Raising quail is usually easy, but sometimes it can be difficult. Because it can be difficult to hatch quail.
Quails are beautiful birds and their popularity is skyrocketing. They are usually bred for their delicious eggs and meat, and are also kept as pets.
Some breeders say that raising quail is easy and they often bring more chicks to the log than you might think.
Quails tend to behave somewhat differently under the supervision of human keepers.
Raising quail can sometimes be difficult because you need a lot of space to house the birds, and you also have to spend a lot of time and money on food, water, and shelter.
However, it will not be difficult to raise quail if you have an incubator. Here we talk in detail about how to keep quail and what conditions are necessary for keeping quail.
The basics of quail farming
Here we will talk in detail about the basics of keeping quail.
Make sure you have enough money and time
To successfully breed quail, you need to have enough time and money. Decide if you are ready or not.
You will have to spend a lot of money for water, food and accommodation. You will also need plenty of room to house your birds.
Make sure you have enough space
You will need a large space for raising quail. Although quails are smaller birds and do not need a lot of space.
But keeping quail requires a lot of space. Each breeding quail will need at least 1 square foot of floor space.
If they don’t have enough space, your birds won’t lay many eggs due to the stress of confinement.
Quiet environment
Try to place your bird’s cage or house in a quiet environment. Because quails usually need to be in a quiet, secluded place.
They need a quiet environment to lay their eggs and also to start breeding. It will be best if the environment is free from predators, loud noises, heavy traffic, and other birds or animals.
Lighting
Quails generally need 13 to 16 hours of light per day. You can hang a lantern above their cage. 13-16 hours of light per day increases quail egg production.
Never leave the lights on day and night. Because quail breeding requires a dark period to sleep.
Provide bedding and nesting material
Give the birds straw or hay. Quails actually need to build nests before they lay eggs or hatch chicks.
Sometimes quails lay their eggs in particular places or around the cage, rather than in nests. They usually lay about 5-7 eggs, then press them into the nest and sit on them.
Both male and female quail usually sit on the eggs. You can also give your quail a nesting box with straw and hay.
Plastic pots, containers or small cardboard boxes are suitable as nest boxes for quail, provided they have an entrance for them.
It will be good if the nest box is slightly larger than the quail, and the quail has to pass through the entrance / opening.
Temperature
The optimum temperature for keeping in a breeding pen is around 21°C. Male quails lose interest in breeding when the temperature drops below 16°C and during periods of high heat.
Raising quail in spring or summer will give the best result. Usually, quail start mating and nesting in spring and summer. Although some quail breeds can breed all year round.
incubator
You can easily hatch quail eggs with an incubator. Although you can let the birds hatch the eggs. And it may be easier to let the birds hatch the chicks because they’ll do all the work for you and you won’t need an incubator.
Although some quail do not make good parents, and some are difficult to think about. Depending on the species, quail eggs take 16 to 23 days to hatch.
In the case of incubator egg incubation, all species will need a temperature of 37.5°C in the center of the eggs, which will drop slightly to 37°C when they begin to hatch in the last few days .
The optimum humidity during the incubation period is 45%, increasing to 80% during hatching.
Quail eggs are difficult to shine due to the motley shell. This way, most people will run the incubator until hatch time, without candling.
Quail content
Here we describe the stages of raising quail.
Choose healthy quail
Always try to choose healthy and active quails for breeding. You can select healthy quail from your current flock when shopping. You need to choose the healthiest bird you can find.
Healthy quail will be active, nimble, nimble, inquisitive and wary. They eat properly, drink water from time to time, and peck at nearby bits of food or insects.
Choose birds that are at least 6 weeks old
When choosing breeding quail, make sure the birds are at least 6 weeks old. Quails under 6 weeks of age are unlikely to lay eggs.
Male/female ratio
A good result will ensure the maintenance of one male for every 2 to 5 female quails. But never exceed 5 females per male. It will be nice if you can keep each male and his females separate from the others.
Because if you keep too many males in a pack, they will fight over females and kill each other. So, keeping the males separated from each other will protect them from fighting.
some products
Feed your breeding quail high quality feed. High quality feed will help your birds stay healthy and produce healthy chicks.
You can buy ready-made quail food at any pet store or pet food store.
Provide a good environment
Provide a calm and neat environment for your birds. Your birds will soon begin to mate, nest and sit on their eggs if left undisturbed. Periodic examinations are acceptable as long as you remain calm and quiet.
hatching
You can use an incubator or let the birds hatch.
Let the birds hatch
You can use your birds to hatch eggs. In this case, do not touch the eggs and do not touch them, except in an emergency (birds can throw them).
If you notice your birds laying eggs separately, leave them. They make a clutch before getting on it.
Depending on the breed, the eggs hatch between 16 and 23 days after the hen sits on them.
After the 17th day of planting, check your birds more often. Because after the 17th day, the chicks will be close to hatching.
Separating the hen and her chicks from the flock
Keep the hen and her chicks separate from the flock. Other quails, in particular, may attack or peck the chicks. And this leads to serious injuries.
It will be better if you can keep the hen and her chicks in a warm place with litter, water and food. And putting a heat lamp in the area would be nice. Although chicken naturally keeps chickens warm.
Chicken feed
Feed your chicks starter foods. Chicken starter, containing about 28% protein, is suitable for quail chickens. This starter feed ensures that your chicks grow into strong and healthy birds.
Water
Make sure fresh, clean water is available. Use a smaller water bowl to prevent hens from drowning.
Individual male and female chicks
Separate males and females at 6 weeks of age. You can separate males and females by using the ventilation system, looking at the feathers, observing their behavior and also listening to their voice. Separation of males from females is necessary to avoid fighting.
Jump into the cell
Transplant the birds into the cage after they are 6 weeks old. You can put them in a spacious enclosure or keep them in a simple rodent cage. Follow the instructions mentioned above to raise a new flock of quail.
