Content
Quail breeds are divided into three types: egg, meat and decorative. In practice, some species have universal use.
Description of English quails
The breed is egg, but it is also used for obtaining eggs and for slaughtering for meat. The main advantages of English quails:
- High productivity;
- Universal use in the household;
- Unpretentious content;
- Early maturity;
- They easily tolerate a short-term drop in air temperature.
English quails have two varieties - with white and black plumage. They differ slightly mainly in appearance. The differences can be seen in the photo.
The English white quail has white feathers, sometimes with small black spots. The eyes are light brown, the beak and paws are light. The carcass of a quail is pinkish, excellent presentation.
The English black quail is distinguished by its decorative effect, its plumage has various shades of brown and black. Photos poorly convey all the beauty of this bird. The eyes of the quail are golden, the beak and paws are black.
Black quail meat has a dark shade, sometimes it is called "black". After cooking, this feature remains.
Females of English quails begin to lay at the age of 6 weeks; under favorable conditions, they can produce up to 280 eggs per year.
Characteristic
Productivity - 280 eggs per year. The average weight of an egg is 14 grams. The feed consumption is small - about 35 grams of feed is needed per individual per day. Chicks emerge from 85% of the eggs.
The average weight of a female is 200 grams, and males on average weigh no more than 170 grams.
Broiler English quails are larger. The weight of the female can reach 300 grams, the weight of the male is 260 grams.
Sex differences are determined quite late, it is difficult to distinguish a male from a female before they reach 7 weeks.
English quail care
English black quail is undemanding to care for. For the successful breeding of birds of this breed, you must follow simple rules:
- Monitor the temperature and humidity of the air;
- Provide regular cleaning of cages;
- Birds must have constant access to food and water;
- Regularly treat cells and quails from skin parasites;
- Provide a variety of feed.
English black quails are bred in England and adapted to its climate. They easily tolerate high humidity, short-term temperature drop to 3 degrees Celsius. They do not like heat and dry air. Regularly rush at an air temperature of 18 to 26 degrees Celsius, with an increase or decrease in temperature, productivity decreases.
The cages are cleaned at least once a week, at an air temperature above 30 degrees - every other day. If the cleaning is carried out less frequently, the droppings and feed residues will begin to decompose, and the active reproduction of molds will begin. Birds, pecking at moldy food, get sick, as it is toxic to quail.
The stomach of a quail has a small volume, food is digested rather quickly. If feed is provided too rarely, the bird overeats, this can cause various diseases of the digestive system.
Treatment of birds from skin parasites is carried out at least once a month. The need to free the cage from quails during processing is determined depending on the toxicity of the drug. It is advisable to choose chemicals with low toxicity.
Make sure that it does not contain harmful substances that can be formed, for example, when burning plastic bags.
It is very important to monitor feed diversity to avoid nutrient deficiencies in birds. To prevent a lack of vitamins, English black quails can be added to the feed with fresh herbs, vegetables, fruits. The remains of feed, fruits and vegetables are removed daily to prevent spoilage.
Content in cages
In most regions of Russia, for the year-round keeping of English black quails, a heated, well-lit room is needed. They do not tolerate low temperatures well. To obtain eggs, an air temperature of about 20 degrees and illumination of at least 17 hours a day are required.
Placed indoors quail cages, often in several tiers. The height of the cage should not exceed 30 cm. Usually 4 tiers are made so as not to complicate the care of the birds. The photo shows an approximate arrangement of a cage for English quails.
The volume of the cage is calculated based on the number of quails that will be placed in it. One bird needs at least 20 cm of surface. English quails cannot be kept in closer conditions - cannibalism develops among birds, weak quails can be pecked. In addition, the productivity of English quail is significantly reduced.
Content in the aviary
Many summer residents do not keep English black quails all year round, but only during the warm season. At the end of the season, the quails are slaughtered.
English black quails are early maturing birds. They begin to rush at the beginning of the third month of life, at the same time you can start slaughtering for meat. For 4 months of the warm season, from one quail raised from a day-old chicken, you can get at least 40 eggs.
To save money, a special room is not equipped for the seasonal keeping of English black quails, the birds are bred in an open-air cage on the street. The volume of the enclosure is determined based on the calculation - at least 15 cm of the surface is required for one bird. The approximate equipment of the quail enclosure is shown in the photo.
Feed
For English black quails, two types of feed are used - industrial production and self-made. When choosing ready-made feed for quails, it is advisable to take into account the characteristics of the manufacturer.
Food for English black quail should include the following ingredients:
- Protein;
- Carbohydrates
- Fats;
- Sand;
- Vitamin complex.
Commercial feed contains all the nutrients that birds need, often containing sand. Additional components are not required to be added to the feed. The description of the composition is usually found on the packaging.
When self-preparation of feed, it is necessary to strictly observe the proportions, unbalanced nutrition can cause various diseases in black quails.
When breeding English black quails for meat, a special diet is used. Feed should be balanced, contain all the necessary nutrients, greens. To increase the fat content of the poultry, sunflower cake is added to the quail feed for two weeks before slaughter.
Breeding of quails is becoming more and more popular due to the easy care and excellent taste of the products obtained. Most summer residents, having tried to keep these birds, continue this exciting and profitable occupation.
