Content
One of the best egg-bearing quail breeds, the Japanese quail, came to the USSR from Japan in the middle of the last century. It was from the country from which this breed was brought into the Union that the quail got its name.
The Japanese quail breed, descended from the common quail species, is the ancestor of all other cultivated breeds, which arose either as a result of the fixation of random mutations, or due to selection according to the desired trait.
Description of Japanese quail
Japanese quails are quite large birds compared to their wild ancestor. If the "savage" weighs up to 145 g, then the "Japanese" already reaches 200 g. True, in exceptional cases. Usually the weight of quails is 120 g, quail is 140 g.
The selection of Japanese quails was aimed at increasing egg production and body weight to obtain dietary meat, so the color of the wild quail cannot be distinguished from the domesticated “Japanese”.
The color of the Japanese quail varies somewhat from darker to lighter, which made it possible to withdraw quail breeds with colored plumage.
Previously, Japanese quail were bred on an industrial scale, not only for the sake of eggs, but also for the sake of meat. Today, with the advent of larger quail breeds, meat the importance of Japanese quails has decreased.
After the need arose to obtain a larger carcass from a quail, as a result of breeding work in the United States, a quail breed called the pharaoh was bred. The weight of the carcass of a quail Pharaoh exceeds 300 g. Many experts consider the plumage, which is no different from the wild form of a quail, to be a disadvantage of the Pharaoh breed. But scammers, on the contrary, are a boon.
In the reviews of many buyers of Pharaoh quails, complaints are heard that the bird will turn out to be small. Those who are more experienced in terms of the growth rate of quails and their weight gain, quickly guess that instead of the pharaohs, they were sold quails of the Japanese breed. As a rule, situations “vice versa” do not happen. Quail Pharaoh - the bird is more whimsical and lays fewer eggs than the "Japanese", it is harder and more expensive to breed it than the original quail breed.
Productivity characteristics
Japanese the quail starts to fly already in the second month of life and is capable of laying up to 250 eggs per year. The weight of the eggs of the Japanese quail is up to 10 g. With a low weight today, the meat carcasses of the Japanese quail are no longer relevant, although this largely depends on the taste. The weight of the carcasses of wild pigeons is less than the weight of the quail carcasses. And in a plucked and gutted thrush, and even more so there is nothing. However, both the thrush and the wild pigeon are hunted.
The domesticated Japanese quail actively lays eggs directly on the floor, always at the same time. But making her sit on eggs is an impossible task. After domestication, Japanese quails completely lost their incubation instinct.
Bird keeping
It is better to keep quails in cages, so that later you do not chase the cat around the yard, who decided that the quails were bought specifically for the improvement of her body. And birds of prey logically consider the wild quail as their prey, completely not understanding the nuances of the breeds.
The quail cage must be at least 20 cm high. Quails have a habit of taking off with a "candle" in case of danger.To prevent them from hitting the ceiling, the iron mesh can be replaced with an elastic nylon mesh. The size of the cage can vary depending on the number of quails. For 15 birds, a 50x45 cm cage will be enough. On farms, quail cages can be made in several rows.
So, usually get edible unfertilized egg.
Breeding Japanese quails
To obtain fertilized eggs, quail can be resettled in families of one male and three females in different cages. But there is an interesting nuance: females will fertilize better if they are planted with a male for 15 minutes alternately after 2 hours every three days. It is better to perform this manipulation in the morning. However, one male is still limited to three females.
Incubation of eggs
Eggs are laid for incubation with a 5-day shelf life. The longer the shelf life of the egg, the less hatchability will be.
This is explained by the fact that the water contained in the egg evaporates through the shell. The less moisture in the egg, the less chance of hatching a chick. Since eggs are usually stored in a refrigerator at a temperature of 8-12 ° C before the incubator, this exacerbates the problem. The refrigerator compartment will dry out very much any food that is stored there without packaging. It is the refrigerator that explains the small permissible shelf life of eggs.
In nature, the clutch can wait in the wings for a couple of weeks, and at the same time, chicks will hatch from almost all eggs. But in nature, moist soil, rains and morning dew slow down the evaporation of moisture from eggs.
The Little Secret to Better Refrigeration
- We collect the eggs in a container with holes. If at the same time its bottom does not adjoin closely to the table, then it is absolutely wonderful.
- Pour clean water into a plastic bag without holes at the bottom. It can be distilled, or a weak solution of potassium permanganate.
- We put a container in the bag and tie it.
- For air exchange, we make holes in the upper part of the bag.
The increased humidity around the container will prevent the contents of the eggs from drying out too quickly.
You can easily identify which eggs are suitable for incubation by placing them in water. Fresh eggs will drown. In addition, eggs differ in appearance: fresh eggs have a matte shell due to the antibacterial film covering them.
A couple of hours after laying and before incubation, it is advisable to disinfect the eggs, but not with a liquid solution, but with formaldehyde vapor or ultraviolet radiation.
Incubation is carried out at a temperature of 37.6 ° and an air humidity of 80-90%. Turn the bookmark over at least 4 times a day. Better to get an automatic incubator.
An interesting pattern of hatching rate of quail on temperature and humidity is observed:
- t - 37.5; air humidity 50-60% - hatching after 12 days;
- t - 37.2; humidity 54-55% - hatching after 13-15 days;
- t - 37.0; humidity 65-90% - hatching after 16-18 days.
It would seem beneficial to raise the temperature, lower the humidity and get broods faster. In fact, not everything is so simple.
With early development, the quails do not have time to take all the nutrients contained in the egg, and hatch underdeveloped and weak. Their umbilical cord does not heal well, and the yolk remains on the inner side of the shell, which, during normal development, should be used up all.
Raising chicks
Freshly hatched quails are given a mashed boiled egg, very finely chopped greens: onion feathers, nettles, carrots, cottage cheese and fish oil. From the 3rd day, add multivitamins, boiled low-fat fish. You can give a little curdled milk or milk.
For the first week, the quail should be fed 5 times a day, then the frequency of feeding is reduced to 3-4 times. From ten days they give:
- yellow corn - 30% of the total diet;
- wheat - 29.8%;
- powdered milk - 6%;
- meat and bone meal - 12%;
- fish meal - 12%;
- sunflower cake - 3.8%;
- herbal flour - 3%;
- ground shells - 2%;
- vitamins - 0.7%;
- calcium - 0.5%;
- salt - 0.2%.
The first days of the quails will not differ from each other in appearance.
But by a month, when they grow up and fledge, the difference will become noticeable. At this time, it will be necessary to separate the quail from the quail in order to prevent uncontrolled crossing.
Reviews of the breed of Japanese quails
Conclusion
Although Japanese quails have lost their relevance as a source of meat, but, due to their undemanding conditions of keeping, they remain an ideal breed for beginners. After gaining experience, you can try to get other quail breeds or stop at this one.
