That's all today more people choose to live in a private house, which involuntarily pushes them to the decision to take care of living creatures useful in the household. The smallest representatives of this extensive family are quails. Even beginners can breed a fairly unpretentious bird that is responsive to care at home.

Fried, baked with mushrooms and herbs, stuffed quails were served at the tables of the nobility back in Medieval Europe and Rus'. But if in those ancient times quail hunting was carried out for several dozen carcasses, today these very small birds are successfully bred both in private farmsteads and in large poultry farming complexes.

Economic aspects of quail farming

Interest in quail among amateur poultry farmers is caused by:

• insignificant costs for purchasing eggs for incubation;
• ease of keeping birds;
• quick return of invested forces.

How can novice poultry farmers start breeding quails at home? What difficulties await them, and what should they consider when creating their own miniature farm?

The bird is bred for two purposes:

• for the sake of dietary eggs, in terms of nutritional quality, safety and a number of other indicators, superior to chicken eggs;
• to obtain tender low-fat meat.

This should be taken into account when choosing the specialization of the future quail farm and deciding on the breeds for breeding.

A small flock of quails can fully provide a family with egg products. But is quail breeding profitable or not as a business? If we compare meat and egg birds, the former are distinguished with a carcass weight of up to 300 grams with a relatively small number of eggs, up to 200 pieces. In the second case, the weight does not exceed 200 grams, but from a quail you can get up to 300 eggs weighing about 10–12 grams per year.

Already a month and a half after birth, quails are ready to lay eggs, and only 18 days pass from laying the eggs in the incubator until the chicks peck. Such precocity was “undreamed of” for chickens, which directly speaks to the economic feasibility of raising quails at home.

Conditions for keeping quails at home for beginners

If ducks, geese and other poultry are easily mastered in a backyard environment and can be raised using pasture ranges, then quails are extremely difficult to domesticate. Therefore, this type of bird is kept in cages.

The room for keeping quails in the country is chosen to be dry, ventilated and warm, but at the same time reliably protected from drafts, which the birds cannot stand. For the active development and maintenance of egg production of birds, they need lighting. A 17-hour daylight hours can be considered optimal:

1. If you illuminate the cages longer, the number of eggs will increase at first, but the birds will quickly become exhausted.
2. Short daylight hours, without the use of additional lighting, will not give the desired results from laying hens and young animals. In the dark, birds are reluctant to feed, which leads to food savings, but at the same time slows down growth.

The unpretentiousness of the bird, the small space occupied by the cages and the quick return of dietary products are the reasons for the popularity of keeping quails in the country, in a private house or even in an apartment.

However, in residential premises breeding large quantity birds are undesirable:

• due to the risk of developing diseases dangerous to both birds and humans;
• the difficulty of creating proper conditions for lighting and ventilation;
• due to the inevitable violation of the rules for the use of housing in apartment buildings.

At the dacha or in his own backyard, a poultry farmer can raise a couple of generations of quails in one summer season and get healthy and tasty eggs from them. The only thing that may require additional costs is breeding and keeping quails in winter, however, a video about organizing the process will help you understand the nuances and prevent mistakes even for novice poultry farmers.

How to breed quails?

Home quail farm begins with the acquisition of week-old chicks or personal incubation of the young. Newly hatched quails require special care and living conditions. Before breeding quails, a draft-proof cage equipped with lighting and heating is built or purchased for the tiny chicks.

In the first week of life, small quails need to maintain an elevated air temperature of 35–36 °C. Then the air is gradually cooled, reaching 30 °C by the end of the second week. It is important to arrange the heating of small quails when breeding at home so that the temperature in the cage changes smoothly, without jumps that threaten rapid weakening and death of the young.

In addition to warmth, quails are provided with round-the-clock lighting for the first two weeks. This technique allows you to stimulate the activity of the bird, it comes to the feeders more often and develops faster. From 3 weeks of age, chicks are gradually transferred to 12 hour lighting. From 1.5 months, when quails begin to lay eggs, the birds are placed in cages with 17 hours of daylight.

IN summer time birds can be taken out into the air, but open range for quails is not provided. And here they are contained in mesh cells.

Arrangement of cages for quails

Convenient drinking bowls are provided for feeding birds in the holding areas. Vacuum-type structures are highly desirable for young animals. For adult birds, you can leave the existing equipment or install one that does not allow quails access to the water. As a result, the drinking water will always be clean, and the quails themselves will not suffer from hypothermia.

The number of drinkers and feeders when breeding quails at home is calculated based on the number of livestock so that in hot weather or during a mass meal the pets do not start quarrels over food and do not trample the weak. For chicks, tray feeders are installed in the brooder. As they grow older, they are replaced with grooved structures on the outside of the cells.

At three weeks of age, the chicks are placed in cages for adults. Females are prepared to become laying hens, and males are sorted for breeding work and fattening for meat. At this point, changes in diet occur.

When feeding quails intended for breeding at home, protein-rich components are added. This will help future laying hens increase egg production, and male quails gain weight faster. By one and a half months, the young stock is divided by gender and parental groups or families are formed, and experienced poultry farmers advise taking a pair of males for eight quails. In this case, the selected individuals are immediately placed in one cage. Subsequently, it is better not to change males, since the hens perceive this very acutely and can even injure a newbie.

If the group is formed only of laying hens, then a strong, active male can be added to them as needed. In this case, it is easier to control which birds are covered, and egg production with proper supervision is higher.

Quail breeding and breed selection - video

Breeding quails at home for beginners may seem like a complicated and even exotic activity. No wonder. Quail farming in our country is not developed on such a large scale as the breeding of chickens, geese, ducks, etc.

The value of quail meat and eggs is mainly known to people who, for one reason or another, adhere to certain diets. And this is of course not fair. Quail birds are unpretentious and can lay eggs almost every day, and the meat costs an order of magnitude more than chicken and is much more nutritious.

You can breed quails almost anywhere - in a private house, in a country house, and even on the balcony of an ordinary city apartment. Quails do not need large premises and they do not need to build a large chicken coop with paddocks. For example, fifty quails can be comfortably placed in a cage with an area of ​​about 1 square meter. And if correct organized conditions maintenance (this is done very easily) and care, this is not large population can lay about 48 eggs during the day (each weighing from 10 to 12 grams), which is equal to eight chicken eggs.

If you are a beginner quail breeder and you have no experience in keeping these birds, then we advise you to decide before acquiring these cute and cheerful birds what is more profitable for you - purchasing adult birds or hatching chickens from eggs in an incubator.

Organization of conditions of detention

Regardless of where the quail will be kept (barn, apartment, living space), the main thing is to ensure the required temperature conditions.

As a result, before purchasing birds, give them a place in advance where the air temperature will be between 18-20 degrees.

Temperature fluctuations above 25 degrees and below 12 can not only negatively affect productivity, but birds will also begin to lose their plumage (at high temperatures), and at low temperatures, for example -7, they will simply die.

The next condition is a correctly made cage.

If you are a beginner quail breeder, pay special attention to the cages. If you decide to make it yourself, then follow the tips and drawings that are presented in our section; it offers various options that can be assembled in ordinary home conditions, even without special skills in this matter. In the store, a quail cage is quite expensive and, accordingly, will pay for itself in more than one month.

It is also worth noting that cages designed for keeping parrots or other birds are not suitable for quails.

Video “How to properly make cages and organize watering and feeding”

This video shows the main points of keeping and caring for quails. Pay special attention to how cages, feeders and drinking bowls are arranged.

What to look for when buying a quail cage

If you decide to purchase a quail cage, then pay attention to the following. It is desirable that the main elements be metal and the walls made of mesh. It's better if it's galvanized.

It is also worth paying attention to the presence of feeders and drinkers, which should be located on the front wall; this makes care and feeding easier. The mesh in this place should be such that your charges can freely stick their heads through and reach the food.

The dimensions of the quail house are also important; its height should be at least 20 centimeters and even a little more. Otherwise, quails with a tendency to jump may injure their heads.

Unlike chickens, which lay in special nests, quails are not demanding in this regard and lay on the floor, which must be inclined, and the cage itself is equipped with a special egg receptacle.

Also, for ease of cleaning after quails, a cage for quails should have a special tray for droppings, which is located under the mesh floor and should be easily pulled out. If such a tray is not provided, then you risk facing a lot of problems, ranging from contamination of eggs to various diseases of your feathered charges.

Purchasing quails

If you decide to purchase adult birds, then try to take individuals aged from 1 to 1.5 months. A female quail reaches sexual maturity at the age of 1.5 months and it is at this age that she begins to lay eggs.

Quails should only be purchased from experienced, reputable poultry farmers or farms. Quails, unlike chickens, can be taken regardless of the time of year, because their egg production is the same all year round.

Please also note that when purchasing quails, it would be a good idea to buy from the seller the feed on which the birds were fattened. A sudden change of menu and moving will certainly affect not only their egg production, but in some cases can lead to indigestion. Stock up on food for about a month, this time will be enough to gradually transfer your charges to the food that you have.

Incubation

If you decide to seriously start breeding quails at home with the subsequent expansion of your farm and the subsequent organization of even a small poultry farm, then it is better for you not to spend money on an adult bird, but to get an incubator.

Quail eggs are incubated almost the same as any other egg. poultry: chicken, ducks or geese with slight differences in timing, humidity and temperature conditions.

Many quail breeders often complain that it is difficult to incubate quail eggs in an ordinary incubator, which is designed for approximately 80-100 chicken eggs. Especially if it is a small batch of up to 80 pieces. This is due to the fact that the eggs are simply rolled out in the incubator.

And here, vanity and unnecessary trouble arise. Many go to extremes. For example, they are starting to make special quail incubators. But the solution here is very simple. Quail eggs are simply covered with cotton wool or cloth around the edges. But it's not that.

In almost all incubators, the temperature deviation from the middle to the edges is at least 0.5 degrees, because of this, eggs begin to be endlessly transferred, then to the middle, then to the middle.

But this is unnecessary, do as we suggested above and this problem will decide by itself. In addition, under such conditions, quality and hatchability increase significantly. In a word, without any extra thought, buy a regular incubator and lay eggs in it.

If you have the appropriate skills, you can make a quail incubator with your own hands at home.

When purchasing an egg for incubation, the first thing to note is that it must be fresh (no older than seven days). It is better to purchase from experienced quail breeders or farms.

In fact, the incubation of quail eggs from chicken eggs is disabled only by timing. If it takes 21 days from the laying of chicken eggs in the incubator to the hatching of the chicks, then the quails are born earlier in 16-17 days. Eggs need to be turned 4-5 times a day.

For the first 10 days, maintain the temperature in the incubator at 38.5 degrees. If the incubator is not equipped with an electronic sensor and thermometer, then the check is carried out using a medical thermometer. In the final seven incubations, it is desirable to reduce the temperature to 38 degrees. And on the eve of hatching, about a day before the chicks start hatching, it reaches 37.5 degrees.

Compared to chickens, quails are born quite amicably within a maximum of twelve hours. Those that hatch later usually have various deviations and attempts to hatch them are not very successful.

Raising quail

Raising these birds is more profitable and, most importantly, takes less time than raising the same chickens. And caring for them is even easier. For example, it takes about six to seven months for a chicken to turn into a chicken, but a Japanese quail fully matures and begins to lay eggs after just six weeks.

In order for raising quails at home to be profitable and successful, it is necessary to create appropriate conditions for small quails from the first days of life.

The brooder into which the young animals will be transferred from the incubator must be prepared in advance. Various wooden or even cardboard boxes may be suitable for this. Quails have a lively character, so a net should be stretched over the top of the box. However, it is better to make a special brooder in which everything could be created the necessary conditions for the successful growth of chickens and in which it will be convenient to care for them.

Immediately after hatching, chicks should be kept at a temperature of about 34 degrees. Next, it needs to be gradually reduced and brought to 25 degrees within a month.

Lighting should be around the clock for two weeks. Then it needs to be reduced to 17 hours, but no less. Otherwise, a decrease in egg production is observed.

Feeding the young

Young quails are fed practically the same as chickens. But there is also a difference, which lies in the design of the feeders and drinkers.

Any container with low edges can serve as feeders. You need to pay more attention to drinking bowls. Use exclusively vacuum ones, otherwise small chicks in deep drinkers may simply drown.

Hard-boiled eggs are given as the first food.

Later, the young animals are transferred to feed for broiler chickens.

To avoid having to deal with relocating the quail all the time. which grow very quickly from one bunker, then at two weeks of age, place them directly into cages for adult birds. And to make it easier to maintain optimal temperature regime, simply sheathe them, for example, with sheets of cellular polycarbonate or other material, but just don’t forget to make ventilation holes in them.

First of all, you need to know that a quail eats on average about thirty grams of food per day, i.e. during the year approximately 10 kilograms. In a year, she can lay up to 3 hundred eggs weighing 3-3.2 kilograms. Over the same period, a laying hen can eat about 50 kilograms of feed and lay up to 180 eggs weighing about 10-11 kilograms.

Feeding quails

At first glance, there is no difference in feeding overfish and chickens. It would seem that 4 quails can eat the same amount of feed as one chicken. Lay approximately the same egg mass. But this is a misconception. The difference is in content and productivity. For example, a cage containing fifty quails, which can easily replace 10 chickens, can be placed even in the smallest farm or even in an apartment. This cannot be said about chickens. But it is advisable to feed them with compound feed that is made at the factory.

But there is one problem - compound feed is not produced specifically for laying quails. If you see compound feed for quails somewhere on the market, then this is a scam.

Therefore, many quail breeders recommend immediately giving starter feed for broiler chickens of the PK brand - 5-2. In particular, this feed contains the required proportion of highly digestible protein, which this species of birds needs for good egg production.

Adults need to be fed 3 times a day, and the feeding norm must be strictly observed. It varies for different breeds, but ranges from – 25 to 30 grams per day.

If you feed more or less feed, this will negatively affect egg production. Do not forget that feeders should be placed on the front side of the cage, and drinkers should be drip.

These are perhaps all the basic recommendations for breeding and caring for quails at home for beginners. If you are an experienced quail farmer and have your own experience, please share it with your novice colleagues by leaving a comment below. Both we and the readers, of course, would like to receive as much information as possible.

This video shows where to keep and how to feed young quails.

Quail meat is very tender and aromatic, and eggs are considered a unique dietary, nutritious product.

Advantages and economical aspects of keeping quails at home:

1. Purchasing eggs and an incubator or ready-made chicks does not require significant financial costs.
2. Easy to care for and keep birds. Quails need large territories and special conditions growing.
3. If the birds are raised for sale, then the return on investment will not be long in coming (they can be sold for meat in 3.5-4 months).
4. By growing quail, you can get high-quality homemade products, which are much healthier than chicken.
5. Quails are rarely affected by diseases and pests.

The most popular quail breeds

Depending on the purpose of raising quails, they are divided into groups (breeds):

• meat. There is only one type - pharaoh. The weight of the quail is no more than 270-300 g. The number of eggs is only about 200 pcs. in year. With proper feeding, it grows quickly and gains weight. The only disadvantage of this breed is the color of the plumage, which can spoil the appearance of the meat.
• meat-egg. Even at home it can produce up to 280 eggs per year. It has sufficient weight - 180-220 g. Products of this type can often replace chicken.
• egg breed. One of the popular species of this breed is the Japanese domestic quail. Breeding the breed is very profitable: more than 300 eggs per year, quail weight is 120-160 grams. They require virtually no vaccination. The following species are no less popular: English quail, marbled quail, kite quail.

The Californian domestic quail has partially lost its brooding instinct. Most often, an incubator is needed to produce offspring. Then the breeders use a brooder, in which the chicks are provided with all the conditions for growth.

A hen of this breed can lay up to 110 teardrop-shaped eggs per year. Breeders say that it is possible to determine the sex of quails of this species only after 40 days of age.

Most of those who breed quails buy or make small incubators themselves. This is despite the fact that the occupation will be permanent and, possibly, will be on an industrial scale. Incubators are also needed because female quails lack the brooding instinct.

Hatching of young chicks

The size of the incubator depends on the number of eggs that are planned to be laid. The average small-sized incubator is designed for 365-390 pieces. If the quantity is much smaller, then you can build it yourself for 70-100 eggs. The eggs that will be placed in it must be fresh, laid no later than 6-7 days before laying. The chicks are born almost simultaneously - after 16-17 days.

During incubation the following conditions must be met:

• The average temperature of the incubator is 37.7-38.5°.
• In special trays, the water level must be maintained, which controls the ideal humidity (65-75%).

Nutrition of young animals

It is advisable to provide quails with a complex vitamin mixture for the first 1-2 days. From days 3 to 8, you can add corn grits or cottage cheese to the food, or you can also add special food for young animals. Until day 20, they can only eat commercial feed, and after that they switch to adult food.

For watering, only special drinking bowls are used. During the first days, it is advisable to give them a solution of chloramphenicol as a preventive measure. They only grow for the first two months. After a month they are already able to lay eggs; on average, they can lay eggs in 40-50 days.

How to keep quails at home

To get a healthy bird you need to create comfort for it.

An area of ​​200 sq.cm is enough for 10 quails. You can make a cage with your own hands and keep birds there. Moreover, the number of quails in the cage does not affect the number of eggs or the quality of quail meat. Quail cages must meet the following requirements:

1. Use only galvanized mesh as material.
2. Drinkers and feeders should be outside the cage and properly attached to it. In this case, the cage must be equipped so that the bird can stick its head out and get them.
3. The optimal cage height is considered to be 20-25 cm. Anything less is not advisable due to the fact that quails like to jump and can get injured. If there is not a lot of space in the room, the cages can be carefully placed one on top of the other.
4. Birds do not use nests to lay eggs, so it is advisable to provide special trays for them.
5. The tray can also be used for droppings. This will help maintain constant cleanliness.
6. Good ventilation and ideal temperature conditions (+21-23°) are a must for keeping. The temperature allowed is not lower than 16° and not higher than 25°. Average humidity is 60-70%.
7. To achieve the desired egg production of quails, you need to increase their daylight hours with the help of additional lighting to 16-18 hours.

What to feed?

They do not require special nutrition. The financial expenditure on quail feed does not exceed the cost of chicken feed. Quail products are much healthier than chicken products and their cost is also much higher.

There are many ready-made feeds available for feeding adult quails. For one individual, 35 grams is enough. such food per day. To achieve the desired results, it is better not to reduce the amount of your diet.

There is no ideal food for adult birds. Experienced poultry farmers recommend supplementing it or replacing it with any types of grains. Use only finely ground grain.

Greens will also be a good addition to your diet. It should be given no more than 2-3 times a day. For rapid growth and strengthening of bones, poultry farmers add chalk, fish or bone meal, and crushed egg shells to food 2-3 times a week.

Nipple drinkers are used for water. Use only fresh, clean, preferably filtered or boiled water.

How to care for quails

The main conditions for care and maintenance are: maintaining optimal temperature, feeding on time, the required number of hours of daylight.

An equally important factor is maintaining cleanliness: timely washing of drinkers and feeders, replacing bedding, and removing droppings.

Drafts are not allowed in the room. They can cause disease or even feather loss. It is recommended to carry out “general” cleaning of the cages 1-2 times a week.

Place a tray with sand twice a week. They love to “swim” in it. This will have a positive effect on their health and growth. Timely inspection of the livestock is also desirable. Diseases in quails are rare, but cases of pecking are common.

Care and maintenance in winter

The main dangers of this period are a sharp drop in temperature or frequent fluctuations in humidity. If quails are bred in an apartment or private house, then there may not be any problems with this.

But if a dacha or barn is used for breeding them, then it is better to insulate them well before the onset of cold weather. Alternatively, you can significantly increase the number of livestock for the winter. This way they generate additional heat and warm each other.

It is also necessary to take into account the fact that young animals tolerate cold weather more easily with the help of even lush plumage. A properly selected cage, in which only the front part is made of lattice, and the back and sides are made of wood or plywood, can also save you from severe frosts. This way you can maintain the desired temperature longer.

In winter, quails also need an additional nutritious diet due to the high energy costs for keeping warm. Therefore, during this period it is better to introduce food containing protein or add sunflower oil to the food.

Areas of use of quail products

1. Used in the diet as a prevention and treatment of diseases of the liver, kidneys, stomach, and heart.
2. Helps strengthen bones and gives vital energy. Regular consumption of eggs will help normalize the amount of hemoglobin and cholesterol in the blood, remove toxins from the body, promote quick memory, and can stimulate potency in men.
3. Even in elite restaurants, quail dishes are considered exclusive. Nutritional cocktails are also prepared from eggs.
4. Quail egg components are included in many expensive shampoos and creams. They can also be used to prepare masks and scrubs at home. They will help restore facial skin, hair, and rid the face of acne.

Even with ideal care, problems may arise due to illness, weight loss, or a decrease in the number of eggs laid. Although this does not happen that often.

Most often the reasons for this are:

1. Violation of lighting or temperature conditions.
2. Poor quality, unbalanced food or switching from one diet to another.
3. Stressful situations. For quails, this could even be transportation or relocation to another cage.
4. Refusal to lay eggs for a week may be due to a change of male in the herd.
5. Injury or disease: Most often, shedding or injury occurs as a result of falls or fights between individuals.

If signs of fights or injuries can be treated with iodine or brilliant green, then if there are signs of any diseases, it is better to consult a veterinarian.

Only if the above conditions are met, it is possible to raise healthy birds and obtain high-quality products. Or even make good money from it.

Quail meat is dietary and in high demand

Quails in an apartment in Lately Not unusual. Breeding and raising quails at home begins with the decision simple question: How many quails do you want to keep, and for what purpose. When hatching eggs, the Japanese breed of quail is bred; a quail weighs on average one hundred to two hundred grams, and it produces up to three hundred eggs per year. The Pharaoh breed is the leader among meat breeds, since the weight of the carcass reaches 300 grams, but quail of this breed has lower egg production.

Male breed Pharaoh - head

Quails in an apartment are most often kept on an insulated balcony or loggia, in a room and even in a bathroom. If you have no experience, you can start by purchasing five to six birds (one male, the rest females).

The poultry farmer needs to create conditions that ensure comfortable keeping and breeding of quails.

Characteristics of breeds for home breeding

The room for quails must meet the following requirements:

• The minimum temperature at any time of the year should be maintained at 18 -22°C.
• Absence bright light, dim lighting and daylight hours for sixteen to seventeen hours a day.
• There is no draft and the possibility of ventilating the room.
• Maintaining air humidity at 60-70%.
• No loud noise.
• No access to the premises for pets and other birds.

Poultry care should be organized so that quails receive high-quality food strictly at a certain time and are provided with fresh water. In order to ensure the health of the birds, it is necessary to monitor the cleanliness of the cages every day, throw away droppings, and monitor the conditions of the premises, including maintaining the required temperature and humidity. Daily quail care also includes collecting eggs.

Adult birds are fed three times a day, quail up to a week of age - five times, from the eighth day - four times, per month - three times.

Quails in the apartment are kept only in cages.

Ready-made food for quails

Today in stores and markets there is a huge selection of cages designed for different livestock; some poultry farmers prefer home-made cages. In order not to make a mistake when buying a cage or making it, you need to remember that one quail needs an area of ​​100 - 140 square meters. cm depending on the breed, and the height should not exceed 20-25 cm.

A mini farm in the kitchen will provide 4-5 eggs per day

Multi-story cages with quails in the garage

Raising quails

Breeding and raising quails begins with the purchase of chicks. Experienced poultry farmers buy grown young poultry that have reached the age of one and a half months, which easily adapts to new living conditions.

Buying one-day-old chicks is cheaper than buying young ones, but the chicks are very delicate and often die on the road. When buying one-day-old chicks, inexperienced poultry farmers try to find out the sex of the chicks, since they buy birds mainly to obtain eggs and buyers are more interested in females.

Day old Pharaoh chicks

Some believe that it is easy to distinguish females by their squeaky voice even the day after hatching.

Depending on the breed, male or female can only be determined at the age of seventeen to twenty-five days. It is not difficult to distinguish females at the age of two months by the divergence of the pubic bone near the cloaca.

The seller distinguishes young quails by sex

It can be difficult for even very experienced breeders to distinguish a laying hen by appearance when it comes to colored breeds. The color of both sexes is completely the same, as are the size and shape of the body. In ordinary breeds with wild colors, the male can be distinguished by a mask on the head and more pronounced colors of the plumage on the chest.

For successful breeding, you need to remember how many females and males should be kept together. The optimal ratio is one to two or one to four.

A mini incubator for 12 eggs will provide chickens for your home

Modern breeds of quail have almost completely lost their maternal instinct, so to maintain the livestock it is necessary to buy an incubator. The eggs laid must be the same in size and shape, without obvious defects, thin shells, not dirty, excessively small or large, and without cracks. The incubator is constantly maintained at the required temperature and humidity. How many eggs to lay depends only on the personal needs and preferences of the breeder.

Experienced poultry farmers believe that if the males in the cage are older than the females, then more hens will hatch from the eggs, and if the birds are of the same age, then the ratio of males and females in the fertilized eggs is approximately the same.

Only in this case there is every chance of getting fertilized eggs. Birds in cages are selected at the same age, and females are ready for fertilization at two months.

Quail eggs for breeding must be fertilized

When breeding birds on the balcony, you must keep in mind that a young quail will produce more than twenty eggs per month. You can keep over a hundred quails on a loggia or balcony.

Laying eggs in the incubator

So small family business will not only provide the family with a valuable product, but also provide a certain income.

Diseases

The common truth about the need to prevent diseases in humans also applies to quails. If the disease is not detected in time, it can lead to a widespread bird epidemic. To prevent negative developments, it is necessary to conduct a daily inspection of the birds, paying attention to the plumage, head, beak and paws, especially when the quail is in the apartment.

Crowded cages cause disease

Quail diseases are divided into two large groups: contagious and non-contagious.

Contagious diseases

Infectious diseases of quails are caused by bacteria and viruses, which, under certain conditions, actively multiply in the body of birds.

Quails infected with Newcastle disease do not survive even a day. The saving grace is that most quail breeds are endowed with innate immunity to this disease. Sick birds are lethargic and drowsy, move little, prefer to sit still, and when the disease worsens, they can constantly walk in circles.

Dead birds must be burned, as their meat and eggs are unsafe for humans.

Quail pox manifests itself as growths on the beak

Young animals are susceptible to another quail disease - pullorosis, in which most chicks do not survive. The disease causes hypothermia at low air temperatures and poor quality feeding. The chicks become inactive, preferring to stand in the corners of the cage. The droppings do not come out and clog the anus. In case of infection, the quail room, cages and all equipment in mandatory are disinfected and after a break, poultry farmers breed new healthy young animals.

Another disease is aspergillosis. It is caused by various fungal infections. In adults, symptoms do not appear; in chicks, the disease can be recognized by weakness, difficulty breathing, thirst, and a slight blue discoloration of the beak and paws.

Aspergillosis or fungus on internal organs

This disease is curable and if you identify its symptoms, you should contact your veterinarian.

Colibacillosis is more rare. This is an intestinal disease of quails that can start with one bird and end in an epidemic. The first symptoms are a blue beak and blockage of the anal passage. The disease has a long incubation period (three to five months), and is treated with antibiotics and acidophilic yogurt. A person should not eat the meat and eggs of sick quails; if this disease is detected, it is necessary to disinfect the premises and vaccinate healthy quails.

Pasteurellosis causes rapid death of birds

Pasteurellosis or “bird cholera” is a fatal disease that cannot be cured. It can be recognized by the presence of blood in loose stools quail Salmonellosis is caused by bacteria present in water, eggs, shells and droppings. It can be recognized by weakness, diarrhea and conjunctivitis.

Quail diseases such as salmonellosis and chlamydia are transmitted to humans.

Non-communicable diseases

Non-contagious quail diseases are caused in most cases by physical damage. The reasons are poor care, poor-quality and unbalanced nutrition, and injuries. Quail cages must be cleaned of droppings daily - this prevents the appearance of fly larvae in the droppings, which are carriers of infections.

Vitamin deficiency leads to baldness

Lack of nutrition leads to vitamin deficiency and the appearance of eggs with thin shells; symptoms manifest themselves in loss of appetite, throwing back of the head with stretching of the neck, and drooping wings. Treatment comes down to organizing a balanced diet and proper nutrition.

Bright lighting, improper feeding and high density of quails in cages provoke cannibalism or pecking. Drafts and insufficient air humidity lead to bald patches in the plumage.

Gout in quail occurs due to a lack of B vitamins

Quails are injured during sudden take-offs. These can be open wounds or fractures. If the bird suffers a fracture, you should immediately consult a doctor. If there is a wound, you should trim the feathers around it, wash the wound with furatsilin or potassium permanganate, and anoint it with iodine. You can also apply a bandage and check its condition every two days.

Quail farming business plan

If you have large plans for breeding quails as a type of business, you must first think through and draw up a business plan, specifying in it not only possible risks, costs and sales, but also legal issues. Otherwise, unexpected unexpected costs and problems may arise.

Cages for keeping 500-600 quails

Before drawing up a business plan, it is necessary to study local prices for quail meat and eggs, as well as materials, feed, and electricity. It is generally accepted that one worker is able to serve approximately five hundred birds. Based on the total number of birds, you can understand how many additional employees should be hired.

When drawing up a business plan, you should take into account even the smallest details that can ultimately affect your profit.

What is included in a business plan

• Costs of purchasing cells or manufacturing them.
• Incubators and transportation costs
• The cost of purchased young poultry and eggs for breeding your own young (if an incubator is available).
• Compound feed.
• Heaters, maintenance tools.
• Electricity charges.
• Cost of a veterinary certificate.
• Employees' salaries.
• Unexpected expenses.

Unforeseen expenses often include the purchase of household electricity generators, additional mineral supplements, preparation of legal documents, and resolution of technical issues.

The mini farm pays for itself in the first six months and then makes a profit

Household generators are necessary in case of an emergency to constantly maintain the required air temperature for quails.

When drawing up a business plan and a farm development plan, it is necessary to take into account that the egg production of quails decreases after they are ten to twelve months old, that is, to successfully run a business, constant updating of the livestock is necessary.

After calculating the costs in the business plan, the income from the sale is calculated and the profitability of the farm is determined. The amount of income depends on how many contracts are concluded and how many quality products are sold and at what price.

The main advantage of a well-written business plan is that it will help the poultry farmer assess his financial capabilities.