly nicknamed albinos or white giants. Sometimes you can see small black spots on the white feather of a bird. This is the norm.

Externally, the quail of this breed large. The chest is of a pronounced meat type: round, wide. The bird's legs, tail and neck are short. The tip of the beak is dark, the quail's eyes are black.

Meat quality

The average bird of this breed produces up to 250 grams of meat. At proper feeding and content, it can gain up to 550 grams.

Important! The bird needs to be fed with special feed and its weight monitored. Obese females are unable to lay eggs. As a rule, males are kept for fattening.

Egg production

First egg in females of this breed it is formed by the age of two months. The eggs are quite large. In one year, the female is capable of laying up to 280 eggs, with an average weight of 12 grams.

Manchurian

Interesting! This breed is one of the famous in the world. The most popular among breeders.

Description

Manchurian quails are very beautiful birds. Feather color combines yellow and brown feathers. People call these quails golden. On the female's chest you can see characteristic black spots, which the male does not have.

Define sex of quails You can be 100% sure just by looking under the bird’s tail. The male has a gland between the tail feathers and the cloaca, which, when pressed, releases a white substance. Females do not have this gland.

Poultry productivity

The Manchurian quail breed is famous for its meat and egg qualities. The egg production of females is up to 180 eggs per year, but they are much larger than others. The average egg weight is up to 18 grams.

Males of this breed gain weight of 150 grams, but with proper fattening the birds are capable of producing high performance. Average carcass weight– 300 grams.

Meat quails of the Pharaoh breed

The main feature of these birds is good meat carcass.

Characteristic

Externally, birds of this breed resemble wild relatives. Plumage color pharaonic grayish brown. Females have white and black stripes on their chest. The weight of females is significantly higher than that of males.

Meat quality

Pharaohs are classified as meat quails. Average female weight reaches 300 grams, and the male is slightly smaller. A distinctive quality of this breed is precocity. By the age of two months, slaughter can be carried out. Quails of this species need balanced food.

Oviposition

The female Pharaoh begins laying eggs at approximately 45 days. However, the first eggs cannot be used for incubation. Egg weight is up to 15 grams. The average female is capable of laying up to 200 eggs in one year of intensive oviposition. Females must eat well to produce eggs.

Californian

California quails are not widespread and are kept mainly for beauty. Raising these birds is not profitable. Low survival rate of young animals, poor growth performance.

Japanese

Reference! Japanese quails are divided into three species. Birds of the egg direction, meat and mixed meat-egg direction.

Description

The plumage of the Japanese quail is rusty brown. color. Males have a darker collar zone than females.

Productive characteristics

Bird weight varies depending on the breed line. On average it is up to 150 grams. Egg species of birds lay eggs well. Average egg production b females produce more than 300 eggs per year.

Tuxedo

This breed was created by crossing white and black English quails. Externally it is a very large beautiful bird.

Characteristic

The bird has a tuxedo feather color. The feather on the breast is light in color, and the back is darker. Females and males of this breed are the same in color.

Productivity

These birds are bred more for decorative purposes. Female weight is only 180 grams, and males do not exceed 150 grams. The bird has good egg production. Female tuxedo quail lay up to 280 eggs per year.

Breeding Features

Raising quails in a summer cottage is quite simple. They do not require much space, large financial costs and are easy to care for. All the bird needs is warmth, light and balanced food. Big advantage Quail eggs are eggs that can be eaten even raw. The bird is not susceptible salmonellosis.

To breed poultry, the breeder needs to decide on the breed and purpose of breeding quails. All breeds are divided into several types:

• meat quail;
• egg birds;
• meat - eggs kinds.

The latter type of bird is most in demand. This is due to the fact that in addition to eggs you can also get good meat.

Egg incubation

For quail breeding you will need an incubator. This can be a homemade device or purchased in a store. A typical small incubator can hold up to 400 eggs.

Important! The female domestic quail has lost the ability to incubate eggs. Young animals need to be hatched only in an incubator.

Incubation period lasts an average of 17 days. On day 18, incubation ends. If the required temperature conditions are observed, the hatching of young animals is very high.

The entire incubation period temperature the chamber is maintained at 38–38.5 degrees. Air humidity should be more than 50%. Under such conditions, elimination proceeds smoothly and ends after 6 hours.

Raising and caring for chicks

The hatched young are distinguished by their mobility. Keep quail need in a special brooder where the required air temperature is maintained. First 14 days the temperature should not fall below 38 degrees.

Important! You can determine a comfortable temperature by the behavior of the chicks. If the young animals lie in a heap, then the quails are cold. At normal temperatures in the brooder, the chicks lie on their sides along the entire perimeter, with their legs extended.

From 15 days The temperature in the brooder is reduced to 25 degrees. By the age of one month, the chicks should be accustomed to normal room temperature, which is 20–22 degrees.

24/7 light mode support for the first 14 days. Next, the bird is transferred to normal daylight hours.

Remember! Quails prefer moderate lighting. In bright light the birds fight. To prevent pecking, you can use red light lamps.

Feeding quail at home

From the moment of hatching, chicks need vitamins and minerals. You can use high-quality compound feed for young animals, which contains all the necessary substances. If there is no food, you can give the quails boiled eggs, which are crushed and placed in a bowl.

Important! Excess food must be removed regularly. In the hot conditions of a brooder, the feed quickly turns sour, and the birds can be poisoned.

From 4 days The feed includes fine crushed corn grits, cottage cheese and complete feed for young animals.

Feeding the quail

From 8 to 20 days In the main diet of young animals there is only compound feed. You can add greens, carrots, and meat waste.

Remember! All offered products should be given little by little and their freshness should be monitored. To prepare the food, you need to grind all large and hard pieces well.

From 20 days feeding young quails does not differ from feeding adults.

By 10 weeks young animals complete growth and begin puberty. From day 45 most breeds begin oviposition.

Important! Quails are fed from vacuum drinkers, which should not be too deep and wide. Young chicks can drown in drinking bowls; to avoid this, pebbles are placed at the bottom of drinking bowls. Water for drinking must be boiled.

Feeding adult quails

For feeding adults feeders and drinkers taken outside the cell. Birds stick their heads through the bars to feed. This feeding method reduces feed costs.

Adult birds fed 3 times a day, while consuming 30 grams of food per individual.

For females, the best nutrition is balanced feed for laying hens. Sometimes grain, garden waste, herbs and fruits are added to the feed. The laying hen's diet must include crushed shells, chalk, sand, and boiled fish.

Important! Females must be given food strictly according to the schedule, without exceeding the dose. Obesity in birds leads to loss of egg production.

Fattening birds for meat

When the quails reach one month old they are separated by gender. Males and rejected females are planted separately and fattening for meat begins.

Fattening is carried out at a temperature of 22 degrees and reduced lighting. Feeding mode different for these birds. Quails are fed 4 times a day, and in large doses. In the first half of the day, green feed is added, and in the evening grain waste is given. The fattening period is about 60 days.

Slaughter is carried out as soon as the bird reaches the required body weight. Before slaughter, quails are not given food for 6 hours. Leave only water in the drinking bowls.

Features of winter cultivation

1. Quails are kept in low cages with a mesh floor, which facilitates the cleaning process and reduces the risk of disease.
2. in winter temperature in the poultry house should not fall below 16 degrees. When there are sudden changes in temperature or when the temperature is too low, the egg production of females drops sharply. A comfortable temperature for bird development should be 22 degrees.

Quail diseases

Most often the livestock begins get sick due to a change in food, poor living conditions, poor-quality feed, lack of nutrients.

Improper nutrition and maintenance

Quails suffer from vitamin deficiencies, which develop due to a lack of nutrients or a violation of the diet or change of food.

To the symptoms of the disease can be attributed:

• disheveled feathers;
• loss appetite;
• lethargy;
• tilting heads;
• pulling neck.

The birds' diet is changed, more nutrients are introduced, and the feeding regime is monitored.

In case of violation of the poultry keeping conditions susceptible to the following diseases:

• dropping out oviduct;
• cannibalism;
• dropping out feathers;

It is enough to adjust conditions of detention and the birds return to normal. Change the brightness of the lighting, reduce the number of individuals in the cage and introduce the missing vitamins and minerals.