Content
Quail breeding is a very popular activity for summer residents. Some breeds are raised for nutritious meat, others for eggs. Among the known breeds, the Estonian quail stands out.
Its uniqueness is due to the ability to obtain both products. Estonians gain weight well and have high egg production. Withdrawn quail of estonian breed by crossing three quality breeds:
- English whites;
- Japanese;
- Pharaoh.
The first two breeds are egg, Pharaoh is raised as meat. The main characteristics that served for the crossing of these breeds were the laying period, the lifespan of quails and the level of survival in various conditions. The official approval of the breed, bred by breeders, took place in 1989 in Estonia. The main advantages of Estonian quails are:
- Ease of care. Growing Estonians is within the power of even novice farmers. They do not require a lot of experience and knowledge.
- High vitality. The bred breed combines the best qualities of its predecessors.
- Fast growth. In a month, the chicks reach the "adult" mass.
- Short incubation period. It lasts only 17 days, which is beneficial when Estonians are being raised on a large scale.
- High survival rate. Estonian quail chicks give 95% survival rate.
- Excellent egg production. After 40 days, the females lay eggs. In the first year of life, one female is capable of producing 3 kg of eggs, and the average annual egg production ranges from 170 to 285 eggs.
How to raise a bird without problems
The bird has signs of its ancestors, especially in color.
Coloring of Estonian quails is expressed in yellow-brown tones with stripes of bright brown color. The cheeks and mandible are also brown, but the goiter is slightly lighter. On the head there are three stripes in light yellow tones. The same light stripes are located on the flight feathers. Females are colored a little lighter, so many people evaluate their color as dusty. Young animals are much lighter in color than adult quails.
To get the maximum effect from the bird, it is necessary to provide it with proper maintenance and competent care. Although breeding “Estonians” does not require much effort, you need to know what you need to pay attention to?
Accommodation
The bird is placed in cages, the height of which is no more than 20 cm. To correctly calculate the area of the cage, proceed from the recommended 2 square meters. m for one quail. If you have a little space to place cells, you can stack one above the other. Quails are extremely active. In case of danger, they jump high enough. Therefore, in order to prevent possible injury to the birds, a fabric mesh is taken for the upper part of the cages.
Conditions
The cages are placed in a dry, well ventilated room.
The temperature regime is maintained in the range from 20 ° C to 22 ° C. The optimum humidity for poultry is 65%.
Feed
The composition depends on the purpose for which the Estonian quail is grown. Meat purposes require a special feed with a high protein content and timely replacement of water in drinkers.
What are the rules for caring for Estonian quails
- Bird feeding... For adults, two or three meals a day are enough. The time is kept constant. Place the drinkers behind the feeders, and the feeders in front. The feeders are attached to the outside of the cages.With a large number of birds, automatic ones are used, into which feed is supplied from a common bunker. The diet of Estonian quails consists of compound feed with protein, crushed grain, finely chopped greens and egg feed. Estonian quails are good at eating vegetables (beets, carrots), apples and May beetles. It is recommended to include meat, boiled liver and cottage cheese in the menu weekly.
- Cleaning of cages... The pallets are washed regularly. In order to thoroughly harvest, Estonian quails are moved to another place during this time. The pallets are washed with soapy water and thoroughly dried.
- Lighting... Daylight hours are provided for 16 hours. Exceeding this indicator leads to an increase in the aggressiveness of the bird.
Winter care
During this time, the birds are provided with a comfortable temperature and average humidity. It is recommended to cover ventilation openings and provide additional lighting to the room. It is good to use infrared lamps, which will additionally heat the house.
How to tell a female from a male
You can determine gender by secondary characteristics - body color and structure. Already at the age of one month, the plumage on the quail's chest is different. Males have a monochromatic ocher-yellow or reddish plumage without blotches. The beak and the entire head of the male are more massive in relation to the body than that of the females. Females are graceful and proportional in their structure. The color of the plumage on the breast of females is more blurry, with dark blotches.
They try to recognize the sex of the bird by the presence of a secretory gland in males near the cloaca. To do this, the bird is taken in the hand and turned upside down. There is a cloaca at the base of the tail. In females, it is without bulges and tubercles. The male has a secretory gland above the cloaca, pressure on which leads to the release of a white secretion. This method is suitable for adult birds, the young quail does not yet have a developed secretory gland, which makes it impossible determine gender thus.
Experienced farmers recommend raising males and females separately from each other. And, at the same time, to equip sections for several individuals in the cages.
Buying Estonian quails is not problematic.
Conclusion
The breed is popular and widespread, so it will be easy to raise birds. After all, summer residents and farmers willingly share their experience in growing Estonian quails.
