How to start raising quails at home. Why is quail so good? Proper feeding is the key to health and productivity

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 useful substances. 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, optimal temperature 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 - leaves of nettle, 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.

To normalize 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;

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, as it causes a stressful state, due to which the birds will stop laying eggs and begin pecking at each other.

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. Animals are different good health, are completely not susceptible to infections. 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 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 for adults - settled, 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.

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:

• Average temperature regime incubator – 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, and the required number of hours of daylight.

No less important factor Maintaining cleanliness is also important: timely washing of drinking bowls and feeders, replacing bedding, and removing litter.

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 expenditure for warming. 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, 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 doesn't 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: Shedding or injury is most commonly observed 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.

Quails are ideal birds for breeding in the country, in farming. 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 if there is 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 big 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 lined with soft fabric 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 to the resulting mixture stale bread, food waste, boiled bones. 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. For minor 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 have already said, the best option for young quails is a brooder. 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 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. After the incubation period, the young animals should immediately be planted in a box, where there should be a mesh with 5X10 mm cells at the bottom. 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 chopped);

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 is the temperature and the 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 also has a big drawback - laying hens live much shorter.

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 maintain cleanliness in the cages 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 the feed at least 2 times a week. 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 absolutely do not like contact with other living creatures, so breeding them on farms is a more difficult task. The main reason for this is that quails 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 money from quails big money, several heads of this bird will 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 do not 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, complete 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 big square. 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 quail eggs If you don’t need them, 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.
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 incubation 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. A boiled egg will saturate the body of small quails with all the necessary vitamins; 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

A balanced and proper diet is the key to the 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 meet the 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 physiological characteristics birds and how they should 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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At the moment, small businesses are actively gaining their 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, but to bring a stable income and good profit, you need to draw up a business plan correctly.

Quail farm business plan

In order for the farm to receive good start and was not defective, the following requirements and nuances must be taken into account:

1. The farm must contain 500 or more quails, for 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

Very important, and probably the most important and main question, which 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 a famous 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.

The demand for eggs is much greater than that of companies, 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 the subsequent sale of eggs and meat is one of the most easily implemented ideas for creating your own business today. Quails are very productive in egg production. One quail will lay 240 eggs per 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 cells (their the average size– 120 by 60 by 180 cm), their capacity (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 optimal level Humidity: 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 correct ratio 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.

Domesticated quails are not suitable for living on outdoors and require special care. Breeding quails at home for beginners is no more difficult than plant growing; you just need to know some rules and nuances. The livestock dies when the temperature drops to 5° C. With long daylight hours, the birds become aggressive, which also leads to their death. The weight of quail is 130-150 g, broilers weigh up to 250 g. During the selection process, they lost the instinct to procreate. Laying hens do not hatch chicks.

Breeding quails at home for beginners is no more difficult than plant growing

The main questions of interest to a novice poultry farmer are the premises for keeping quails, feeding regime, and diet. The conditions must meet the following requirements:

1. A room for five birds of the Japanese breed - 30 cm2 in area with a ceiling height of 20-25 cm.
2. The optimal temperature for keeping is 20-22° C. Deviations of ±4° C are acceptable.
3. An important factor is the length of daylight hours. Birds require light at least 17, but not more than 20 hours a day. Required air humidity is 70-75%.
4. The light source should not be bright. A 40 W lamp is sufficient.
5. You can raise quails not only outside the city. There is a practice of breeding them in apartments, on glassed-in loggias.

Considering the small size of quails and modest requirements for their place of residence, a large population can be placed in a small area. On a production scale, there are 35 individuals per 1 m2.

What is the benefit of such content:

1. When breeding at home, it is better to divide the areas into small areas. In each cage, assign 3-4 females and 1 male.
2. A male is not required for egg production. It is needed only for fertilizing females.
3. The benefit of breeding these birds is the high return in the form of eggs. Laying hens delight their owners 340 days a year. They begin to lay eggs at 2 months. Five quail eggs (by weight) are equal to 1 chicken. In terms of nutritional value and benefits, the advantage goes towards quail, they do not contain cholesterol. Quail (relative to chicken) has 5 times more potassium and iron, a higher content of vitamins A and B, nicotinic acid, phosphorus, cobalt, protein and antioxidants.
4. With the systematic use of this dietary nutritious product, a therapeutic effect is observed in diseases gastrointestinal tract, allergies, diabetes, cardiovascular system, it also helps remove radiation from the body.
5. The daily medicinal dose for children is 2-3 pcs., for adults - 4-6 pcs. in a day. Long-term storage of the product does not affect its quality. Quails do not suffer from salmonellosis, so eating raw eggs does not pose a health risk.

In other types of poultry, the shell makes up 10% of the total, in quails - 7.2%.

Choosing a breed for home keeping

Choosing a quail breed is a priority. One breed is bred for meat, the other for eggs. Meat breeds lay eggs less often, and hens need to maintain their weight. When overfed, the number of eggs they lay is reduced, or even stops altogether. The situation is the same when the laying hen is exhausted.

• Japanese breed. Poultry weight is from 130 to 150 g. The priority direction is eggs (≈ 340 eggs per year from each hen). Egg weight – 9-12 g.
• Phoenix has up to 18 g, but he himself weighs 250 g.
• To get a large amount of eggs and meat, it is better to get Manchurian or White English. Their weight is from 280 to 350 g. Their eggs are larger (up to 16 g), which compensates for the slight decrease in the frequency of their laying.
• The weight of the Texas White reaches 500 g, but it cannot be called a purely meat breed. The eggs weigh 14-16 g, and the quail lays with the same frequency as the Manchurian, White English, and Phoenix.

Considering the size of the birds, the calculation of the space for their placement will increase slightly.

Breeding and feeding quails

Raising such birds does not require large enclosures. It is necessary to adhere to the height of the cages so that the quails do not break their heads when flying. The ceiling of the cage should be either 25 cm, or sometimes a cage with a height of one and a half meters is required - the quail will not fly that high. In a cubic one and a half meter cage you can keep 35-40 individuals.

Straw and sawdust are used for bedding. When breeding them in a room heated by radiators, you can use not wooden cages, but those made of mesh. Feeders and drinkers are installed outside. The mesh should not be very dense so that the bird can freely stick its head through to quench its thirst and hunger. You should not disturb the birds when collecting eggs. Installing an inclined egg collector with a chute opening outward will allow you to collect eggs without opening the cages.

The daily diet of quail is 25-30 g of food three times a day. The mixture should include:

• Compound feed.
• Grains of oats, barley, millet.
• Greenery. You can include clover leaves, lettuce, wheat sprouts, and green onions.
• Peeling raw and boiled potatoes is suitable. You need to add chopped carrots and cabbage.
• The addition of cottage cheese and sunflower seeds will not be superfluous. They also eat boiled chopped eggs.
• Fish oil, boiled and raw fish are also included in the diet healthy eating birds.
• To strengthen the shells of their own eggs, it is necessary to add crushed shells, chalk or crushed shells to the food (every other day).

Birds need live insects. In the summer, quails will find them on their own at the dacha, but birds can be released for walks only when the air temperature is ≥ 18° C. In winter, insects can be purchased at pet stores.

As already mentioned, domesticated birds do not hatch their offspring. For their reproduction, fertilized eggs are required for laying for no more than a week and an incubator. Making an incubator is not difficult. To do this you will need a cardboard box, a thermometer and a 40 W lamp.

Place a soft mat on the bottom of a shoebox and lay out 20 eggs. A thermometer is installed inside. The lamp must maintain a temperature within 36.6-37.5° C.

The “hatching” period lasts 17 days, and the eggs need to be turned every 5 hours.

Caring for birds in winter

Considering that most amateur poultry farmers raise quails outside the city, the daily routine of birds in winter is characterized by the absence of walking and constant heating of the premises. The best way heating - water radiators connected to a heating boiler with automatic mode maintaining the coolant temperature. This will allow you to spend less time maintaining the required level of air humidity. The use of oil radiators and deflectors contributes to drying out the air; you will have to humidify it with a spray bottle or install a bath of water near the heater.

Ash will be required for quails to take dust baths. During summer walks, they clean their feathers in a dried layer of earth and sand. In winter they do not have this opportunity, and this can lead to avian lice. Fleas bother birds just as much as they do pets.

Caring for quails is simple, although painstaking. Special conditions necessary for birds being prepared for slaughter. And this is part of farm life. If in order to kill a bird for food you need a liter of valerian, then you shouldn’t even start raising quails.