If the quail barn is equipped with all the requirements, stable egg production and rapid body weight gain can be expected from these birds. On a quail farm, it is important to regularly maintain temperature, light and humidity conditions. Failure to comply with the rules and regulations will lead to the fact that the quail will stop gaining weight and begin to lose weight. Quail eggs will produce fewer eggs or stop laying altogether. And in some cases, birds can die en masse.
Homemade, but not quite
Wild quail is a finicky bird in terms of ambient temperature and daylight hours. This is the only species from the order of chickens, which flies to the southern regions every autumn.
Despite the fact that the quail breeds contained in the cages are domesticated, complete domestication did not occur. This means that the conditions of their maintenance should be close to natural ones.
The best performance results are achieved at a stable temperature and humidity. This can be achieved by organizing a house in a confined space, that is, indoors.
Feeding rules
Particular attention should be paid to bird feeding in winter. Many inexperienced breeders do not know how to feed quail.
It is possible to purchase ready-made feed intended for laying hens.
It is very easy to germinate grains, for this they are soaked in water at room temperature and left in a dark room for several days. To prevent the grains from drying out, you need to add water to them as needed. As soon as they begin to sprout, they can be given to the quails.
Correct feeding of quails in winter can increase egg production. Like other poultry, they need fresh greens. They love it very much, as it contains many important vitamins. Many breeders especially for quails in winter grow onions and lettuce in boxes. You can replace greens with boiled vegetables. In addition to the main feed, the following foods should be included in the quail's diet:
General rules of content
Quails do not like a sudden change of scenery. Therefore, you should not keep quails in one place in summer and in another in winter. Such "moving" is fraught with the fact that females stop rushing, and the adaptation process can take a long time.
In winter and summer, the temperature for quails should fluctuate between 19-22 degrees. The minimum is 17 degrees.
If the region has a cold winter, you will have to take care of additional heating of the barn. Using convection or infrared heaters. Be sure to monitor the humidity in the room. Its optimal performance is 55–75%.
You can read about other norms and recommendations that must be adhered to when growing laying quails or quails for meat in the article "On breeding quails at home: for beginners and experienced".
Egg production
The carcass has a good weight of 125 g. Quails have a high egg production and can produce about 290 eggs per year. The weight of a quail egg ranges from 8 to 12 grams. The plumage of Japanese quail is brown with variegated splashes. The belly is, on the contrary, light in color.
They also lay very well and produce about 280 eggs per year. Unlike other breeds, English quails are considered more meat, since the weight of a carcass can reach 205 g.
Manchurian quails of golden color have excellent external data. They are covered with feathers of unusual color, and their carcass looks very appetizing. The breed is considered egg. Laying hens produce about 280 eggs per year. Carcass weight is small, on average from 160 to 180 g.
Outwardly, the birds are very reminiscent of their wild ancestors. The birds are large in size. Carcass weight reaches 300 g. Since the breed is more meaty, egg production rates are very low and do not exceed 200 eggs per year. But the eggs are large in size, about 16 g.
Even in oviparous breeds that have always carried well, clutch production may decline over time. This mainly happens in the winter.
In winter, egg-laying sites should be well insulated and moderately lit. Lack of vitamins and minerals can also lead to decreased productivity. Therefore, hens should be given special food additives in winter.
Quails can be successfully raised in the household. But poultry farmers are afraid of the problems of keeping these birds in the cold season. Indeed, in the wild, they do not live in a harsh winter and do not tolerate temperature fluctuations, dampness, and slush poorly. Let's talk about how to create conditions for quails in winter so as not to lose their livestock.
Features of the poultry house
Area calculation
You can keep two to three dozen quails in any room. Some lovers even keep them on the balcony.
Another thing is when the question is about creating a mini-farm. In this case, quails must be at least 1000 pieces. Plus - a place for brooders, incubators, cages.
In keeping with zootechnical regulations, a minimum of 25 m² of housing is required to house 1000 quail in battery-operated cages. If brooders and growth cages will be in the same room, then another 10 m² is needed.
A ready-made room of such an area is suitable for keeping quails. The most important requirement is the absence of drafts. All cracks must be sealed, for example, with polyurethane foam.
A little about building a barn
If there is no suitable premises on the personal plot, you will have to build it. The shed can be made of any building material that can withstand disinfection treatment: brick, slag or foam block.
Winter frosts should be taken into account. The "colder" the walls of the house are, the more money will have to be spent on heating it to maintain the right temperature for the quail.
The floor in the room must be filled with cement screed. It is better if it is reinforced. This will protect the quail from rats and small predators. It will also allow for regular disinfection.
Ultraviolet or artificial lighting
Quails and quails do not need sunlight. The farm should have artificial lighting that can be used to vary the brightness and daylight hours of the birds.
If there are already windows in the shed set aside for the poultry house, they should be darkened with something, for example, tracing paper. It is not worth it to nail it tightly or lay it with bricks - in the summer it will be possible to open them to ventilate the room.
The sun's ultraviolet rays can harm the quails, so it is recommended to install light filters on the windows.
Cells
Quail cages are set along the long wall of the barn. It is better to make them multi-tiered, in order to increase the stocking density of birds per 1 m² of the house floor.
These cells are sold online. However, they cost more than three pennies and it is much cheaper to make them yourself. The article "Building a cage for quails with our own hands" can help with this.
Heating
The mini-farm must be electrified without fail. The reasons were mentioned above - artificial lighting and heating. Keeping quails in a barn in winter without light and heat may not kill them, but you definitely won't have to wait for eggs and gain in weight.
A few words about heating devices. Electric heaters are of three types:
- convection;
- infrared;
- fan heaters.
The first two types will cope with the task of heating the house. The third type is not suitable for a quail farm. It works loudly, and quails do not tolerate extraneous noises poorly. In addition, the heater fan creates air flows that are not needed in the room.
It is possible to equip an autonomous steam or water heating in the barn, but this option will require large capital investments. For a large enterprise, this option is justified; for a mini-farm, such costs are useless.
Cage requirements
Another very important point is the size of the cells. If in winter the keeping continues with a large herd (250-300 heads), then in small cages the bird will be able to warm itself well. If there are few quails, then the size of the cages should be reduced or their protection from the cold should be increased.
Make sure there is sufficient humidity in the room. But if it's cold, don't pour water on the floor. This will not create comfortable conditions, but rather make the room cold and damp. With this content, birds quickly catch cold and die. The best way in a cool shed is to hang a damp rag or just a bucket of water.
In this video, one of the private quail owners shows a version of their winter bird keeping. You will see how easy and simple it is to place a warm and comfortable cell battery in a very small area.
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If the size of the farm is small, for example, there are only one or two families, each of which has one male and three or four females, then it is quite possible to keep quails in a warm apartment by organizing a mini-farm in a heated room somewhere in the corner: for There is always a place for small-sized cells, installed one on top of the other.
A spacious balcony or loggia will accommodate more cage enclosures and, accordingly, more bird families. But in this case, the balcony or loggia needs not only to be glazed, they will have to be insulated, completely safe from drafts and sudden changes in temperature - quails are very sensitive to such things. In addition, certain conditions must be observed regarding:
- temperature comfortable for birds;
- air humidity;
- thoughtful ventilation - birds cannot live without certain volumes of fresh air.
It is reasonable to keep a few quails in special cages on the balcony.
A large number of families will need a larger room. Those who live outside the city can afford such a scale. The ideal option is to equip a whole barn for a poultry house for winter keeping quails, warm it well, observing all the same standards, i.e., ventilation, temperature and humidity.
Advice. In winter, experts recommend limiting the quail farm to only 50 individuals, leaving adults without fail. The dense content of birds allows you to save on heating, in addition, the young are covered with thick down, which will serve as a kind of additional source of heating for the wards.
A large number of quails, in winter they are kept in large warm rooms
If the number of birds in a quail farm is tens or hundreds of individuals, then a room with an area of at least 30 square meters is selected, it will be possible to place up to 1000 birds in it.
In the poultry house, cages are installed, one on top of the other (but no more than five "floors"). You can place up to 12 multi-storey batteries, but at such a distance that the owner is comfortable giving food and water, collecting eggs, and also inspecting birds.
In addition to cells, you will also need:
- an incubator for incubating eggs (we remind you that in winter it is better to limit yourself to adults);
- brooder for chicks;
- separate compartment in which it is convenient to store food.
Incubators need to be organized
Arrange the room as follows.
- The walls must be covered with plaster, on top of which sanitary whitewashing with fresh lime is applied from time to time.
- The floor must be cement - a screed is needed.
- Windows for the winter are glued with a matte material to create more shade.
- Organized electrical wiring to power the equipment. To avoid a blackout, which can kill the entire herd, you should take care of buying your own generator.
- Heating is organized. It is made by anyone: electric, water, or using a stove with a separate chimney. Depending on the type of heating, the room is planned.
- The structure should be as "deaf" as possible so that the birds do not get nervous, paying attention to what is happening nearby. The more nervous the quail is, the fewer eggs they carry.
- Too much light enters the open cell. Its excess makes the birds aggressive or, conversely, depressed. The first is fraught with fights and pecking of weak individuals, the second - with a decrease or complete absence of egg production.
- Open structures are more susceptible to draft. As a result, feathers begin to drop out in the bird, and the body will have to spend energy on renewing feathers, which also reduces productivity.
- Closed cages better protect the livestock from fluctuations in day and night temperatures.
- The dimensions of the internal space are selected so that for each individual there is at least one square decimeter.
- Build a closed box of solid wood;
- there should be doors in the box;
- it is better to put sawdust on the litter.
the shed must be present as the birds need sunlight to grow successfully.
The sun's rays supply living organisms with vitamin D, which reduces the risk of developing rickets in quails with a lack of the required amount of vitamins and minerals. Windows will also allow you to organize natural ventilation during warm periods.
Everything inside the house needs to be arranged correctly
Cells
Since we are discussing the organization of a winter house, the cages should be made of a material that retains heat well - wood. All walls and ceilings should be from it. But the gratings and nets should be abandoned, they do not retain heat.
For a summer house, galvanized iron, stainless steel and plywood can also be used as material for a quail cage. But the manufacturing rules are the same. Here are some of them.
We suggest that you familiarize yourself with: How to vaccinate rabbits at home
Wooden or plywood cage walls will help the quails not to worry
Important. Do not place cages too close to windows. Even a change in the weather outside (yesterday rain, today - the sun) has a negative impact on the birds.
It is desirable to insulate the ceiling with foam rubber. At the same time, thereby you will save the most "jumping" individuals from injury. They also provide for partitions so that females can be separated from males - from a certain age it is recommended to keep them apart.
In addition to, in fact, the cells themselves for young animals and adults, you will also need a brooder - a compartment for newborn chicks. If you still intend to incubate eggs in winter, then the brooder will have to be carefully insulated. For this:
The brooder should be lined with sawdust and insulated as much as possible
Humidity
Here it is advisable to adhere to the following rules:
- at least 50% humidity throughout the barn room;
- if you want to achieve keeping conditions as close as possible to those in which quails live in nature, increase the humidity to 70%;
- the floor must be dry.
The desired atmosphere can be achieved by hanging a damp cloth from the ceiling or by placing containers of water in the center of the room.
We pay special attention to moisture, since non-compliance with these standards can cause significant harm to birds.
Ventilation
Let's list the desired parameters in a special table.
| Poultry house | Air movement (m / s) | ||
| minimum | norm | maximum | |
| For adults | 0,2 | 0,3 | 0,6 |
| For young animals | 0,1 | 0,2 | 0,5 |
Lighting
The ideal option would be to combine it with heating. For this, infrared lamps are used, the industry produces different models. The main requirement for lighting is that in the poultry house it is necessary to ensure the duration of daylight hours from 15 to 17 hours. The light is made dimmed, making up for the lack of sunlight.
Infrared lamps are used for lighting and heating.
Infrared lamps will help maintain the required temperature in the house. For comfortable keeping, the temperature of the quails is set within 18 degrees, lower and higher is not recommended.
In order to increase the productivity of laying hens, experts recommend not to leave the lamps on for all 15 - 17 hours, but to alternate between dark and light periods every two to three hours. This has a beneficial effect on egg production.
For the successful keeping of quails, so that your pets do not get sick, it is recommended to carry out disinfecting procedures from time to time. All places where birds are kept are exposed to them.
Hygiene measures are as follows.
birds can only be returned to dry cages, otherwise dampness will soon appear there, and the individuals will begin to hurt.
Also, the entrance to the barn is equipped with a disinfection barrier. It is easy to make such a device with your own hands. The simplest construction is as follows:
- a box with low, up to five centimeters, sides is selected;
- the bottom of the box is covered with sawdust and covered with burlap;
- the entire structure is impregnated with a disinfectant.
Install a disinfection barrier on the floor at the entrance doors. Upon entering the poultry house, the poultry farmer will stand on him, thereby disinfecting his shoes. As a result, the risk of bringing in pathogenic microbes from the street is reduced.
At the entrance to the poultry house, you need to make or buy a disinfection barrier
It is very important to organize comfortable living conditions for the birds in the barn. Let's see how to do this.
Temperature
In winter, make sure that the temperature is kept constant in the barn. The optimal indicator for quails is considered to be 18 ° C. Even insignificant differences, both down and up, will negatively affect the standard of living of the bird. For example, when the temperature drops, individuals will begin to climb out on top of each other, as a result of which less weak birds may die.
Proper arrangement of the premises plays a key role in successful cultivation in winter. For example, if you keep a small number of livestock from several families, bird cages can be placed in the corner of any heated room (Figure 2).
Note: City dwellers can even place cells on a balcony or loggia, but it should be borne in mind that to prevent drafts and hypothermia, the structure must be glazed and insulated. Figure 2. Arrangement of cages and premises for housing livestock
How temperature and humidity affect quail performance
Quails are thermophilic birds. No wonder they fly south every autumn.
Their domesticated cousins also need certain conditions.Poultry farmers noticed that temperature deviation from the norm (19-22 degrees) leads to a sharp decrease in the number of eggs.
At a decrease of 5 degrees, egg-laying may completely stop. From this quail begin to hurt and may die.
The increased temperature in the barn dries up the air. If the humidity in the room is less than 50%, the quails begin to drink a lot of water, refuse to feed and, as a result, stop rushing and gaining weight.
It is necessary to monitor the humidity level in the poultry house during the summer and winter periods. In the heat indoors, you need to put containers with water or hang wet rags inside the cells.
In winter, it is advisable to refuse rags, and air dried out by heaters may well moisten pots with water.
Helpful Tips for Beginners
In conclusion - tips for those who are just starting to breed these birds:
- Decide why you will be doing this. The number of individuals depends on this. If you want to have eggs and meat just for yourself, then 20 pieces are enough. If you keep more, there will be a surplus of products that will need to be sold. With a large flock, material and physical costs increase, calculate your strength correctly.
- Think about where you will keep them. The place must be selected depending on the number of individuals, and also decide how you will comply with the requirements for temperature, humidity and the amount of light.
- Solve the cell issue. You can make them yourself or buy ready-made ones.
- Make a financial calculation in advance. Calculate how much money will be needed at the initial stage, then to purchase feed and maintain normal conditions, and you will understand whether it will be profitable to do this business.
- Please note that quails need daily care. The need for feeding, harvesting, collecting eggs takes a lot of time. Therefore, if a large scale is planned, you need a person who will do this.
Did you know? Quail eggs are non-allergenic. They contain the ovomucoid protein, which suppresses allergic manifestations. A similar protein is used in the manufacture of antihistamines.
Breeding quail in winter is not such a difficult job. Of course, some poultry farmers do not bother and raise these birds only in the warm season, and then let them go under the knife. But taking into account the fact that you now know how quails calmly endure the winter when creating some conditions for them, you can do this exciting business all year round. So, think, weigh the pros and cons. And we wish you success in this field!
Lighting on a quail farm
Quails rush exclusively during daylight hours. Electric lamps play the role of the sun in the house. It is necessary to ensure that the lights on the birds are on for no more than 12 hours in a row. Then the hens should be allowed to rest, having made a "night" in the barn for 2-3 hours.
When fattening quails for meat, adjusting the lighting can also achieve good results, imitating the autumn sun, reducing the length of daylight hours. The bird reflexively begins to eat away, preparing for the "flight to the south."
The use of infrared lamps in quail cages gives good results. Their advantage is:
- stimulation of sexual development;
- increased egg production;
- preventing aggression and, as a result, cannibalism;
- an additional source of heat in the cells.
Everyone knows the disinfecting properties of ultraviolet lamps, which are often used in industrial complexes. You can also use them on a home mini-farm. But for this, the quail shed must have ceilings at least 3 meters high.
Otherwise, birds can burn the cornea of the eyes and go blind. And of course, these lamps cannot be used as permanent lighting.
Possible diseases and their prevention
Infectious diseases that quails are prone to:
- Newcastle disease;
- pullorosis;
- psittacosis;
- aspergillosis;
- smallpox.
Preventive measures include maintaining cleanliness, timely disinfection and, most importantly, routine vaccination. Vaccinations are an effective way to fight infection.
The parasitic diseases that occur in this poultry are as follows:
- malofagosis;
- syngamosis;
- blindness;
- eye injuries.
The main preventive measures are good care, compliance with standards and requirements for conditions of detention and cleanliness. Do not forget to fully sanitize the cages and premises every three months.
Non-infectious diseases peculiar to quails:
Such ailments affect birds in case of non-observance of the rules of nutrition and drinking. Therefore, prevention consists in strict adherence to the diet, which is necessary for the development of birds.
House ventilation
The farm owner must ensure that fresh air is supplied to the house. The concentration of carbon dioxide in the air over 0.25% is detrimental to quail. Also, the excess should not be allowed:
- ammonia - more than 15 mg / m³;
- hydrogen sulfide - 5 mg / m³;
- dust - 2-5 mg / m³.
In the normative documents on zootechnics, the norms for the speed of air movement in the quail poultry house (meters per second) are established:
The chimney is installed under the very ceiling of the barn, away from the quail cages. It is better to install a fan to regulate the speed of air circulation. But it should work as quietly as possible so as not to disturb the layers.
The supply pipe should be lowered about 20 cm from the floor. In some cases, it can be replaced by through holes in the walls. They must be covered with a fine mesh to prevent predators or rats from getting inside.
A properly sized and installed ventilation system will help keep your herd healthy and productive.
Mini farm hygiene
Like any livestock farm, a quail dwelling needs regular disinfection. The simplest remedy for cells is "Whiteness". An effective wall cleaner is a lime mortar.
It is also necessary to take care of the disinfection blockade system. On shoes in the poultry house, you can bring in various infections that can cause an epidemic in birds. To prevent such a nuisance, at the entrance you need to install a box with contents impregnated with a disinfectant - a disinfection barrier.
The bird cage maintainer should make it a rule to place both feet in this shoe disinfection box each time they enter the house.
Quail Brooder Modes
The quail owner must take care of the constant replenishment of the herd with young breeders.
Since domestic quails are completely devoid of the incubation instinct, the hatching of chicks has to be entrusted to the incubator. Modern devices equipped with automation can cope with this task quite well. How to use them correctly, the "Rules for the incubation of quail eggs" is described.
Further care of the hatched babies should be taken over by the poultry breeder. To do this, they are placed in a brooder. It supports special temperature and light conditions for quail. How to build a box for chicks on your own is described in the article "Building a brooder for quails".
A 650 nanometer infrared lamp is a great source of light and heat. The table shows the indicators of temperature and light:
conclusions
- In the first days of life, quails require special conditions of detention. The main requirements are humidity, temperature, litter, lighting.
- The easiest way to maintain the microclimate necessary for birds is with a brooder. You can buy it ready-made or make it yourself.
- The optimal material for the construction of the walls of the structure is plywood, the pallet is metal or plastic.
- Work should be carried out strictly according to the drawings - in this case, the structure will be functional and reliable.
- Please note that the arrangement of a small brooder for a small number of chicks and a large building are different. The main parameters are heating, heating, drinking bowls, feeders.
- There must be a thermometer inside the structure so that you can monitor the temperature readings.
How to keep quails in the winter without heating
In regions with mild winters, amateur poultry farmers practice keeping quails without heating. And, although egg production is significantly reduced, this is, in general, possible.
To do this, you need a well-insulated room that does not allow the temperature to drop to critical values. The building should be located in a dry, wind-protected place. It is good if from the north side it is protected by another outbuilding or house.
You also need a straw bedding on the floor of the cage. Sometimes it is practiced to keep quails in an open-air cage with bedding on a cement floor. This option is not suitable for breeding. However, birds feel quite comfortable burrowing in straw and basking under lamps.
As a rule, such methods of keeping quails are used by summer residents who want to receive eggs from their birds in the summer, and in winter they simply keep the livestock. The nuances associated with this topic are well written in the article "Rules for keeping quails in the country in the summer."
