Quail egg production: how many eggs does a quail lay?

Raising quails will allow you to provide your relatives with healthy eggs and dietary meat, and, if desired, make money from this type of household farming, which is becoming more popular every year in Russia.

Why quail?

Farm food is in extraordinary demand today. The imposed sanctions showed the dependence of the domestic economy on imports, but at the same time stimulated the production of local products.

Quail meat and eggs are in demand - they are tasty and healthy food, suitable even for small children and allergy sufferers. Unlike other branches of poultry farming, raising quail does not require significant initial costs or a large area for placement - per sq.m. The poultry house accommodates up to 200 birds.

In terms of food costs, quail are more profitable than chickens and geese.

At 30-40 days of age (the age of the clutch varies depending on the breed), the quail already begins to lay eggs. If you have 500 heads, you will have up to 15,000 eggs.

How many eggs does a quail lay when bred at home?

A young healthy quail can lay from 250 to 300 eggs per year. This is the average egg production range. The number of eggs laid is affected by:

• season;
• quail breed;
• age of the bird.

The secret to the high profitability of quails is their early ability to reproduce. When females are 35-40 days old, they begin to lay eggs.

When choosing a quail breed for breeding, you need to compare its capabilities with your goals. The number of eggs laid over a certain period of time depends mainly on the breed, then on the conditions of detention and the season. The average for quails is 25 eggs per month.

Number of eggs laid by a quail over a certain period of time:

1. In a day. There are breeds of quail, the females of which can lay eggs several times during the day. For example, Japanese quails can lay 2 eggs per day, while other, less productive breeds lay eggs every few days. The average for quail is an egg per day.
2. Per month. The number of eggs laid per month depends not only on breeds and seasonality, but also on the age of the female. Productivity changes something like this:
   beginning of laying – 8-10 eggs per month;
3. In some breeds, by the tenth month the number of eggs laid increases to 13 eggs per month, in others it decreases to 7-8 eggs.
4. In year. Highly productive egg breeds - Japanese, Estonian and others - lay 280-320 eggs per year. Meat and egg breeds - 260-280, meat breeds produce 200-220 pieces per year.

Several more reasons for poor egg production

A novice breeder needs to make or buy cages for quails, based on the number of heads he wants to acquire. Quails do not like close quarters, and if the light in the house is too bright, this will lead to aggression. No less often, such errors become the cause of numerous fights between livestock, as well as manifestations of cannibalism, so the poultry farmer should be aware of some maintenance tips that will help restore productivity and avoid the death of birds:

• The resettlement of quails must comply with the rule: no more than 70 birds per 1 sq. m;
• It is recommended to keep up to 35 heads in one cage (if the floor area is 0.5 sq. m.);
• It is necessary to keep males and females separately.

It will also be useful for novice breeders to learn about what age of quail is considered ineffective for further keeping. The number of eggs with which they supply the farmer in the second year of life does not provide much profit. 8-9 eggs per month do not recoup the money spent on purchasing feed, so 10-11 months from the start of the productive period are considered a favorable time for quail culling.

In addition, the aging of birds and a decrease in egg production requires the breeder to add young birds. Only in this way will breeding quails bring the desired profit. Annual renewal of the livestock (purchase and introduction of new males and females) is considered an integral part of proper farming.

When do quails start and stop laying eggs?

Wild quails live up to five years, the life of domesticated species is even shorter - only 2-3 years. With such a short life, birds have to mature early. A quail is capable of producing eggs when:

• she will be 35-40 days old;
• she will gain 100 g of weight.

Wild quails lay eggs much later. Breeders who bred domestic breeds tried to speed up the maturation of birds as much as possible, and they succeeded. If the required conditions are provided, birds will begin to produce eggs consistently from the second month of life.

The greatest productivity is observed a week after the start of egg laying. After 3 months, egg production decreases, then the bird stops laying eggs - this happens after another 5-7 months. This dynamics is explained by the short life span of quails. Recommended:

• change the livestock upon reaching 8 months of age;
• Take eggs for incubation from 2-month-old females - then the chicks will be stronger and healthier.

It is believed that quail eggs laid by females after a year of life are inferior in taste to eggs from younger quails.

Laying hens after a year of life are considered unpromising. Maximum productivity ends after 10-12 months. In the second year of life, egg production drops by 50% - this is unprofitable. After two years, the number of eggs drops significantly.

Reasons for decreased egg production

Natural causes

Quails are unpretentious birds. But sometimes they require special conditions in their maintenance.

When quails begin to lay eggs, every factor, from unbalanced nutrition to a change in environment, has a detrimental effect on their productivity.

Natural (natural) reasons for decreased egg production in quails: molting period, old age, replacement of the breeding male.

In the latter case, females temporarily stop laying eggs, for 70-10 days. It is useless to fight these factors, but they must be taken into account when breeding quails.

It is in vain to try to increase productivity if the quails have not reached sexual maturity. Therefore, farmers should know at what age quails begin to lay eggs.

Problems related to conditions of detention

Drafts have a negative impact not only on fertility, but also on the health of the livestock.

Sudden temperature changes affect the decrease or absence of egg production. Quails do not lay eggs well in cool rooms where the temperature reaches below 18-20 degrees. They spend a lot of energy heating themselves.

Hot, dry air also negatively affects egg production. The bird becomes lethargic, sleepy, and health problems may begin.

Crowding also causes a decrease in egg production and contributes to pecking and cannibalism among quails.

Moving to a new poultry house, loud noises, and the close presence of domestic animals (cats, dogs, other poultry) cause severe stress, especially in laying hens.

Failure to comply with basic hygiene standards in the poultry house has a negative impact on the productivity of quails.

Lack of daylight or its excess is another reason why quails do not lay eggs. Bright light irritates birds, making them aggressive and overexcited. Lack of sun dulls laying hens.

The emergence of non-communicable diseases

Non-contagious diseases that negatively affect the egg production of quails:

• prolapse of the oviduct - the disease most often becomes the reason why quails do not lay eggs for the rest of their lives;
• congenital ovarian defects;
• avitaminosis;
• rickets;
• cannibalism, pecking in the poultry house;
• various injuries, fractures;
• quail baldness (alopecia).

Most of these diseases are associated with violation of the conditions of keeping birds and poor quail nutrition. An experienced poultry farmer remembers that quail diseases are easier to prevent than to cure, and takes action in advance. You will find more information on the topic in the article “Symptoms and treatment of quail diseases.”

Development of infectious diseases

Infectious diseases are not only the reason why quails do not lay eggs, but also pose a risk to the lives of infected individuals and the entire population. The most dangerous among them are:

• pseudoplague;
• colibacillosis;
• bird cholera;
• coccidiosis;
• salmonellosis;
• aspergillosis;
• bird pox;
• psittacosis;
• enteritis.

Reduced egg production syndrome deserves special attention. This is an infection whose harm is obvious from its name. An experienced poultry farmer knows what to do in this case. Timely disinfection of the poultry house, adequate nutrition, and regular inspection of the livestock will help prevent the spread of infections.

Unbalanced diet of laying hens

One of the main reasons why quails stopped laying eggs is a poor, irregular diet. Due to a lack of nutrients in the laying hen's body, eggs appear with thin, deformed shells or without them at all. Birds do not feel healthy and full of strength, do not want to mate, and their egg production is significantly reduced.

How does breed affect egg production?

Quail breeds are divided into meat, egg and meat-egg. Representatives of egg breeds have the highest egg production.

Japanese quail

This breed is a kind of standard for egg production, meat productivity, and other characteristics. “Egg” indicators of the Japanese breed:

• number of eggs per year – 250-300 pieces;
• weight of one egg – 9-12 g;
• the beginning of oviposition is 35-40 days.

Japanese quails have a high fertility rate - it reaches 90%. Under favorable conditions, females are capable of laying 320 eggs.

High fertility in this breed lasts for about a year, then egg production drops by 50% or more.

Advantages of the Japanese breed:

• undemanding to living conditions;
• resist diseases;
• rapid weight gain - the weight of an adult bird is reached on the 40th day of life;
• Sexual characteristics appear on the 20th day - the birds can be placed in different cages at an early stage.

Pharaoh

This is a meat breed, but their egg production is not much behind that of the “Japanese”. They lay an average of 220 eggs per year. Egg weight is 12-16 g. The fertility rate of the Pharaoh is as high as that of the Japanese breed - 80-90%. Pharaoh successfully combines high egg production with weighty carcasses - the bird is twice as heavy as egg quails. Female pharaohs weigh 300 g, while the weight of egg-bearing quails averages 140-180 g.

Quail eggs are significantly superior in nutritional value to chicken eggs. They contain more vitamins, amino acids and microelements.

English

The breed was developed by the British; they have been bred in Russia since the 80s of the last century. There are two subspecies of English quail - white and black. These quails do not differ in anything except their feather color. Their egg production rates are the same - they lay 270-280 eggs per year. The weight of one egg is 10-11 g.

But the fertility rate of “English” breeds is lower than that of previous breeds – at 75%. The white breed is especially promising for industrial breeding - they not only lay a lot of eggs, but are also distinguished by their attractive pale pink carcasses.

Estonian

Record holder for egg production. Female Estonian quail lay up to 320 eggs per year. Egg weight – 12 g. Fertility – 95%. The best choice for cost-effective breeding of egg-laying quails.

“Estonians” are valued for their versatility; they are cost-effective for any direction - egg or meat. The bird quickly gains weight and lays a lot of eggs. The breed was developed by Estonian breeders in 1989 by crossing the Japanese breed with Pharaohs and English white quails. The resulting breed was different from all previous ones:

• a combination of high egg production with good weight gain;
• high life expectancy;
• duration of oviposition;
• good survival rate.

Tuxedo

This is an egg-meat breed, bred by crossing white and black “English” breeds. The breed received its name for its original color - the back, wings and tail of tuxedo quails are dark, and the neck and belly are white.

Tuxedo quails are often kept for their beauty, but they are also excellent laying hens - only slightly inferior to the Japanese and Estonian breeds. Females lay their first eggs at 6-7 weeks of age.

It is impossible to distinguish females and males by color. It is possible to understand who is who only after reaching sexual maturity - by the cloacal gland under the tail of males.

Manchurian

These beauties are excellent layers of eggs. It is difficult to even determine which direction they belong more to - meat or egg. Golden birds are very beautiful - they are often kept for decorative purposes. The birthplace of the breed is China. A characteristic external feature of the Manchurian breed is the pattern on the head.

The body weight of golden quails is less than that of broiler breeds, but greater than that of egg-laying breeds. But in terms of the number of eggs laid, they are inferior to the leaders - Japanese and Estonian quails.

Marble

A hybrid of the Japanese breed, characterized by a smoky color. The streaks on the plumage resemble the structure of marble. Color varies - quails can have light gray, gold, white and other plumage. In terms of egg production and other indicators, they do not differ from the Japanese breed. Very high egg production and relatively large eggs - up to 10 g. An ideal breed for decorative keeping.

For comparative egg characteristics of these and other popular breeds, see Table 1:

Table 1

Egg production: frequency and influencing factors

These birds tend to fly in the afternoon:

• after lunch;
• late in the evening.

An exception to this rule is the Japanese breed. Its representatives lay eggs immediately after eating food.

Another feature is the frequency of egg production. These birds lay one egg for five to six days. Then they need a break of one or two days. After this, the cycle repeats.

Egg production in these birds depends on two groups of factors:

• individual characteristics – age, breed;
• Features of keeping - habitat conditions, feeding.

Factors of the first group do not depend on the will of the owner. But any changes in the factors of the second group are directly reflected in productivity indicators. Knowing the patterns of such influence, the poultry farmer has a wide range of possibilities on how to increase the egg production of quails.

Egg weight and composition

The average weight of quail eggs is 10 g. The weight range is 7-12 g. Some breeds are larger. The shell is spotted. The main disadvantage is the high cholesterol content.

It is believed that domestic eggs cannot be a source of salmonella, so they can be eaten without heat treatment. This is not true. Most bacteria are killed by the bird's high body temperature, but not all. Raw eggs can, in particular, cause pullorosis infection.

Quail eggs are considered a dietary product. Their calorie content is only 168 calories per 100 g. Table 2 shows the chemical composition and nutritional value of quail eggs.

table 2

Thanks to regular consumption of quail eggs:

• the body recovers after heavy mental or physical stress;
• immunity increases;
• hemoglobin increases;
• the functioning of the nervous system is normalized.

Quail eggs are useful for atherosclerosis, bronchial asthma, diabetes, hypertension, obesity, migraines, and chronic cholecystitis. For a therapeutic effect, it is enough to eat 2-3 eggs daily.

The value of a dietary product: the benefits of quail eggs

Nutrient content

The main reasons why quail breeding is gaining increasing popularity are dietary poultry meat and the nutritional value of eggs.
Quail eggs are valued for their beneficial and tasteful properties, and no expense is spared when purchasing an expensive product. 1 quail egg contains:

• amino acids: lysozyme, glycine, histidine, folic, nicotinic, aspartic acid, tyrosine;
• trace elements: calcium, phosphorus, cobalt, zinc, iron, chromium, copper, potassium, sodium;
• nutrients: fats, protein;
• vitamin groups: A, B, E.

Energy value of quail eggs: 159 calories per 100 grams.

The beneficial effects of eggs on the human body

Due to their rich composition, quail eggs benefit children, pregnant and lactating women, and men suffering from sexual dysfunction.

The product helps strengthen the immune system, so it is recommended in diets during illness and for prevention purposes.

Containing large amounts of calcium and potassium, eggs are used for fractures, diseases of the joints, musculoskeletal system, and during the period of active growth of children. They are rich in nutritional composition, which has a beneficial effect on the health of patients:

• diabetes mellitus;
• anemia;
• gastritis;
• stomach ulcer;
• tuberculosis;
• bronchitis;
• pneumonia;
• obesity;
• cholecystitis.

Who should use it with caution and in what cases?

Quail eggs in limited quantities should be eaten by people with gallbladder diseases, severe liver damage, patients with diabetes, obesity, and allergies.

The common belief that quail eggs are not contaminated with salmonella is a myth. Like chicken ones, they need to be disinfected to prevent infection. Before use, wash thoroughly with warm water and soap and boil for 10 minutes.

How are quail eggs different from chicken eggs?

Everyone has heard about the benefits of quail eggs. A comparative analysis is given in Table 3. The indicator values ​​are given for one egg.

Table 3

Quail eggs are superior to chicken eggs in the amount of minerals. They also contain twice as many vitamins.

Demand for products

Quail eggs are less likely than chicken eggs to cause allergic reactions, and their composition is a valuable source of essential vitamins and minerals.

People who have allergic reactions to chicken egg whites may experience a similar reaction when consuming quail eggs.

Comparative nutritional characteristics of quail and chicken eggs are presented in the table:

The weight of a chicken egg is approximately 4.5-5 times more than a quail egg, and to get more useful microelements you need to eat an equal amount of the product, that is, at least 4 quail eggs.

A balanced diet rich in beneficial microelements for birds is one of the most important factors influencing the quality of egg products.

Quails occupy a small space, do not require much feed and produce large volumes of egg production. You can create favorable conditions for their growth and reproduction even on the loggia of an apartment building.

The egg production of quails at home will be no less high than on specialized poultry farms, if you are interested in the experience of successful farmers, as well as regularly obtain and apply skills and knowledge that will improve the productivity of birds.

Dependence of egg production on the season

In order for females to lay eggs year-round, they require special conditions:

• Provide a minimum area. For one quail - 180-220 sq. see. Excess free space also negatively affects productivity, as does its lack.
• Absence of drafts and stress, ventilation and cleanliness of the room.
• Temperature range +20…+22 °C.
• Humidity at 70-75%. You can regulate humidity by installing special humidifiers. If there are none, you can simply put basins with water.
• The length of daylight hours is 14-15 hours. In order for quails to continue to lay eggs during the winter season, you will need to artificially “lengthen” the day - turn on the lighting. It should be dim.

Bright lighting is contraindicated for quails - it will provoke fights among the birds.

In the life cycle of domesticated quails, there is only one period during which egg laying can stop - molting. The duration of the unfavorable stage is three weeks. At this time, it is important to provide the birds with warmth - the temperature should not fall below +18°C.

Reasons for the absence of oviposition

Let's try to figure out what could be the trigger that caused your quails to stop performing their functions. Perhaps the reason existed before, but its negative consequences only accumulated until they finally exploded.

First of all, you need to suspect violations in the conditions of keeping hens. List of the most common mistakes.

1. Incorrect lighting. The length of daylight hours directly affects the productivity of quails. In the poultry house, its duration is 18 hours. The light should not be bright so as not to irritate the birds, but not dim either. Irritation in birds affects their health, behavior, and, as a result, their ability to lay eggs.
2. Incorrect temperature. According to the norm, the temperature in the sparrowhawk should be within 20 degrees so that the birds are comfortable. A difference in temperature from the indicated one in one direction or another leads to a decrease in egg production.
3. Drafts. They are associated with colds and deterioration in the well-being of your patients. Quails lose their feathers due to drafts, and at the same time do not lay eggs.

The next set of reasons is the stress that your females have had to endure in recent days. Stressful situations may include the following.

1. Moving to another place. Firstly, the quail is nervous about the very fact of the trip. Secondly, they need to settle down in a new place; it takes up to three weeks, and during this time the female does not lay eggs.
2. Male replacement. Quails become attached to their partners. With other quail, they are nervous, “worried.” The process may take about a week.
3. Change of herd. By transferring an individual to another herd, for example, young animals to adults, you create serious reasons for stress.

Next, you should consider objective factors that do not depend on the conditions of care and life situations of your wards. These are the factors.

1. Molting period. Yes, at a certain period the females no longer lay eggs. You can somehow postpone this moment, but for small poultry farms it is still preferable to renew the flock every year.
2. Aging. Although on average laying hens lay eggs for about three years, by the end of the first year their overall egg production drops. The quail continues to fly, but the size of the eggs and their number decrease, and it consumes the same amount of food. This is another reason why experts recommend replacing the entire livestock annually.
3. Diseases. It is necessary to check whether the quail has injured its leg or whether there are any other injuries or ailments. In addition, with age, older individuals are susceptible to various avian diseases, and the quality of their meat deteriorates.

Finally, the reason may lie in a change in food. When you decide to change feed for your birds, keep in mind that the new diet may not immediately suit them. The solution is one of two:

• return to old food (doubting the quality of the new food);
• wait patiently for a couple of weeks (let the quails get used to the new food).

Although you can buy ready-made feed for quails in stores at any time, poultry farmers usually create it themselves. At the same time, you have to monitor the balance of nutrients to ensure that all the necessary vitamins and minerals are present. Inexperienced or novice farmers may have problems here.

Important. Violations in the nutritional value of the diet only reduce egg laying, t

That is, quails do not lay eggs well, but they should not stop doing so altogether. When egg laying stops completely, the reason is something else.

By the way, another “misfortune” is associated with violations in the feeding of birds - quail eggs turn out to be of a non-standard color, they may have a whitish coating or growths, spots, etc. These eggs are no different in their nutritional properties from ordinary ones, they can be eat calmly. The only negative is that the presentation becomes worse than that of eggs whose shells are shiny.

As for the pigmentation on the shell, it can be erased even with your finger.

How to maintain egg production in winter?

It is recommended to leave young birds for the winter - they have a denser layer of down, so they tolerate the cold better and require less additional heating. In winter, it is important to ensure:

• Normal temperature. The cells are insulated. The insulation method is chosen depending on the material - there are wooden and metal lattice cages.
• The room with cages should have windows and holes for ventilation.
• Humidity is maintained at 50% using humidifiers or ordinary wet rags hung in the room. If the humidity is low, the bird drinks a lot, eats little, gains weight poorly and reduces egg laying.
• Daylight hours in winter are artificially extended. For lighting and heating, you can use various infrared lamps - they not only provide light, but also heat. To heat a room with 500 livestock, one 40 W lamp is enough.
• In winter, the light is left on for 15 hours a day. It should be muted. Some poultry farmers insist on 17-18 hours of lighting, but then it is necessary to alternate light and dark periods.

Activities to maximize productivity

Compliance with area standards

One of the reasons why quails stopped laying eggs is overcrowding in the poultry house. Tight cages do not allow quails freedom of movement, this causes them stress. One adult bird requires 0.2 square meters of free space.

Optimal temperature conditions

Quail egg laying increases under the most comfortable temperature conditions. To do this, the temperature in the poultry house is maintained at 20 to 24 degrees.

Normalized daylight hours

Depending on how you determine the lighting in the poultry house, egg production will decrease or increase. In the cold season, electric light is turned on to increase the productivity of quails.

Thus, daylight hours are extended to 16-17 hours a day. Exceeding the indicators will have the opposite effect. You can learn more about the modes in the poultry house from the article “Light and temperature conditions for quails.”

Good ventilation

Quails must have access to fresh air, especially in the hot season. In unventilated areas, pathogenic bacteria quickly multiply, causing various infectious diseases (more on this below). In stale, warm air, the quail does not show activity, becomes lethargic and exhausted.

Cleanliness in the poultry house

It is necessary to periodically clean and disinfect the premises and equipment. The drinking bowl and feeder need to be washed so that leftover food and stagnant water do not become a breeding ground for bacteria.

Having discovered an infection, the poultry farmer may no longer wonder why the quails stopped laying eggs. To prevent infection of birds with parasites, open containers with ash are placed in the poultry house. By bathing in it, quails rid themselves of feather eaters, infections that cause skin diseases, fleas and bedbugs.

Balanced diet

When quails begin to lay eggs, they are switched to a different diet with a higher nutrient content. Feeding should be regular, 3 times a day. Each quail should be given 30-35 grams of feed.

To increase productivity, three weeks before the start of egg laying, protein sources are gradually introduced into the quail’s diet, bringing them to 26% of the daily menu. Lack of protein leads to the fact that the bird does not lay eggs or produces eggs without shells.

The need for protein is provided by low-fat cottage cheese, fish waste, bone meal, ground meat scraps, and chopped earthworms.

Stimulants for increasing egg laying are often: shell rock, chalk, nutritional yeast, sunflower oil, ground grain, fresh herbs.

Laying hens can be given purchased combined feed for chickens, or make it themselves. You can learn in detail about the nutritional value of store-bought homemade feed for them from the article “Composition of feed for quails”.

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Why don't quails lay eggs?

Reduced productivity is a disaster for egg farming. The reasons for the decline in egg production mainly lie in improper care and violation of maintenance conditions:

• Daylight hours are too long or too short. At any time of the year, the light should not be on for more than 18 hours a day.
• Violation of the temperature regime - too hot, cold or sudden changes in temperature.
• Unbalanced diet. Quails should have proteins in their diet. Poor-quality and rough feed mixtures have a negative impact on productivity - birds suffer from indigestion, become weaker and do not lay eggs.
• Crowded space in the sparrowhawk.
• Noise – birds are afraid of loud noises.
• Stress - birds do not tolerate a change of place of residence. Usually after transportation, productivity decreases for some time.
• Diseases. You can determine that quails are sick not only by their behavior, but also by their shells.

Growing conditions

If you have already decided why you need quail, eggs or meat, for your family or for income, then you can move on to organizing the conditions for keeping the poultry. There are several key points.

Room. To organize a quail farm of 100-300 birds, a room of 10 sq.m, where there are no drafts, but there is good ventilation, is suitable. Quail metabolism is accelerated, so the bird needs more fresh air. In the summer, if the weather permits, the cages can be left outside - provided that the area is closed and there are no cats (ferrets and other predators).

To ensure the flow of fresh air needed by birds at the rate of 2 cubic meters per 1 kg of quail in winter and 5 cubic meters. In summer, you can install air conditioning.

Remember that quail does not like sharp sounds - if possible, make sound insulation.

Cell. Quail is a very small bird. It is dangerous to let her out into the enclosure. It is optimal to keep chicks and adults in a cage. You can make your own sparrowhawk from a fine and strong metal mesh and a plywood sheet with a door on top. For each bird there must be a minimum of 200 sq. see, if it is a meat breed, then 10% more.

However, if the space allows, it is better to build a 30x30 cm cage for each quail family - usually 3-4 females and a leading male, an adult (there is no need for it if you plan to deal only with eggs). When designing, keep in mind that the height of the “ceiling” should not be less than 25 cm. Slope the floor of the cage so that the eggs roll into the container. Install a litter tray as well. Cover the ceiling with soft material - a flying quail may be harmed if the top of the house is metal. Alternatively, purchase ready-made cell batteries.

Light. Without light, quail, like chickens, will not eat, gain weight or lay eggs. Long daylight hours, 18-20 hours, guarantee high productivity of birds. You shouldn't abuse this.

Do not keep the light on 24 hours a day - otherwise, males become nervous first, females a little later. Fights begin, the egg production of quails drops, and the appetite worsens. In large poultry farms, where egg production is carried out on an industrial scale, daylight hours for the livestock last 18 hours, after which darkness and light, each lasting 2 hours, alternate. The regime has a beneficial effect on poultry productivity.

Temperature. Quails are easy to grow in central Russia precisely because the bird cannot stand the heat. The air temperature should not exceed 18-200 C. For young animals - 2-3 degrees higher. In winter it is necessary to heat the room where the cages are located, and in summer it is necessary to cool it, avoiding drafts.

If the temperature regime is not observed, then egg production drops, and the death of livestock is possible. To do this, you can choose a heating system and air conditioning. The optimal humidity level is 60-75%.

Feeding. If you are going to raise quails in a country house or country house where you are not present 7 days a week, then it makes sense to install a bunker-type feeder. So, in your absence, the bird will receive food. The most convenient drinking bowl is the nipple system. For hygiene purposes, it is better to install feeders outside the cage space. Birds should be fed 2-3 times during daylight hours at the same time. Violation of the regime is fraught with stress.

Diet. Quail nutrition usually consists of 60% grain crops. The rest is calcium (powder from a river shell), greens (grass, alfalfa, nettle), fish or meat and bone dust, sunflower cake. From time to time, root vegetables and boiled potatoes are added to the birds' diet. You can use purchased feed with added vitamins and minerals, depending on the breed of quail. Experienced farmers recommend a simple scheme: wheat - 30%, corn - 25%, ground shells - 5%, barley - 5% plus fishmeal additives and always greens.

Chicks have a different menu. For the first three days of life, young animals eat finely chopped, hard-boiled eggs. Next, the diet is replenished with cottage cheese and complex feed for chickens. Water for chicks should be boiled - for prevention, you can place a chloramphenicol tablet in the drinking bowl. From 8 days, the chicks are gradually transferred to the usual quail mixture.

Litter. Cover the floor of the cage with sawdust, hay and straw. It is recommended to change the bedding regularly so that the quails do not “fall on their feet.” Several times a week, place a container with a 2-3 cm layer of ash in the sparrowhawk so that the birds can clean their feathers. You can place the livestock in the ash box while you clean the cage. Purified river sand is also suitable for this purpose. But before throwing away the box of ash/sand, check the container for eggs.

How to choose the right chicks

Quail has a hard time with a change of residence - the bird is usually subject to stress, which negatively affects egg production. For an indefinite period, the bird stops laying eggs, even if the journey was short. For this reason, adult individuals are not sold for breeding - only if the owners are not conscientious.

You can find day-old quails in the incubator. Farmers who specialize in breeding birds offer week-old and sometimes 30-day-old chicks. If you already have experience caring for quails and all the necessary conditions for keeping them, then you can take very small, day-old birds. This way you will save on buying heads, and the mortality rate will be close to zero.

But if you do not have experience and the conditions are not the best, then it is better to take month-old quails that have already passed the most dangerous age. However, raised quail costs 5-6 times more. You decide.

Consider the “golden mean” option - week-old quail chicks. It is already clear what gender the individual is, the cost is average, you only need competent care to avoid disease and death of the birds.

The choice of chicks must be careful at any age. Inspect the quail; the eyes should be shiny and clear, the belly should be dry and clean, and the beak should be strong. A loud squeak also indicates good health of the individual.

Care and hygiene

Don’t forget about ash or river sand - for quails this is an opportunity to clean their feathers and get rid of parasites. Consult your veterinarian regarding vaccinations - specific vaccinations will be recommended depending on your area. Pay attention to the plumage - even slight baldness is considered a sign of a serious illness. Falling on your feet is another important reason to consult a specialist.

How to get fertilized eggs

To do this, place 1 male and one female in the cages - or one male and 4 females. These should be young individuals 2-8 months old.

At first, you can raise quails for your family, and when the process gets better, you may be able to organize a good business. The sales market can be found among neighbors, on online platforms, and on social networks.

How do you know if a quail is laying eggs?

Which laying hens work with full dedication, and which just eat food for nothing? It's easy to find out:

1. Take the bird in your arms and place it on its belly in your palm. So that the quail's head is directed towards you. Her belly should lie on her fingers.
2. Feel the belly - the hen feels a hard egg displaced to the side. In a female that has not laid eggs for a long time, the abdomen sinks inwards, just like a male’s.
3. When checking egg production, do not make any effort, act carefully - quails are very shy.

How to determine the sex of a bird?

If you decide to start breeding quails, but will be doing this for the first time, you need to learn how to determine the sex of the bird for successful breeding.

To do this, look at your physique. Females are 15% larger in size due to the organs in which the eggs develop. Their beak and neck feathers are lighter than those of males, and the chest feathers of laying hens are gray with black spots. Such differences are visible already 3 weeks after the birth of the chick.

How to select eggs for incubation?

The key to successful quail breeding is high-quality eggs. In order for the livestock to lay eggs well and grow quickly, it must be bred from the best eggs. Selection criteria:

• The egg must have the correct shape.
• The shell should have a smooth surface, without irregularities or roughness.
• The egg must be clean - without plaque.
• The shape is ideal; elongated and spherical eggs are rejected.
• Egg weight should not fall outside the optimal range for a particular breed.
• If the eggs are purchased, you can store them for 7 days before incubation, no more.

But selection based on external characteristics is half the battle. If you need eggs for breeding, you need to have them scanned - ovoscopy. You need a device - an ovoscope. If you don’t have a device, you can get by with a bright flashlight.

What to check when x-raying:

• Number of yolks – eggs with two yolks are discarded.
• Location of the yolk - it should be in the middle, but slightly shifted towards the blunt edge.
• Foreign inclusions – blood clots, for example.
• Shell integrity - specimens with cracks or chips are rejected.
• Purity of the white and yolk - there should be no dark spots.

Features of breeding quails at home

In order to get healthy young animals that will later produce high-quality products, you need to pay attention to the features of raising quails. At home, quails have lost the ability to hatch offspring. Therefore, at home it is better to use special incubators or place eggs under another bird (the first option is used most often).

The incubator must meet the following requirements:

1. Automatic egg turning is desirable.
2. The incubator temperature does not go beyond +37°C - +39°C.
3. To breed poultry, you can use a regular chicken incubator, but convert the cells for quail eggs.
4. No less important for healthy young animals is the selection of eggs from which the chicks hatch.
5. Select eggs in the incubator of the correct shape, which do not have pigment spots and have a smooth shell (do not use elongated or very round eggs).
6. Choose only clean eggs. If the dirty eggs are of high quality, then wash them in a solution of potassium permanganate and dry them before storing them.
7. Before laying, check the egg for integrity. Eggs with spots inside or multiple yolks, a displaced yolk, or a large air chamber should also not be used.
8. Do not use eggs that have been stored for more than a week in the incubator.
9. The quality of incubation is also affected by temperature and humidity. Microclimate features:
10. The first 15 days - humidity does not exceed 60%, temperature - within +36.6 - +37.7°C.
11. From the 16th day until hatching – humidity is 48% during the hatching period and up to 92% during the hatching period. The period from hatching to hatching can take only 5 hours. Although in rare cases this happens after 2 days.

We recommend reading: What does a cow drink - how much water a day and what to do if she doesn’t drink

Types of quails for breeding at home

Those who decide to breed quails at home must decide for themselves which quails are best for beginners to breed: meat or egg-bearing quails. Based on this, you can choose one of the most popular quail breeds for breeding at home:

1. Japanese quail. The most popular breed for the purpose of obtaining eggs (1 bird can lay up to 300 eggs per year). They do not require special conditions for their maintenance; they are resistant to diseases. The first eggs begin to be laid after 1.5 months.
2. Pharaoh. One of the best meat breeds. It has gained high popularity among farmers all over the world due to its rapid weight gain up to 300 grams, although egg production is low.
3. White Texas quail. Bred for meat. With the right approach to breeding, males grow up to 350 g, and females by 50-70 g. more. They gain weight quickly and do not require special conditions.
4. Estonian breed. Popular among lovers of egg-laying breeds. The average number of eggs per year from 1 female is 280 pieces. The first eggs can be obtained after 45 days.
5. Golden Manchurian quail (or Chinese breed). The annual number of eggs is not the best, but the weight of the egg itself is larger than usual and can reach 16 grams. Farmers' attention to this breed is also due to the fact that they are resistant to diseases and do not require special selection of feed and living conditions.

Breeding laying quails at home: video

The conditions for raising laying quails are the same, both when breeding in the country and at home. Those who are not familiar with how to breed laying quail at home should study these features.

How to increase egg production?

• If productivity is poor, it is recommended to add chalk or fine gravel to dry food to improve digestion.
• Feed the bird three times a day - 30 g of feed per bird. Feeding should occur at the same time. In between feedings, the feeders should be empty so that the bird then eats with appetite.
• Quails must be fed with a special balanced feed for quails. If you prepare food yourself, you should not suddenly change its composition.

The specialist talks about ways to increase egg production in quails of egg breeds:

By choosing the right breed of quail and providing them with the right conditions, you can get maximum egg productivity. The main thing is to remember about the short-term high egg production of quails, and to update the stock in a timely manner.

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Experiment using protein

The stimulator of the productivity of such birds is protein. Voronezh farmers wanted to test in practice whether protein additives to feed improve egg production. They created two groups of birds: experimental and control. The first group consumed food with added protein supplements, namely soy (20%) and peas (80%). The second group of birds was fed only with ready-made commercial feed.

Practicing farmers came to the conclusion that, thanks to the addition of protein components, the feed of the experimental group birds was nutritious, healthy and balanced. As a result, the hens of this group began laying eggs after 42 days, and the birds in the second group began laying eggs after 47 days.

Based on the results of the experiment, the following conclusions can be drawn. Appeared:

• high fertility rates;
• egg quality has improved significantly;
• the number of large eggs increased by 2 times, and the number of small eggs decreased by 3 times;
• the egg weight of a bird from the experimental group is 14% higher than that of a representative from the control group.

Increasing the egg production of quails is not an easy task. First of all, you should thoroughly familiarize yourself with the peculiarities of keeping birds, the conditions of a suitable microclimate, and also thoroughly study the rules and recommendations for feeding them. By properly organizing the diet, as well as adding plant-based additives and proteins to the feed, you can achieve high productivity and maximum fertility results for these birds.

Why is egg production falling?

Sometimes a bird, having begun to lay eggs fully, loses its productivity indicators after a short period of time. In this case, you need to understand the situation and take action. The number of eggs may decrease due to the following:

• improper feeding - an inadequate diet immediately affects the egg production rate, leading to its drop and even complete cessation;
• unventilated room - birds experience oxygen deficiency in it, which negatively affects their condition;
• replacing a male in a flock is stressful for females and it takes them some time to restore productivity, usually from 2 to 3 weeks;
• unsuitable air humidity - if it is high or low, the condition of the quails deteriorates greatly, and if measures are not taken, they will die.

Quails do not forgive mistakes in keeping, since their ability to adapt to conditions is quite low, unlike larger birds.

Age of onset of laying

The main advantage of quails is that they begin laying eggs at an early age. The bird's instinct to mate awakens at the age of 5 weeks. At the same time, males begin to emit a loud whistle, and females a quiet one. Around this time, the birds should begin to lay eggs. However, in the first month the indicator for a laying hen will be low, no more than 10 eggs. Then it will begin to increase and can reach 25-27 eggs per month. When quails begin laying eggs, they produce small eggs, just like chickens, which later increase in size as the bird matures.

Quails lay eggs according to the following pattern: 5-6 days in a row, 1 egg each, followed by a break of 1-2 days. The exact productivity indicator depends on the selected breed.

Specifics of quail egg production: notes for successful farmers

Quail eggs are known as a valuable dietary product. They have beneficial properties. They contain vitamins, minerals, and non-fatty acids, which are important for the normal functioning of the body. Therefore, the demand for them is high.

In this regard, high egg production of quails belongs to the list of key goals of poultry farmers. To effectively influence these indicators, it is necessary to thoroughly know the characteristics of egg laying in quails, as well as the conditions on which it depends.

Fattening quails for meat: feed recipe

Feed for poultry raised for meat can be purchased at the store or prepared yourself.

The following components must be thoroughly mixed:

• corn, ground into flour – 0.8 kg;
• barley ground into flour – 0.2 kg;
• wheat ground into flour – 2 kg;
• bone meal – 2 tsp;
• unrefined vegetable oil – 1 tsp;
• salt – 1 tsp.

To saturate the quail’s body with the necessary minerals, the diet should include vegetables and fruits or purée them. Before using products, be sure to wash them and remove rot, if any.

It is not recommended to feed food in large pieces. This may cause intestinal blockage or the bird may choke.

Transfer young animals to a fattening diet gradually over 4-7 days by reducing the previous feed and increasing the amount of new food.

To get tasty, tender meat without an unnecessary unpleasant odor, the main thing is not to feed the bird fish, garlic and onions, or pine needles.

Poultry selected for fattening should be kept in small cages that will limit their movement and accelerate weight gain.

What you need to know about the content

Quails need a certain amount of free space; as for the size of a cage for 30 birds, its dimensions must correspond to the following parameters (750X350X250 mm). The family is formed from females aged 1.5 years and older; it is recommended to make a group of quail representatives of the same age. The next group is formed according to the same principle and placed in another cage.

The male can be placed with the quails, or you can do without him. Producers are used to produce egg products suitable for herd reproduction and breeding of young animals. It is worth considering that if there is a change of male, the quails stop laying for a while. This period is caused by stress