Content
Quails are excellent birds for domestic breeding. They are picky and healthy enough. In addition, unlike turkeys or chickens, which can only be kept in a separate room, quails live well in apartments. Of course, such breeding will not allow keeping a large number of birds, but it will be quite enough for the needs of one family. Quails in an apartment will require certain conditions from the breeder. They will be discussed in this article.
Apartment breeding of quails
Household quail breeding is not so rare as it might seem at first glance. While we have parrots and canaries, practical Japanese have kept quails in their apartments for many decades. For them, quails in an apartment are not only a symbol of well-being and prosperity, but also a source of the most valuable dietary eggs.
Their use contributes to the restoration of immunity and hormonal levels. In addition, a number of studies prove the ability of quail eggs to remove radionuclides from the body, reducing the negative effects of radiation exposure.
Quails began to appear in our apartments relatively recently. Due to their unpretentiousness, they are perfect for apartment maintenance. The fact that quails are among the quietest birds played an important role in apartment breeding. Quail females are almost always silent, and only males can scream, and even then rarely.
Many people believe that quail in an apartment will be a source of dirt and an unpleasant odor. But the same can be said for cats and dogs, which we always choose as our pets. Any animal or bird kept in an apartment requires some care and cleaning. If the quails in the apartment are properly looked after, then there will be no dirt and smell, but there will only be benefits in the form of the most useful eggs and dietary meat.
The cage and its placement
When planning an apartment breeding of quails, the first thing to do is to take care of the place of their keeping. For different numbers of quails, the place of keeping will be slightly different:
- if you plan to keep several quails, then you can limit yourself to an ordinary cage for parrots;
- when keeping 4-15 quails, it is worth using a special cage with a front mesh wall;
- for keeping 50 or more quails it is recommended to use special cage batteries.
Moreover, if quails in an apartment will be started up for the sake of eggs, then they can be planted by 15 individuals in one cage, but its dimensions should be at least 55x50x25 cm.But if the main purpose of keeping is the breeding of quails, then the birds should be planted by families consisting of of 4 females and 1 male. Each such family will have enough cage with dimensions of 30x40x20 cm.
This is for the safety of the chicks. After all, adult quails, especially males, can injure them.
You can find a quail cage in an apartment in any specialty store. Their price range will allow you to choose an option for any wallet. Particularly handy breeders make cages for apartment breeding of quails on their own. As materials used in the creation quail cages, they use:
- wooden beams;
- metal mesh and wire;
- plastic pallet for collecting droppings;
How to make a quail cage using these materials will be shown in the video:
Inside a quail cage purchased or made by yourself, you need to install feeders and a sippy cup. You can also either buy them or make them yourself.
When keeping quails in an apartment, not only the cell itself is important, but also its location. The location of the quail cage in the apartment directly affects the normal development and egg-laying of birds. Therefore, a cage with quails in an apartment should be located in a place that is:
- Quiet - in a noisy place, quails will experience constant stress. From this they can become aggressive, attack each other and rush badly.
- Ventilated - fresh air is very important for quails, but without drafts. Quails will start to hurt from them. It is best to install a small fan for them.
- Illuminated - this is one of the main requirements for a place for quail. They are incredibly sensitive to light. For optimal growth, quails need subdued but long-lasting lighting. Daylight hours for them should last at least 17 hours.
- Warm - it will best provide the quails with a temperature of 18-20 degrees. This temperature regime will be the best for quails. The maximum allowable temperature for quails will be 25 degrees, and the lower temperature threshold is 18 degrees. When the air temperature is less than 18 degrees, the quail will start to hurt.
- Wet - the optimum humidity for quails is 60%.
Quails in the apartment can live both in the room and on the balcony. If a room is allocated for breeding quails in an apartment, then it should not have a TV or other sources of noise. In addition, it is desirable that people go there as little as possible.
In an apartment, the best place to place quail cages will be a glazed balcony. It will ideally meet all the conditions necessary for birds, namely, it will be quiet, light and ventilated. But there will be one mandatory requirement for it - it must be insulated. In addition, it will be useful to insulate the frame of cages for quail with plastic wrap or foam. To create better conditions, you can install additional lighting lamps and a fan.
Quail feeding
Food for quails bred in an apartment is no less important than the conditions of their keeping. Their further growth and health will depend on it.
Quail feed ingredients
Food for quails in an apartment can be conditionally divided into two types:
- production compound feed, which is bought in specialized stores;
- self-compiled food.
The difference between the two feeds lies only in the fact that industrial feed is used for already adult birds, but for young animals it is better to make feed yourself.
Some breeders, when choosing food for quails in an apartment, stop at the usual compound feed for laying chickens. But this feed contains a small amount of crude protein, which is so necessary for quails.
Self-formulated quail feed should contain ground base and protein. The following components are used as the basis for quail feed:
- Corn is a valuable source of energy for quail. But due to the high content of starch, quail can not digest it well. Therefore, it must be diluted with meat and bone or fish meal.
- Oats - saturates quail feed with useful microelements and vitamins. Before adding to the feed, it must be well sieved and peeled.
- Millet - similar in composition to oats. It is recommended to alternate them.
- Wheat - has a positive effect on the productivity of quail.Only finely chopped wheat or Artek wheat groats should be added to the feed.
Quail protein can be egg, dairy, or meat protein. Boiled eggs are used as a source of egg protein for quail. Quail milk protein can be obtained from cottage cheese and fermented milk. Fish waste, meat and bone meal and minced meat can be used as a source of meat protein.
In addition to these feed components, quails in the apartment should receive carbohydrates. Their main sources are foods such as soybeans, peas and lentils. Before adding to quail feed, they need to be boiled and chopped a little. Do not forget about fresh grass with vegetables. In the daily diet of quails, there should be at least 15% of them. Quails can be given not only the usual finely chopped grass, but also the leaves of beets, carrots, dandelions, clovers and nettles. In winter, lettuce, dill and cabbage are used instead of herbs. From vegetables, quails can be boiled potatoes and beets or grated raw carrots.
Since the quails in the apartment will lay eggs, their diet should include mineral supplements necessary to replenish calcium reserves. Such quail feeding should consist of crushed chalk, gravel, egg shells or shells.
Feeding ration
Young and adult quails living in an apartment have different needs for nutrients. Therefore, each return group will have its own feeding regime. In quails, 3 periods of life can be distinguished:
- The first period lasts the first 7 days after the birth of the chick. During this period, quail chicks especially need calcium and protein. The first 2 days after birth, quail chicks should receive boiled and crushed eggs from the shell. On the 3rd day, grated cottage cheese can be added to the egg. After that, you can gradually introduce chopped greens.
- The second period lasts from the 2nd to the 4th week of the chick's life. During this period, young quails need to be fed 4 times a day with purchased or self-made compound feed with added protein.
- In the third period of its life, a quail chick becomes an adult. His diet should contain ground grain mixes, protein products, herbs and mineral supplements.
The largest serving should be given at night. This will keep the birds from feeling hungry until morning.
Bird selection
Now that we have figured out the conditions of keeping and feeding quails in the apartment, we can talk about the most important thing - the right choice of birds for breeding. For indoor breeding, you need to buy young quail chicks at the age of 1 to 1.5 months. Younger chicks can not tolerate moving well and will take a long time to get used to new conditions of detention.
When choosing quail chicks, you should pay special attention to their appearance:
- feathers of young quails should be clean, especially in the area near the cloaca;
- the beak of the chicks must be clean and free of growths;
- there should be no traces of droppings on the quail's paws, they should also be clean;
- outwardly, the chick should look healthy.
In addition to external signs, it is worth paying attention to the motor activity of quail chicks and their appetite. They should not sit huddled in a corner, but should be active and vigorous. If time and the breeder permits, then you need to wait for the feeding time of the quails and make sure they have a good appetite.
As for the breed, it is worth choosing a Japanese quail breed for breeding in an apartment. They were specially bred for keeping in an apartment and are particularly unpretentious.
The success of quail breeding in an apartment will entirely depend on whether the breeder will be able to create the conditions necessary for them. Therefore, before starting quails in an apartment, you should sensibly assess your capabilities.They, like any other living creature, will require a certain amount of care, even if it is insignificant.
